Ok, I was reading an article about piston construction and design... well as I was reading about forged pistons specifically I came across some facts about low and high silicon pistons. Specifically the differences and proper application of each.

So does anyone actually pay attention to this stuff... I find it very interesting but some might find it kinda dry and overly detail oriented. Also does anyone have any experience with gas port/ gas trapping pistons?

I am curious as I never hear about anything but manufacturer brand and compression, other than that people seem to rarely get in depth.

As far as rings... whats the general opinions... late model factory rings vs gapless aftermarket like total seal or speed pro? I hear alot of mixed opinions on which seat best and are most durable.

Any tech input it welcomed greatly. More than willing to get in depth more about this stuff but I dont want to waste my time boring you all on something you may seen 100 times? sorry if so.

 

All I know os that a gas ported piston is to be used on teh strip onlyl THe extra pressure placed on the rings will wear them quickly. As far as Silicon content Im interested in tech on that also.

 

you are correct gas porting is for short lived drag style motors. thats when they drill a series of small holes into the dome of the piston, to down to behind the first compression ring.

some more facts about the difference in high and low silicon pistons.
-high silicon are more brittle and expand less under heat. they are much tougher than cast still but not the strongest forged pistons. high silicon pistons can be run with a very (.002-.003 inches) tight piston to wall clearance than the low silicon, which makes them a good choice for endurance or super hot street setups. the tighter piston to wall thickness is much easier on the ring and cyl walls... and also more quiet too.

-low silicon are the toughest... its alloy is much more suitable to extreme abuse of drag racing big boost engines. they have a drawback though, they expand more under heat, so you have to run a greater piston to wall clearance. thus they also have a clattering sound to them when the engine is cold... even hot it can still be present. the wider clearances have long term wear implications as the pistons rocks around in the looser bore.


Modified by twkdCD595 at 11:21 AM 8/13/2003

 

fullthrottle: I would like more info on your powerstroke?!?

very impressive...

pm me.


Modified by twkdCD595 at 11:38 AM 8/13/2003

 

anyone have any insight on my original rings question, which to use?

late model factory rings vs gapless aftermarket total seal/ speed pro/ etc.