Malhe vs Wiseco
Malhe vs Wiseco Mahle vs Wiseco pistons which are better? I can get the mahle ones for about $150 cheaper and they come with a coating on the piston plus friction coating on the skirts, so I like that. I have ran wiseco’s in the past and always liked them and had good luck. Will be building a blow 370 lq4, which would be better and hold up best?
Wiseco and Mahle are both top tier piston manufacturers, but it's still apples to oranges. Mahle typically uses a 4032 aluminum alloy in their shelf pistons and Wiseco's are typically a 2618 aluminum alloy. Determining which alloy is better for you is probably the question you need to be asking.
Ok so which alloy is better and which should be used? It is a street car with a blower.
I have used diamond pistons made from 2618 and did not like the excessive piston to cylinder wall clearance required. Made me nervous but heating them up in oven they did expand to where they should be. I like tight pistons to wall clearance as I am very picky and always let engines fully warm up before floggin them.
Other pistons i have used I think must have been 4032 as cylinder wall clearance was much less. We pushed these pistons to the limits and i have never seen one fail, however I do not know for 100% certain which forged aluminum it was made from.
2618 is stronger but expands more. 4032 doesn't expand as much but will be a quieter piston, probably better for streets, correct? Will be a street car however it is blown. I was thinking either one would probably work.
I have used diamond pistons made from 2618 and did not like the excessive piston to cylinder wall clearance required. Made me nervous but heating them up in oven they did expand to where they should be. I like tight pistons to wall clearance as I am very picky and always let engines fully warm up before floggin them.
Other pistons i have used I think must have been 4032 as cylinder wall clearance was much less. We pushed these pistons to the limits and i have never seen one fail, however I do not know for 100% certain which forged aluminum it was made from.
2618 is stronger but expands more. 4032 doesn't expand as much but will be a quieter piston, probably better for streets, correct? Will be a street car however it is blown. I was thinking either one would probably work.
Last edited by gpr; Oct 24, 2012 at 01:55 PM.
Yeah, either one will work, but the 2618 is more forgiving than the 4032. I like to use the 4032 because the tighter piston-wall clearance and that it is actually harder than the 2618, but it's also more brittle, so it will come apart much sooner if there is something wrong with the tune.
Typically for boost motors we start with Wiseco pistons because of the 2618 forging. Like previously stated its more forgiving. Mahle is a great company and build a quality product, so it no knock on them by any means. Wiseco also comes with a steel top ring, which is nice for boost.
Everything that can really be said that matters and is to the point has already been said, so nothing new that I can say. With that being said, I'm running -11cc Wiseco's in my boosted 370 with a blower.
