View Poll Results: Which piston is better?
diamond (no coating but heard coatings dont last long)
0
0%
Voters: 8. You may not vote on this poll
which piston is better
01-14-2010, 04:41 PM
#2
One for Wiseco Here! 
Coatings are just one of many features that should be in the back of your mind when you choose a piston company. Definitely don't choose a piston based solely on that, but I'll detail what's up with the different coatings so you can make a more informed decision.
They vary in quality from a basic spray-on graphite up to the screen printed Wiseco Armorglide (tm) we use now. There are also some good spray-on ones applied by the coating companies. If going that way, the masking job has to be top-notch to avoid getting overspray into the grooves and their curing process must be piston specific to avoid baking the heat-treat out of the piston. Also, when we were using the spray-on moly back in '03 to '06 (what we considered a break-in coating), one "extra pass" by the guy with a spray gun could add another .0002" worth of material pretty quick. The engine builder would ask us "do I hone to the 4.026 diameter piston or the 4.0258 piston?" Good question! Mechanized screen printing with the better materials fixes all that.
The chemicals used by the different companies are proprietary. We tested a lot of them on our dyno to develop our Armorglide process. We don't advertise it as a big power gain, but it does allow us to get great wear properties with 2618 alloy forgings. It also does a good job of dampening noise and reducing required skirt clearance. Good piston skirts are turned instead of ground-which leaves a fine series of grooves on the skirt from the diamond tooling. The coating evens out these highs and lows and results in a nice light "egg" shape wear pattern in the skirt if the cam and taper are done right. We have top customers that run skirt coatings for the primary reason of developing skirt profiles for "out there" applications. Coatings are only about 5% of the total piston equation though, so I hope this helps.
Coatings are just one of many features that should be in the back of your mind when you choose a piston company. Definitely don't choose a piston based solely on that, but I'll detail what's up with the different coatings so you can make a more informed decision. They vary in quality from a basic spray-on graphite up to the screen printed Wiseco Armorglide (tm) we use now. There are also some good spray-on ones applied by the coating companies. If going that way, the masking job has to be top-notch to avoid getting overspray into the grooves and their curing process must be piston specific to avoid baking the heat-treat out of the piston. Also, when we were using the spray-on moly back in '03 to '06 (what we considered a break-in coating), one "extra pass" by the guy with a spray gun could add another .0002" worth of material pretty quick. The engine builder would ask us "do I hone to the 4.026 diameter piston or the 4.0258 piston?" Good question! Mechanized screen printing with the better materials fixes all that.
The chemicals used by the different companies are proprietary. We tested a lot of them on our dyno to develop our Armorglide process. We don't advertise it as a big power gain, but it does allow us to get great wear properties with 2618 alloy forgings. It also does a good job of dampening noise and reducing required skirt clearance. Good piston skirts are turned instead of ground-which leaves a fine series of grooves on the skirt from the diamond tooling. The coating evens out these highs and lows and results in a nice light "egg" shape wear pattern in the skirt if the cam and taper are done right. We have top customers that run skirt coatings for the primary reason of developing skirt profiles for "out there" applications. Coatings are only about 5% of the total piston equation though, so I hope this helps.
01-14-2010, 04:53 PM
#3
And there's a big reason why I choose Wiseco for many of our customers! Their customer support is second to none! Not only Brian, but all the rest of their crew go out of their way to ensure you get what you pay for, in a reasonable amount of time, and with the extra support you might need after the sale! Can't beat that!
__________________
Largest Stocking Distributor of LS-x Engines / CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE!
COMP - FAST - PACESETTER - DIAMOND RACING - EAGLE SPECIALTY PRODUCTS - CALLIES - COMETIC GASKETS
RAM CLUTCHES - MOSER ENGINEERING - KOOK'S HEADERS - ARP - GM BOLTS AND GASKETS - MSD - NGK
POWERBOND - ASP - AND MORE!
Largest Stocking Distributor of LS-x Engines / CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE!
COMP - FAST - PACESETTER - DIAMOND RACING - EAGLE SPECIALTY PRODUCTS - CALLIES - COMETIC GASKETS
RAM CLUTCHES - MOSER ENGINEERING - KOOK'S HEADERS - ARP - GM BOLTS AND GASKETS - MSD - NGK
POWERBOND - ASP - AND MORE!
01-14-2010, 05:47 PM
#4
Banned
iTrader: (10)
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Torrance, CA
Posts: 491
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wiseco is top notch!
I have used their pistons in the past and they were all exactly the same as far as weight and dimensions every time. Makes for an easier time when it comes to balancing and machining.
Diamond is good also, but my choice would be Wiseco 9 times out of 10.
I have used their pistons in the past and they were all exactly the same as far as weight and dimensions every time. Makes for an easier time when it comes to balancing and machining.
Diamond is good also, but my choice would be Wiseco 9 times out of 10.
01-15-2010, 02:34 PM
#6
Banned
iTrader: (10)
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Torrance, CA
Posts: 491
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Shoot me a pm with the part number you ordered and the price you paid and so on and I will see if I can get them for you if you like.
Let me know!
01-15-2010, 04:10 PM
#7
part number is K394X3903
they are for a 4.00 stroke, and have -8cc to give me my desired CR. for 6.125 rods and are the 3.903 pistons. they have the correct rings for nitrous use, no one I have talked to has them in stock. Wiseco is supposed to make them on the 12th of feb.. the price I have for them is 748.99, shipped if you have them in stock Let me know they are holding my build up right now...
they are for a 4.00 stroke, and have -8cc to give me my desired CR. for 6.125 rods and are the 3.903 pistons. they have the correct rings for nitrous use, no one I have talked to has them in stock. Wiseco is supposed to make them on the 12th of feb.. the price I have for them is 748.99, shipped if you have them in stock Let me know they are holding my build up right now...
