There is never a dull moment when you are around Driven Racing Oil’s Lake Speed Jr. He is widely acknowledged as one of the most outgoing personalities in the aftermarket automotive industry. No trade show would be complete without stopping by to see the sociable Speed, and find out what new products the company has.

Picking up a conversation like we didn’t have months between conversations, Speed rolled right into a discussion about Driven’s new LS and LT oil kits. “The LS and LT engine oil filters are the same size, same thread pitch, and even look alike,” said Speed. “Inside they are different. The LS engines have an oil pressure relief valve built into the oil pump. It is mechanical, and a bypass in the filter is also mechanical. The LT engines actually have a solenoid that controls the oil relief valve in the pump,” he explained.

“This solenoids commands the oil pressure to move the cam and do other stuff at certain rpm. The ECU will command the oil pressures. Because of the solenoid’s sudden change in oil pressure versus the mechanical units being held by a spring, the solenoid causes a more rapid change in oil pressure across the filter housing,” he continued.

The LT filter is designed a little differently than the LS filter to account for this sudden change. “The LS is more traditional, where the LT filter has a bypass valve inside the filter to deal with that sudden spike and pressure drop to keep the bypass from opening.”

We asked why that was important. “If the bypass opens, unfiltered oil goes into the engine,” he answered. “Typically the bypass will open when you get that pressure spike. That usually happens when you hit the throttle. This is the time when you don’t want unfiltered oil going to the engine. This is why you don’t want to use an LS filter on an LT.”

Because these filters look similar and the fit identical, it is easy to  use the wrong filter. To prevent this disaster from happening, Driving Racing Oil has developed kits for the LS and LT engines. “There is the right amount of oil, at the right viscosity, with the correct filter type for the different type applications,” said Speed.

To find out more about these kits and the other fine products from Driven Racing Oils, visit them online at www.drivenracingoil.com.