Which piston rings should I use?????

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duster360

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I do like the price though. It may be worth the wait for the $75 I would save. That would pay for the bearings. And I do have a ring filer.
 
oh..did not see that shipping date....lol
 
NEVER skimp on rings. Pay the extra $75 now or chance a teardown next month with using economy parts.
 
NEVER skimp on rings. Pay the extra $75 now or chance a teardown next month with using economy parts.

Mahle makes quality rings..

and dam..did you buy the most expensive piston or did you skimp on that too...

did you skimp on the cam...lifter...springs..or did you buy the most expensive part...LOL
 
Tell me about it. Forged 340 pistons are scarce and expensive. Lol.
 
Money has NOTHING to do with it!

I did a ton of research, trying to find rings for a replacement single that came with my Keith Black pistons, when I snapped one, installing them, when it slipped out of my hand.

Want to know what I found out, the hard way?

There is ONE foundry in the United States that manufactures and supplies piston rings!

http://www.hastingsmfg.com/ContentData.aspx?Contentid=70

Want to get them expensive? Pay up.

Want to get them cheap? Go to Summit and buy their brand. It's ALL the same stuff, if it came from the US, and they are quality.
 
They do have different coatings available, different facing cuts, etc.

Just go through Summit if you are looking for a complete set, for the right facing cut for your engine, with their simple search engine, by just punching in what you're after and scrolling through their stuff. Speed Pro may pop up first. That's also a Hastings ring, but I know that Summit rings are less expensive and also the same ring, from Hastings. If they don't come up in the search, call Summit.

ALWAYS check your ring gap and file. They are manufactured to tedious tolerance at Hastings, but that doesn't mean your engine is exactly what it should be and that will change gap. When you gap them, keep them organized for each cylinder you checked them in.


If you ever need a single, Summit has them for 4" + diameter, but you have to go through Hastings to find the ring, by measuring what you've got, on something smaller. They have it, but the catch is, they are more expensive to place an order with, on a small order, than a business can drum up on a large PO. So, if you've got a 318 for instance, get the part number from Hastings and find a local shop or parts supplier to make the order for you from Hastings on individual rings.

If your piston rings sit high on the piston, get coated rings. If not, just stick with iron and you're golden.

The Total Seal rings you have showing are very good. Moly coated top rings will do good on an HP engine. They are the same exact Hastings part as KB/ United Engine/ Mahle/ Summit/ Sealed Power, etc.

Hope this helps.
 
I did notice that the oil ring tensions were a little different on some of the ring sets.
 
I'm a big fan of the Total seal gapless piston rings and yes that are file fit rings.
 
Hastings manufactures rings for Sealed Power, Speed Pro, etc, they do not make Mahle, Akerly & Childs, or Total Seal rings. The premium rings are much higher quality. You pay more for a reason. Similar to pistons. You pay for CP or J&E for higher precision and higher technology. The question is do you need a premium ring. I'd say no - but it's not a bad place to spend a little more because you will get dividends whether it be in more power, less oil contamination, or longer life.
 
Hastings manufactures rings for Sealed Power, Speed Pro, etc, they do not make Mahle, Akerly & Childs, or Total Seal rings. The premium rings are much higher quality. You pay more for a reason. Similar to pistons. You pay for CP or J&E for higher precision and higher technology. The question is do you need a premium ring. I'd say no - but it's not a bad place to spend a little more because you will get dividends whether it be in more power, less oil contamination, or longer life.

What he said. It's why I used Ross racing pistons and the total seal gapless piston rings.
 
I got the JE low tension rings for my 383.
 
Hastings manufactures rings for Sealed Power, Speed Pro, etc, they do not make Mahle, Akerly & Childs, or Total Seal rings. The premium rings are much higher quality. You pay more for a reason. Similar to pistons. You pay for CP or J&E for higher precision and higher technology. The question is do you need a premium ring. I'd say no - but it's not a bad place to spend a little more because you will get dividends whether it be in more power, less oil contamination, or longer life.

The last set of childs & Albert rings I had were nothing more than badly made junk, to the point where I sent them back to the supplier at my cost and I'm in Australia. Got them to send me the tried and true Sealed power / speed pro / hastings? Problem solved.

So don't think that the more you pay the better the product.
 
Get a set of Speed Pro file fit rings. They are around $120 through mail order. Always good quality. Total Seal can be hit or miss quality wise. The JE rings are repackaged Total Seals as best as I can tell.
 
My order of quality: Akerly & Childs (was Childs and Albert), Mahle, Total Seal, Speed Pro/Sealed Power/Hastings/etc. But as I said - most don't need anything more than a file to fit moly faced stadard ring package. So I mostly use Speed Pros. If I need something special (race/boost/custom package/etc) I'll use a company that makes a better product. I've had problems with almost every supplier I use at one pioint or another. It's like that sometimes...lol.
 
I'm running Autozone store brand bearings and rings in my motor. They may be rebranded big name stuff, I don't know, but I'm pushing 15k miles on the motor with hundreds of track passes. Still going strong.
 
Crappamaggot this is givin me a headache. Pick a good brand ring and run it already.
 
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