So, I need some opinions. What are people's experiences with all of the different piston types? It would be for street/strip and strip only applications, naturally aspirated. Mainly I ask for the Cleveland applications, but for other Ford small blocks as well. Thank you!
i've always used the forged pistons for my strip cars. lots of people use the hyper pistons for street/strip combos but if your making serious hp i'd suggest the forged. rather spend a little extra now, rather than a lot later.
You guys are not supposed to agree with everything that I already think. You are supposed to point out flaws in my plan that I haven't thought yet!
I've run Hypereutectics in a 302 and had no problems in over a year or hard use. Daily "freeway blasts" to 6500 rpms, then 4 months of daily trips to 7500 after a swap in heads and intake. Pistons still looked like new when pulled. And to top it off, these came from a $350 factory reman by City Motor Supply in Dallas Tx. I wouldn't hesitate to use em again. Just make sure the piston to wall clearances are in spec for them. Cast are also OK for N/A applications.
I 'v used hyper pistons with good success in braket racing applications also. I like then because you save weight in your rotating assembly and that makes for a longer lasting engine. Of coarse you can buy nice light weight forged pistons but if the budget is tight hyper's will definetly do the job.
Get the hypers with an offset pin and it'll reduce the pin and skirt stresses that break most pistons. You just have to make sure you put them in the right way. Then don't get too out of whack on you're tune and they'll last forever. Detonation is a big no-no because hyper pistons are more brittle than forged. That does not mean they're weak, just that they don't bend. You can also run closer piston to wall clearance with a hypereutectic piston, which will help a lot on those cold starts. This is because they're chemically different from forged slugs (lots more silicon) and don't expand as much. As with any tune, don't get too rich either. Unburnt fuel that sits on the top ring and just smolders kills pistons quicker than anything. Especially pistons that run a tight clearance. Coated skirts aren't a must have item, but they do help. Of course, if you have the cash, just get the forged pistons and call it a day. They'll put up with a lot more abuse.
after 2 issues with KB hyperutectics I won't own another set. Once I got those issues fixed, they are working great now, but again, it is a lower HP application naturally aspirated only and the tune is conservative. It takes over .030" top ring gap to keep them from butting togther, at least in my application. I think mine are closer to .040" IICR.
All I know is what I've used and what I've read (off the Internet so beware ); forged for high-RPM's (6500+). I know guys that have sprayed 200 shots for a couple of years on the Hypereutectics without a problem (shifting around 6200 r's) FWIW
Have a set of TRW forged that are on their fourth (I think) motor. They even sat in the motor for over 9 years without being fired up. After a clean-up of the block they are still running great. Oh yeah, I have had them since 1984! Several years of N20 shots as well. Look brand new. My vote, spend the extra and buy forged.
cast...... just kidding, but nobody else mentioned them so someone had too. if your spending the money for new pistons, at the least get the hyper, if you want the works, go with forged.
First failure we had them at .020". Second time we had them at .030". Popped ring lands out each time so we put them at .040" and so far they're still holding out. According to KB, .020" should have been fine.....BUT, the block is concreted so that may have something to do with it.
