99 Black Bird T/A

iTrader: (4)

Do forged pistons hold up well enough to live for 100,000+ miles?

I've never had a forged motor. In the past they all had cast or hyperureutic pistons.

Rebuilding an LS1 that will see a lot of daily driver time for the RS. I know forged pistons are what most folks use when they rebuild. With reasonable care and moderate street use, how many miles is a forged piston set good for? I've heard the hyperureutic (sp) pistons tend to live for far more miles.

Thank You

Wade

lcvette

iTrader: (3)

Forged pistons will hold up relatively well...however you must exercise some care with them.. ie cold start up they tend to rock a little in the cylinder until they have warmed up and expanded. so be gentle when cold.. they do have a tendancy to scuff more then your higher silicon content pistons. so the actual cylinders will see some extra wear and needs to be monitered over time and checked for runout.. there are a couple options out there though.. the stronger of the 2 are your 2618 forgings which are superior for strength in higher horsepower apps where cylinder temps run excessively higher, and then there are the 4032 forged pistons which are forged and have excellent strength yet a more daily driven characteristic in higher silicon content for tighter build clearances and better scuff resistance.. a good compromise in my opinion.. depending on your goals for power and how you plan on getting there should dictate which you ultimately decide to use. excessive power will best be suited on the 2618's.. and as they say if ya wanna make big power your simply gonna have to accept its gonna be expensive.. and freshening up over the course of a few thousand miles will be required. good luck hope this helps!
Chris

99 Black Bird T/A

iTrader: (4)

Yes that helps. Car will see 18,000+ miles a year, I want to factor that into parts selection.

Beast96Z

iTrader: (21)

Lots of cars have used forged pistons in factory applications for years. Mustangs up to 92 had them and many of them have seen well more than 100k. I don't think there would be a problem in a LS-1 application.

blk~2000~Z28

My brother's '90 5.0 just surpassed 200,000 miles. I am pretty sure that his car has the forged pistons. He has never been nice to the car (3 tranny's) and frankly with the above comments I am shocked at how the engine could live this long. I think forged can go just as long as cast or hyper. pistons if everything was setup properly from the start.

99 Black Bird T/A

iTrader: (4)

Hmmm...I'm starting to lean toward the forged based off of whats being said here. I know the short block will be set up right because Wegner is doing it. I didn't really know what to expect longevity wise with forged.

CHRISPY

I would definitely go forged. They are also lighter than hypercrap pistons as well. Go for the lightest piston/rod combo you can

Just let the car warmup before beating on it (good practice anyways) Many cars came with forged slugs. (early 90s 5.0 Mustang is one that comes to mind) and I have seen them at the track with 200K miles on them

99 Black Bird T/A

iTrader: (4)

Forged it is then.

Chris@AP-Engineering

iTrader: (-2)

Let me shed some light on this before it goes overboard. The mustangs did have forged pistons in them and they did live for a long time but, that is not the same forged pistons that you will be getting from your choice of manufacturer. Those pistons in the Mustangs were purpose built forged pistons that were designed to factory spec's. Not the same spec's that JE, Diamond, Ross or any aftermarket pistons manufacturer makes theirs too. Those factory forged pistons used a lot tighter piston to wall clearance, this in turn let them live for over 100K. You will be hard pressed to find a aftermarket piston that will do that. Also factory skirt profiles are very different than the aftermarket but that is a story for another day. Moral of this story.......you will get a lot of miles out of a forged aftermarket piston but it will not last as long as the factory forged by any means.

ITSovr4U

So Chris, What you are telling me is that my APE built 408 wont last for 100,000 miles after all the street racing, Drag racing, over reving, and NITROUS shots I plan on hitting it with. And I thought you were the man.....

Chris@AP-Engineering

iTrader: (-2)

Well John, there are always exceptions to the rule. Let's just say you should get close, as long as you stay away from the over reving, nitrous, drag racing and street racing.

ITSovr4U

NEVER

JoSeY

Ok...this was in a DSM I built with Aries Forged Slugs....they slapped a little till they warmed up...I usually just turned on the car went back inside finished fixing my hair and gathered my briefcase and by that time motor was up to temp.....car lasted 120,000 miles before some ******** in Greenspoint ripped it off and stripped it to nothing and left it in Conroe...point is they can last if you're just careful w/them...and these pistons saw 30lbs of boost and a 75shot on top.......I was never "Easy" on them when racing....when I wasn't racing, I drove like my father....nice'n slow and just easy.

99 Black Bird T/A

iTrader: (4)

Chris, what's would you say the "typical" life for an aftermarket forged piston like a JE, Diamond, Wiseco or CP would be assuming good care is taken?

If I knew the stock pistons could survive the engine dyno testing we're going to do, I'd stick with them.

99 Black Bird T/A

iTrader: (4)

Ok, stupid question time. If I never spray it, wouldn't a custom hyperuetic piston with valve reliefs work pretty well and live a long time?

JoSeY

Hell, if you get those you can still spray...keep it around 100-150 shot, make sure you have enough fuel pressure ABOVE 50 PSI is Safe...45-50 PSI your running on barrowed time....Less than 45PSI....you'll be buying new pistons....maybe more depending on the detonation damage.

Chris@AP-Engineering

iTrader: (-2)

Josey, you can get them to last if you treat them right. That is not the norm for most people though.

Wade, it is hard to say what the exact life would be. You will get a long life out of them most likely. They should go a good 50,000 with no problems. Now if you spray them, life is in your own hands.

JoSeY