Lynn, I would appreciate your advice.  I am starting out to build
wedge oil pans and wonder about the advisability of having a windage
tray at all since they are not used stock 13-B or Renesis.   The
Renesis oil pan has a sub floor about .75 inches above the actual real
bottom where oil can be trapped and presumably de-frothed.   This
might only be necessary because the pan is so shallow.  I don't know
and am looking forward to hearing your comments.   The wedge oil pans
would be much deeper toward rear and that is where I hope to place the
pick up.    Thanks,  Jerry

 

The primary reason for the windage tray in rotary racing with the internal pump, is to keep the entire oil supply from filling up the front cover and uncovering the pickup under hard braking. 

 

I have thought about the problem of keeping the pickup covered during climb and descent.

How much of a climb angle would be tolerated before a problem develops. Riding down to Sun&Fun in the Bonanza I decided the angles involved were just too shallow to be a factor.

 

That only leaves the defoaming as a benefit. We were racing without a tray for years before adding one. During a race (40 minutes) the oil pressure would drop from 85-90 PSI to 70 PSI.

 

Some of that from oil temps going up, and some from oil foaming. We were putting it up into the front cover under braking and foaming the crap out of it with the front counter weight. This is with a stock pan with a quart of oil extra added.

 

A conical shaped pan with the pickup at the inverted apex would seem close to the ideal if you maintain the internal pump. If you want the tray for defoaming I would suggest a flat plate with a 5/8" gap around the edges the full size of the pan. Or try the deep pan without any tray at all. If you don't use steep climb angles the oil will stay off of the front counter weight and little foaming will occur. Most foaming in the straight line is cooling oil from the rotors, and that exits at an angle before it gets to the pan and is just below the breather port.

 

Lynn E. Hanover