Would the IR thermometer work though with the sensor actually inside the pan? I'm imagining the exterior part of the sensor would be a lower temp.Danny, it might be easier to use an IR thermometer to test the sensor in place instead of messing with boiling water and such.
I ran the road course at PPIR a couple years ago and my temps peaked at 245ºF with the Killer B pan, baffle, pickup. That was with my old gauges, but as far as I know the oil temp at least was accurate. I do think the pan is totally worth it even for the time attack series. The track has way more grip than your typical autocross surface and the corners are generally longer. My temps there peak at about 225-230ºF.
That's another thing that had me thinking about the pan. I've heard from Gladu and a few others that well-prepped STU cars can be in the danger zone even just on an autocross course. I usually do 8-10 autocross days per year, most of the time attacks, and a good 5-6 track days on top of that. I'd say probably 20+ motorsport type events per season.