info on some piston rings

perfacar said

hi, 1/16 rings will work just fine. the newer motors use narrower rings than that. currently 1.2 mm and 1.5 mm is used in most motors. your ring set is not too light. besides, to install 5/64, have to remachine ring lands or buy stock pistons! your cylinder walls will love them. theres horsepower in lower radial tension rings. just food for thought.

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Most pistons, even aftermarket pistons are not machined for 1/16 rings. Yes newer cars do use thinner rings but the engines are designed for that. They also move the top ring up to reduce emissions. Less area between the top of the piston and the top ring reduces the dirty area where fuel may not be completely burned.

A thinner ring also reduces heat transfer to the cylinder wall and thus the cooling system. Desirable for emissions but not necessarily what you'd want for a hot street engine, especially where detonation may be a concern.