Piston Rings?

Posted By: Adrielp

Piston Rings? - 01/21/15 06:24 PM

Looking for some piston rings for a 650-700HP 497ci bracket racing engine. Would like to know what options are out there and what you guys would suggest. Thanks

Piston Info:
4.375 Bore, flat top, .990 pin, 1/16, 1/16, 3/16 ring grooves.

Posted By: DemonDust

Re: Piston Rings? - 01/21/15 06:41 PM

Call total seal, they'll hook you up. Look into gapless rings for more hp

Posted By: Cab_Burge

Re: Piston Rings? - 01/21/15 08:18 PM

Speed Pro, Federal Mogul, Hastings, JE and a bunch of other choices out there

I don't reccomend or use gapless rings anymore

That was a trick of the week years ago, Total Seal does not recommend using them on a serious drag race motor anymore either

I like to use a standard tension oil ring on any of my motors that won't have a vacume pump, street or strip only

I also set the ring end gap a tiny bit larger than most, .0045 + on the top rings and .0055 + on the second ring per inch of bore size, .030 minumum on the oil ring gaps

Posted By: DemonDust

Re: Piston Rings? - 01/21/15 09:17 PM

Funny, I just talked to total seal last week and the tech recommended to me to use a gapless stainless top ring.

Posted By: lewtot184

Re: Piston Rings? - 01/21/15 10:52 PM

i've used several different brands and can't say i had any issues with any of thing, but it's awful hard to beat the basic speed-pro.

Posted By: Thumperdart

Re: Piston Rings? - 01/21/15 10:54 PM

Quote:

Speed Pro, Federal Mogul, Hastings, JE and a bunch of other choices out there I don't reccomend or use gapless rings anymore That was a trick of the week years ago, Total Seal does not recommend using them on a serious drag race motor anymore either I like to use a standard tension oil ring on any of my motors that won't have a vacume pump, street or strip only I also set the ring end gap a tiny bit larger than most, .0045 + on the top rings and .0055 + on the second ring per inch of bore size, .030 minumum on the oil ring gaps

I agree about not goin the gapless route and to free up power on my last freshen, I went w/back cut top n 2nd rings w/the napier second and med tension oil rings.

Posted By: Thumperdart

Re: Piston Rings? - 01/21/15 11:21 PM

Quote:

Funny, I just talked to total seal last week and the tech recommended to me to use a gapless stainless top ring.

And some of the tech`s at Holley say to use a P/V rated lower than idle vac.

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Piston Rings? - 01/21/15 11:40 PM

cheapest file fits you can find std tension oil ring and go!
Gapless rings are for DIRT cars that wear out fast and some alky applications where they keep alky out of the oil at idle--They will leak test better--They will NOT dyno test better in my experience also way more cash and you will get beat at the track by a guy that has three different pistons a flea market converter and drives like a pro
cheap house brand rings with proper wall finish work
low tension aok for dry sump --usually not with wet sump engines
after 20 runs std tension just as good as lows for what we do--
wall finish correct--Square gaps done with care--that is the hot lick

Posted By: Quicktree

Re: Piston Rings? - 01/22/15 01:04 AM

Quote:

Speed Pro, Federal Mogul, Hastings, JE and a bunch of other choices out there I don't reccomend or use gapless rings anymore That was a trick of the week years ago, Total Seal does not recommend using them on a serious drag race motor anymore either I like to use a standard tension oil ring on any of my motors that won't have a vacume pump, street or strip only I also set the ring end gap a tiny bit larger than most, .0045 + on the top rings and .0055 + on the second ring per inch of bore size, .030 minumum on the oil ring gaps

hmmmmm a lot of the builders around here swear by the gapless rings, i have always used file fit rings but i let my builder use them whe he freshened my motor recently. seems like the stockers like them also.

Posted By: slammedR/T

Re: Piston Rings? - 01/22/15 01:10 AM

I had good results from Hellfire rings and now Total seal stainless ap coated gapless rings

Posted By: D-50

Re: Piston Rings? - 01/22/15 01:28 AM

A few years ago I was using the Speed Pro file fit rings when I freshened the motor I went with gapless rings and saw zero difference. I will stick to the Speed Pro file fit from now on.

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Piston Rings? - 01/22/15 02:53 AM

Quote:

A few years ago I was using the Speed Pro file fit rings when I freshened the motor I went with gapless rings and saw zero difference. I will stick to the Speed Pro file fit from now on.

He said Zero!
I have built engines week in week out for a LONG time--we dyno lots of engines--we have built some killer circle track stuff over the years at shops I helped at--I have seen for myself and heard many of the best engine builders in the business say that--gapless rings do make beautiful leak down test--BUT..engines don't run like ring test--I was at a shop that did a back to back test--yep! Not long after getting a new dyno they ran it night and day Proving things and DISPROVING much conventional wisdom--
I will stand on this: In what we as Mopar guys do--street/ hot street/ bracket race it is silly to spend over $200 on rings that in our application are NO better than some house brand ( PBM, Liberty, Engine Works etc) rings $70
You guys are fooling yourselves and spending extra cash because you heard or read something--Every magazine article I have ever had anything to do helping out the writers -- was done for reading and entertainment NOT for facts. Do you believe Street Outlaws is real?
Save your cash --Gapless rings are handy when you run and eat dirt--they keep making cylinder pressure a little better after it has been eating dirt and worn itself out--run them in an alky injected where at idle it is usually very rich and can get past rings to screw up your expensive oil but there is no good reason to run them in a plain old bracket or street Mopar--

Posted By: W2DODGE

Re: Piston Rings? - 01/22/15 04:39 AM

Not much time on a dyno plenty on the track. I would recommend the gap less for someone who runs a lot of passes and does not go through the engine but every five or more years. If you need them because your worried about fuel wash fix your fuel system and carb or injection set up

Posted By: skrews

Re: Piston Rings? - 01/22/15 04:46 AM

Quote:

Quote:

A few years ago I was using the Speed Pro file fit rings when I freshened the motor I went with gapless rings and saw zero difference. I will stick to the Speed Pro file fit from now on.

He said Zero!
I have built engines week in week out for a LONG time--we dyno lots of engines--we have built some killer circle track stuff over the years at shops I helped at--I have seen for myself and heard many of the best engine builders in the business say that--gapless rings do make beautiful leak down test--BUT..engines don't run like ring test--I was at a shop that did a back to back test--yep! Not long after getting a new dyno they ran it night and day Proving things and DISPROVING much conventional wisdom--
I will stand on this: In what we as Mopar guys do--street/ hot street/ bracket race it is silly to spend over $200 on rings that in our application are NO better than some house brand ( PBM, Liberty, Engine Works etc) rings $70
You guys are fooling yourselves and spending extra cash because you heard or read something--Every magazine article I have ever had anything to do helping out the writers -- was done for reading and entertainment NOT for facts. Do you believe Street Outlaws is real?
Save your cash --Gapless rings are handy when you run and eat dirt--they keep making cylinder pressure a little better after it has been eating dirt and worn itself out--run them in an alky injected where at idle it is usually very rich and can get past rings to screw up your expensive oil but there is no good reason to run them in a plain old bracket or street Mopar--

THIS ^^^

Posted By: DemonDust

Re: Piston Rings? - 01/22/15 09:12 AM

Well, I'm glad I read this. Not to hijack the OPs thread. I'll have to start one on gapless or gapped ring packs...