Ring Philosophy

[cometguy]

What is the current "hot ticket" with respect to ring type? Regulars here will know that I am drag racing in NHRA/IHRA Stock Eliminator. The ring dimensions must be the same as a stock 200, but the style of ring is optional.

 

[Stubby]

I don't know exactly how much you will gain, but I have seen some guys sqeeze the ring pack for every little bit available.

A local Super Stocker, who has held records, used to accept cylinders as much as .010" over as long as they were round and straight. This was on a 4.00" bore. I am not saying he wanted them that far over, but that was his limit. He would always use shims behind the rings to take up the extra space behind the rings. The space behind the rings does matter.
Years of trial and error, along with good record keeping, will yeild best results.

I had another customer who was an ex drag racer, turned dirt racer, who always ordered his pistons with "tight" ring lands. Manley offered this for years. Then I would sand my finger prints off fitting each compression ring to it's groove. They dominated at The Devil's Bowl in Dallas. I have seen attention to detail in alot of rule restricted classes.

These procedures are closely related to the times when you repaired pistons. If the ring lands were too loose you would recut the grooves and use special rings and spacers. The older (realy realy OLD) guys will know what a GI60 is.
JW, Smitty, Thad, speak up.

EDIT: again. You can also experiment with very low tension oil rings if you have perfectly round cylinders.

Just remember, when you experiment with ring packs, the running conditions need to be held to tight tolerance. How warm you get it before running down the track, how cool you get it between rounds, things like this start to matter more.

 

[StrangeRanger]

And I was starting to research spiral bevel vs. zerol vs. hypoid bevel.

I guess there's rings and then there's rings. I think I'll go play something by Wagner.

 

[Stubby]

Whatever you do, DONT accidentaly hand one to a purty young girl. She will have you in a church before you can say "Man, I sure miss drag racing".

 

[wallaka]

Whatever you do, DONT accidentaly hand one to a purty young girl. She will have you in a church before you can say "Man, I sure miss drag racing".

Don't hand one to an ugly young girl, for sure.

 

[Asa]

wasn't there something about "one ring to rule them all, and in the darkness....." oh shoot, i lost it
lemme go ask that guy up on Mt Doom

 

[CNC-Dude]

What is the current "hot ticket" with respect to ring type? Regulars here will know that I am drag racing in NHRA/IHRA Stock Eliminator. The ring dimensions must be the same as a stock 200, but the style of ring is optional.

Back cutting the top and second ring is still a common "speed secret" in the Stocker classes. As for the ring type, it is mostly just a preference. Its also still common for engines with flat tops to put the piston on the rods backward to change to wrist pin offset in the other direction. Most Super Stockers I have done, tell the piston manufacturer to offset the pin bore that way....

 

[80broncoman]

Stubby this is somewhat related,
You were speaking of perfectly round cylinders. Of course we know about torque plates and such.
My question is has anyone ever pumped coolant @ 200F though a block with the torque plate bolted down while machineing it?

 

[CNC-Dude]

Stubby this is somewhat related,
You were speaking of perfectly round cylinders. Of course we know about torque plates and such.
My question is has anyone ever pumped coolant @ 200F though a block with the torque plate bolted down while machineing it?

Don't know about these engines, but Winston Cup teams have been doing it for over 20 years.