to make a long story short, I have srp 11.5 pistons with total seal rings. The rings in a couple of cylinders never seated and probably never will. All that was done to the engine that would of effected anything is just a cylinder hone. Well I guess that the cylinder hone wasnt perfect and that I shouldof got it bored in order to use those rings without any problems. I keep telling myself that you live and you learn. compressions good all the way across but leak down shows about 20% in number 4.

I am going to have to pull the pistons out again, do another hone(just under 1k mi so far so I am honing it lightly) and put new rings on.

what do you guys suggest as far as ring selection? I have to make sure that they seal this time or I will go crazy . I was told oem honda was the way to go for this situation.

the motor is a lsvtec with upgraded valve train and its going to be seeing some high revs. ITR rings or CTR or are they all the same? and most importantly will they work with my srp pistons?

 

i got a new set of total seal piston rings, never used for 150 $.

 

total seals are in there right now and never sealed!!

 

total seal rings are GARBAGE....a bad gimmick...if your pistons are 1-1.2-2.8..which they probably are..just go with an off the shelf ring from arias or je.. brand should be hastings or federal mogul.....gap em right...don't just stuff em in..and do a light lightn clean up hone..just to deglaze..but done use a ball hone....use a soft stone

 

HEll yeah, i'm gonna have to give the total seal a thumbs down as well

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TECH43 RACING INC. &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">total seal rings are GARBAGE</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

The only people who install them and give them a thumbs down are the type of clueless impotents that are most likely way out of thier league to begin with.

Unfourtunately the average " local machine shop " does not have the skills necessary to get these rings to seat and there fore describe them as garbage

I have had several sets and they have all worked out well. My old civic has over 1000 road race miles on it and it still has less than 1% loss in each cylinder

 

whats so difficult about these rings that people dont know about especially machine shops. whats the secret? All I know is that they are in their now installed by a machine shop and they never sealed properly. Now my car smokes like a 300k mi dodge caravan. The machinest said he didnt like the rings before he even installed them, but I guess thats A little to late now. He also said that that type of ring would of worked good on a bore where the cylinder was perfect round apposed to a hone where all you do is scuff the surface.

So should I just go with oem honda and which rings from honda do I choose. I have heard that they are all the same exact thing with different part numbers, and that you can use any.

give me some good brands that I am garanteed not to have trouble with. My engine is not bored it is honed but still is well within spec.

 

You won't see any professional-level race engines (NHRA, NASCAR, etc) running their gapless rings. Most manufacturers quit making gapless rings back in the late 70's, which is about the tine Total Seal started making them in metric sizes. Combine metric sizes with huge marketing and that's what kept them in business.
Gapless rings will flutter in the "tiny" ring grooves in Honda pistons because they require more combined clearance than more conventional rings.

 

I have never used there gapless rings but on the other hand have used there standard rings and they work great , no complaints here.
On another note dont you think that if a company only made products that didnt work well that they would go out of business?

 

total seals are a gimmick...no serious racers or engine builders use them.

 

I hear you and respect that you choose not to use their products, but I have never had any problems with their products so I will keep using them.

 

so what the hell was my problem then?? the rings where their standard rings made by total seal. And yes they had to be filed and were filed to the safer tolerances (nitrous etc). Why would they of givin me a problem.

regardless if they are a good ring or not they are not going back in. Im am going to use a different manufacturer. Gimme some recommendations here besides total seal. I tried them and they have failed me. It just wouldnt feel right putting the same company ring back in after I had such bad luck the first time.

 

Sorry bro, but I have really only used their product so I cant recommend anything else.

 

well, Will OEM rings work on my SRP pistons? and which rings would I go with? I know everyone says that they are the same but they do have different part numbers!

I am still up for suggestions on aftermarket rings that are good.

 

I say whoever installed them you can have them repair it or take them to court. If he didnt like them why did he offer to do the job?

 

He is willing to do the rings again with me supplieing them. Still besides the point and a little late. I dont have time to take to court or such. I would just rather have the engine running good.