If horsepower is the headline, then oil pressure is the fine print most people skim over. That is, until it bites them. High-performance engines don’t just need oiling; they need the right oil pressure, consistently, and without aeration, and that comes from the right oil pump. And that’s where Peterson Fluid Systems has built its reputation.
We sat down with Jeff Adcock of Peterson Fluid Systems to dig into what makes their pumps and accessories different, why racers from dirt tracks to drag strips rely on them, and how the company’s constant push for innovation has reshaped the way builders think about engine lubrication.
Why Go External Oil Pump in the First Place?
Most enthusiasts start with an aftermarket stock-style internal pump that mimics the same design of the OEM original. That setup works fine for street duty, but as Adcock points out, things change when you’re spinning big RPM or pulling hard Gs in competition.
“Stock type systems will fluctuate pretty dramatically in really high-performing applications,” he explains. “An external pump and dry-sump oiling system helps that out because now the oil pan serves a single purpose to efficiently pull oil from the bottom of the engine and the external tank that is optimized to never uncover the pickup. You’re making sure you’ve got a consistent oil supply across the whole RPM range.”
Remote-mount wet sump pumps like Peterson Fluid Systems’ RF give you the increased pressure and flow rates of a dry sump pump without having to use an external oil tank. This can also be invaluable in racing classes where a dry sump oiling system isn’t legal.
External oil pumps also offer an additional advantage in that you can pre-lube the engine before every fire-up. By pulling the cogged belt that spins the pump, you can spin up the pump using a drill with a hex fitting and pressurize the entire system. When you are running lightweight oils to minimize pumping losses, this can be quite important to prevent metal-on-metal contact if the engine has been sitting for a day or more.
Wet Sump with a Twist: Built-In Vacuum Control
When it comes to any oiling system, consistency is king. Without it, bearings starve, lifters collapse, and expensive rotating assemblies quickly become scrap metal. So when a dry sump with an external pump isn’t practical for your application or outlawed in your racing class, Peterson offers a “tweener” solution for a wet sump engine. More stable than a stock pump, but simpler than a full dry-sump system.
One of the more clever bits of engineering Peterson has come up with is a single-stage external wet-sump pump with an integrated vacuum pump. Instead of bolting on a separate vacuum unit like drag racers often do, Peterson’s combo setup runs the vacuum pump right off the back of the oil pump drive.
Peterson’s Wet Vac oil pumps combine an external oil pump with a vacuum pump (the black portion at the back). This eliminates the necessity for the extra belts and brackets necessary to mount and spin a separate vacuum pump to significantly simplifying the engine package.
That means two big benefits in one package: Stable oil pressure thanks to the external single-stage pump, plus reduced crankcase pressure because the vacuum pump constantly pulls combustion gases that manage to make their way past the rings out of the crankcase.
Freeing up the rotating assembly from windage and pressure build-up is free horsepower. Less resistance in the crankcase cuts down on ring flutter and also means the pistons and rods can move more cleanly.
“It’s a real nice tweener piece,” Adcock says. “If you don’t want to go to a full dry-sump system and deal with plumbing a tank, this gives you some of the same benefits.”
Dry Sumps: The Gold Standard
Of course, for serious racing, the conversation always circles back to dry sumps. Dry-sump oiling systems have been around for decades, but Peterson is still finding ways to innovate in an endless quest for improved performance. Adcock describes it as “never accepting the status quo.” That pursuit led to their twisted rotor — or high-helix — design.
Picture a conventional rotor, then imagine grabbing one end and twisting it like a licorice stick. That twist means the lobes stay in contact across their length, sort of like a ring and pinion gear. And the result is a pump capable of moving oil more smoothly and with less cavitation at high RPM levels.
The four-stage pump is by far the most popular when it comes to V8 race engine dry sump systems. Three stages pull oil and air from the engine (normally two in the oil pan and a third in the lifter valley), the oil and air are separated in a remote oil reservoir, and then the fourth stage pulls the oil from there and sends it back through the engine.
“The twisted lobe setup outperforms everything we’ve had in the past,” Adcock explains. “It pushes fluid really cleanly and produces more vacuum than anything else out there.”
That’s not just marketing talk. Peterson runs all their competitors’ pumps on their own in-house test stand, so they know exactly how their designs stack up. Right now, that twisted-rotor design is the best performer out there.
When talking about dry sumps, stage count is always the hot topic. More isn’t always better.
“It depends on the configuration and where you’re trying to pull oil from,” Adcock says. “Most V8 racing applications work great with a four-stage. That covers scavenging the pan, maybe a head, maybe a crankcase area. It’s enough without taking too much horsepower to drive.”
Yes, horsepower. Every additional stage takes more energy to turn. For most circle track and drag setups, four stages hits the sweet spot. Larger, more exotic applications, like tractor pullers with large capacity oil pans and multiple turbos for example, may run bigger pumps with six or eight stages. But those guys also have four-digit horsepower on tap and don’t mind devoting a few extra to drive the pump.
Of course, four stages isn’t the limit. Tractor pullers and other extreme applications can sometimes make use of oil pump monsters like this.
Matching the Oil Tank to the Oil Pump
When it comes to dry-sump oiling systems, the oil tank is nearly as important as the pump. Sizing it right can be more art than science, and Peterson’s tech team usually steps in to guide their customers.
“You can circulate less total oil in a dry sump because it’s handled more efficiently,” Adcocki notes. “But capacity still depends on what the engine builder wants and how much packaging space you’ve got in the chassis.”
For example, dirt late model racers often prefer to run five-gallon tanks. But as chassis builders continued to lower deck heights for aero gains, Peterson had to adapt by ballooning the bottom of their tanks. Same volume, shorter height. They even offer retrofit kits so racers don’t have to buy an all-new setup when switching chassis.
It’s a constant dance between the chassis guys and the oiling guys, but Adcock says a willingness to adapt to real-world needs is mandatory.
Peterson’s Primer Remote Mount allows you to mount this unit (and oil filter) in an easily accessible location so the engine can be primed easily and quickly before firing up. For race engines that may sit for a week or more without running, this is a great way to protect the bearings and other critical areas.
Priming Made Easy
One of the more interesting and innovative products Peterson offers is their remote filter primer system. If you’ve ever had to crawl under a dirt-track race car to spin an oil pump with a drill, you’ll appreciate this.
Instead of pulling belts or fighting for access, you can use a standard handheld drill on the remote primer unit. In about ten seconds, it pushes 20 psi of oil pressure to all the bearings before you ever hit the starter.
“Cheap insurance,” Adcock calls it, and he’s right. Especially for dirt racers who mount pumps at the bellhousing, being able to prime the engine quickly and easily is worth its weight in gold.
The Bigger Oil Pump Picture
Like any racing component, pumps wear with use. But performance oil pumps are designed to be rebuilt multiple times, saving racers money in the long haul. Teams can buy rebuild kits and do it themselves, or just ship the pump back to the manufacturer and let them do it.
For Peterson, turnaround is usually a week or two, with faster options available if you’re in a pinch. “We’re racers ourselves,” Adcock says. “We know sometimes you need it yesterday.”
Most teams send pumps back once a season, even if nothing catastrophic has happened. It’s a simple inspection that can prevent a major failure in the future.
Whether it’s the compact wet-sump/vacuum combo for guys not ready to make the leap, or the twisted-rotor dry sump setups dominating pro-level builds, Peterson Fluid Systems’ philosophy is the same: consistent oil pressure, smarter packaging, and racer-focused support.
Because when you are driving at the limit, you need to be able to concentrate on the track in front of you, not whether your engine is about to grenade on you.
Peterson’s twisted-lobe rotor design offers multiple significant advantages over the traditional straight-cut lobe. They say that this design allows them to use all-aluminum rotors to save weight while also increasing performance.
