1dirtyZ

iTrader: (1)

what would cause the first compression ring to break into peices ? some of the peices seemed like they where pulvarized, even though the ringlads were intackt? detonation? bad rings? improper gapping?

FELBER632

Rings break for many reasons. It can be caused by everything from detonation to a leaky head gasket, and sometimes material choice. In our high HP N2O apps it can be caused by a lean condition as well as a rich condition. Too much ignition lead, as well as too little etc. Think of not just heat, but temp change. Kinda like taking a piece of hot glass and submerging it into cold water. Tight ring gaps usually result in broken ring lands, but I have seen them break without damaging the land. Look for "butting" at the gap. (Shiny pattern at the ring gap)

Of all the things that happen inside an engine, and especially ring failure/damage, the most common is detonation.

I know I didn't help much and my response is pretty vague, but I don't know all your details, and I prefer to educate someone to think rather than jump to conclusions.

Felber

1dirtyZ

iTrader: (1)

thanks for the quick reply!
as far as i can tell the the A/F ratio was good ( although it was rich once before and lean for a while then it was perfected after that).
it also seemed that the lower ring was kinda firmer , or maybe had more tension on the walls than what the first on had. i'll have to get back to you about the gap condition. ( although on some of the rings it would be hard to tell where the gap was because the ring is in so many peices).