[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

There's a very old thread about how the Aviaid's capacity is calculated. Someone from Aviaid actually chimes in to explain it.

I haven't checked lately, but Armando's have always been cheaper, but similar look and construction to the Aviaid. Personally, I think it's "six of one, half dozen of the other."

I found this at 10 quart oil pan - Topic

quote:
To settle it for all of you that have bought an Armando pan, when AVIAID designed that pan the static oil capacity of the pan was set at 9qt. That fills the pan to the underside of the hard tray that is bolted in on top of the pickup box assembly in the pan. Our instructions for actual capacity determination are to fill an empty pan, installed on the engine in a car sitting on flat ground, with 8qts. of oil. Mark your dipstick. Add one additional quart, and mark the stick again. This is full. The first mark is the low mark. This should be only about 3/8" given the sump area of the pan.

Start the engine, letting oil circulate and fill the engine, filter and any cooler or lines that may be part of the system. Shut the engine off, and add back to the top mark. This will be system capacity.

Depending on engine and operating conditions the ideal level can vary. Ideal oil level is a point between fluctuating oil pressure and excess carry over of oil out of the engine venting system. If the engine tends to trap oil up in the engine, it will like an extra 1/2 quart. If the engine returns oil well, it might like 1/2 quart low. Experience will tell.

John Schwarz
AVIAID Oil Systems

That's great information for calibrating the dipstick markings, but doesn't help me in deciding which pan to go with. Perhaps this is a different thread than the one you were referring to.

BTW, current pricing on Armando's pan is $520, while the Aviaid is $524.60 - so Armando's pricing has caught up to Aviaid's.