A dry sump system for a race engine build needs six things: a dry sump pan to suit the engine, a multi-stage pump, a pump mounting plate and drive, an oil tank, a vent can, and the hoses and fittings that join them. Budget roughly £2,800 to £4,000 ex VAT for the core parts on a typical four-cylinder build, before hoses, fittings and fitting labour.
Using current VMEP prices for ARE components, a representative build is a pan at £825, a two or three stage pump at £970 to £1,365, a mounting plate at £200 to £290, an oil tank at £845 to £930, a vent can at £230 and a tank mounting bracket at £230. The pan is the item that varies most, because most ARE pans are sold three ways: sump only, sump with pump, or full kit. A sump on its own runs £725 to £1,155 depending on engine. The same part as a full kit, with pump and drive included, runs £4,175 to £5,255 on the harder installations. This page is the checklist, in the order you actually need to decide things, with what each part does and what it costs.
Why fit a dry sump at all?
A wet sump holds oil in a pan under the engine and picks it up through a single pump. Under sustained cornering load the oil moves away from the pickup, the pump draws air, and oil pressure drops. That is the failure a dry sump exists to prevent.
A dry sump scavenges oil out of the engine into a separate tank, then feeds it back under pressure. The practical gains are oil control under load, lower oil temperature, the ability to lower the engine in the chassis, and less windage drag on the crank.
If the car is a road-going track day car that sees occasional sessions, this is a large spend for a problem you may not have. If it is a circuit race car on slicks with real cornering loads, or the championship or engine builder specifies it, it is not optional.
The checklist
- Dry sump pan or kit to suit the specific engine
- Scavenge and pressure pump, staged to the engine
- Pump mounting plate and drive (belt, pulleys, tensioner)
- Oil tank, fabricated or CNC/cast
- Tank mounting bracket
- Vent can or catch provision
- Remote oil filter mount if the standard filter position is lost
- Hoses, fittings and adaptors sized to the pump and tank
- Oil pressure and temperature sensing for the dash or logger
- Oil tank pre-heater if you run in cold conditions or need heat before a session
How many stages of pump do you need?
A stage is one section of the pump. Scavenge stages pull oil out; a pressure stage feeds it back in. The right number depends on how many places oil has to be pulled from, which is an engine and pan question, not a budget question. Confirm it with your engine builder or with us before ordering.
Current ARE pump prices, ex VAT:
- Single stage scavenge, gear type, £860
- Single stage scavenge, roots type, £965
- Two stage scavenge only, £970
- Two stage side mount, Ecotec, £1,000
- Two stage scavenge only, side mount, £1,025
- Three stage side mount, scavenge only, £1,285
- Three stage dry sump pump, £1,365
- Four stage side mount with regulator, £1,650
- Three stage side mount, £1,670
Note the split between "scavenge only" and full pumps. A scavenge-only pump has no pressure stage, which is correct when the engine keeps its own pressure pump and wrong when it does not. Getting this wrong is the most common ordering error on a dry sump.
Which pan fits your engine?
Pans and kits are engine-specific and there is no universal option. Most are sold in three configurations: sump only, sump with pump, or full kit. That choice moves the price by three to four thousand pounds on the same part number, so check which one a quoted figure refers to before comparing anything.
Fixed-price pans, ex VAT:
- Ford Duratec 2.0 Ecoboost pan, £825
- Formula Ford 1600, £825, or £840 with Van Diemen mounts
- Mitsubishi Evo 10, £840
- Ford 2000, £1,155
Sold as sump only through to full kit, ex VAT, lowest to highest configuration:
- Mitsubishi Evo 8 to 9, £725 to £4,815
- Alfa Romeo 1750 to 2000, £775 to £4,270
- BMW systems, £780 to £4,430
- Honda K20, £780 to £5,135
- Honda S2000, £915 to £5,170
- Chevrolet LS1 to LS6, £940 to £4,995
- Ford Zetec, £945 to £4,175
- Ford Duratec V6 Noble, £1,005 to £4,815
- Honda VTEC, £1,030 to £5,255
If you already own a pump, the sump-only price is the relevant one and the full-kit figure is noise. If you are starting from nothing, the full kit is usually cheaper than assembling the same parts separately.
Tank, vent and mounting
The tank is where the oil actually lives, and it needs to de-aerate the oil before it goes back to the engine. Two options, both ex VAT:
- ARE fabricated oil tank, £845 to £900 in 1.5, 2 and 2.5 gallon
- ARE CNC / cast oil tank, £895 to £930 in 1.5, 2 and 2.5 gallon
Then the parts around it:
- ARE vent can, £230
- Tank mounting bracket, £230
- Remote oil filter mounting bracket, £230
- Oil tank pre-heater, £220
Pump mounting
The pump has to be driven and it has to be held rigidly. Mounting plates are engine-specific:
- Universal pump mounting plate, £200
- Nissan, £270
- Subaru, £270
- Honda S2000, £290
- Formula Ford, £290
If your engine is not on that list, the universal plate plus fabrication is the normal route, and we can machine a bespoke plate from a drawing or a scan.
Two worked examples
Formula Ford 1600, ex VAT. Pan £825, two stage scavenge pump £970, Formula Ford mounting plate £290, fabricated tank £845, vent can £230, tank bracket £230. Core parts total £3,390, before hoses, fittings, drive and fitting.
Ford Duratec 2.0 Ecoboost, ex VAT. Pan £825, three stage pump £1,365, universal mounting plate £200, CNC/cast tank £895, vent can £230, tank bracket £230, remote filter bracket £230. Core parts total £3,975, before hoses, fittings, drive and fitting.
Both figures are parts only. Hoses and fittings on a dry sump are not trivial, the lines are large bore, and the routing has to survive heat and vibration. Budget for them properly rather than treating them as an afterthought.
What people get wrong
- Ordering a scavenge-only pump when the engine needs a pressure stage too
- Buying a pan and assuming the pump and drive came with it
- Undersizing the tank, so the oil never gets time to de-aerate
- Mounting the tank where it cannot be filled or checked between sessions
- Leaving no plan for the oil filter once the standard position is gone
- Specifying the system before confirming the championship's rules on oil catch and vent arrangements
Before you order
Send the engine make, model and year, the car and championship, whether the engine retains its own pressure pump, the space available for the tank, and any existing dry sump parts you already have. We come back within 1 working day. Dry sump parts are ordered in rather than shelf stock, so ask for a lead time with the quote.
Browse ARE dry sump systems or contact VMEP with your engine, car and championship before ordering a pump.