New Project, how much oil consumption is too much?

We have suffered through oil consumption rates of around a quart per hour in the past. If it uses a quart per tank I would expect you to use it at a higher rate on track (depending on the source).

A quart per hour kinda sucks. A quart per tank would be a lot more tolerable.

I recommend doing something about it before entering a race. See if you can hit a track day in plenty of time to do something about the oil consumption if its out of hand under track conditions.

Where are you located and what races would you plan on going to? Adding a quart every fill-up wouldn't be a big deal at tracks where fueling is done at your paddock spot (Gingerman, all California races, etc.). But if you race at a track where fueling is done in the hot pits (Most tracks in the South/Gulf region), then you can't do anything during a fuel stop aside from add fuel, change drivers, and refill your suit cooler, if applicable. So in that case you'd be losing a lot of time making an extra stop in the cold pits just to add oil every time.

Either way, I agree you should try to quantify its on-track use and do something about it before the race to save yourself unnecessary heartache. How many miles are on the car? Maybe you'll get lucky and it just needs valve stem seals. Maybe you'll get unlucky and the rings are shot. I seriously doubt a bad PCV system is eating a quart every fuel tank.

Seems like a lot of oil consumption to start with, figuring making it act like a race car tends to find the weak point in the car good chance that will be the first thing to go unless its a slow leak and one quart per tank = loss from a couple weeks.  I'd really try to find the cause and fix it.

Are these known for sludge / gunk stuck oil control rings?

Could do a sea foam / kreen (kroil) cylinder soak to help free them.

You might just need a good Eye-talian tune-up.

I'd be worried though about putting a car on track, that on the street uses 1qt/tank. If it stays at 1 quart/tank under racing conditions, that's manageable, but I'd be worried about it potentially using more on track.

Though I agree it is to thirsty I disagree with this.  We had one Saturn engine (oddly, our most reliable) that burned 1 quart per 2-2.5 hours.  We NEVER failed to check and add in 3 years of racing that car.  In a hot-pits situation it is more cumbersome but in paddock fueling it is just what the crew chief does the second the gas cap goes on...every time...all the time.

Sure, it can be managed, as you illustrate. I'm just saying that if you KNOW your engine has that issue, why start the whole project with that extra thing to worry about? Did you KNOW your Saturn motor Had a huge drinking problem or did someone hit the track and report fluctuating oil pressure in corners?

I was just trying to illustrate the difference between losing a few gears in your automatic mid race, nursing it along and racing as best as you can, and knowing your transmission is wounded like that and entering a race anyway. I'd always do the former, and I'd NEVER do the latter.  Make sense?