Confusion on ring gaps for 5.9/ hyper pistons

[clapped2gAZ]

Hello all, this is my first post so I apologize if this topic has been beat to death before.
Building my first 5.9 magnum (bored .030 over, mild cam, ported kegger and headers). Machine shop got me silvolite Hypereutectic pistons and hastings rings. I beat the crap out of my truck and am eventually going to add low boost (5-8psi). I've been asking around and everyone seems to have a different answer. No reply from hastings or hughes engines. Machine shop says .026 - .028 for boost. First time gapping rings and I went a little overboard trying to keep them paralell. Ended up with .030 top and .032 second. Would you guys run this?
Other builders on the forum have done .030 to be safe with no issues, but I wanted yall's opinion. Rather be too loose than too tight.

thank you! Sorry for the wall of text

 

[RAMM]

Hello all, this is my first post so I apologize if this topic has been beat to death before.
Building my first 5.9 magnum (bored .030 over, mild cam, ported kegger and headers). Machine shop got me silvolite Hypereutectic pistons and hastings rings. I beat the crap out of my truck and am eventually going to add low boost (5-8psi). I've been asking around and everyone seems to have a different answer. No reply from hastings or hughes engines. Machine shop says .026 - .028 for boost. First time gapping rings and I went a little overboard trying to keep them paralell. Ended up with .030 top and .032 second. Would you guys run this?
Other builders on the forum have done .030 to be safe with no issues, but I wanted yall's opinion. Rather be too loose than too tight.

thank you! Sorry for the wall of text

Too loose , only you'll know. Too tight, everyone will know. Run it. J.Rob

 

[GTX JOHN]

For your truck, I would run them and not look back.

You will never see the difference on a street car of a little bit
larger gap and you will not worry about them to butt and causing
a disaster.

Now on a NHRA Stocker/SS race car where wins and losses are often measured
in under a hundred, that amount of gap would not be acceptable. Of Course,
to race those classes you must be able to pretend that money is NO object!

 

[crackedback]

KB says .0080 street supercharged apps. Somewhere around .032 minimum on top ring with a 4.00 bore Add some for more bore diameter

Top ring math
4.030*.0080 = .03225

Plenty of unhappy people that use/used Hypers, install rings using some other math... Two piece pistons are not in the design parameters
edit.....
KB Hypers changed to .0075 factor Do it right once, easier than some of the picking up pieces alternatives.

instructions MT

Instructions MD

uempistons.com

Call them with the piston number to get the correct instructions.

 

[HankRearden]

Hello all, this is my first post so I apologize if this topic has been beat to death before.
Building my first 5.9 magnum (bored .030 over, mild cam, ported kegger and headers). Machine shop got me silvolite Hypereutectic pistons and hastings rings. I beat the crap out of my truck and am eventually going to add low boost (5-8psi). I've been asking around and everyone seems to have a different answer. No reply from hastings or hughes engines. Machine shop says .026 - .028 for boost. First time gapping rings and I went a little overboard trying to keep them paralell. Ended up with .030 top and .032 second. Would you guys run this?
Other builders on the forum have done .030 to be safe with no issues, but I wanted yall's opinion. Rather be too loose than too tight.

thank you! Sorry for the wall of text

Loose is fast. Run it.

 

[RustyRatRod]

First off, we need to get something straight. "Silvolite" does not make hyper pistons. It they are Silvolite, they are standard CAST pistons. Period. Keith Black is the brand from United Engine and Machine that offers hyper pistons. So what I suggest is confirming 100% WHAT YOU HAVE before going any farther.

 

[AJ/FormS]

I ran that .026 spec with KB107s; and had nothing but incurable overheat problems for the entire summer.
At seasons end, I tore the engine down, opened the Skirts to .0035, and the top gaps to .032, and seconds to .028, and left the oilrings at .026
Next spring it ran completely different, but had a lil piston slap during the warm-up. I solved that by increasing the minimum water temp to 205., by running a 195 stat and I got me a Thermostatic fan clutch. Car went 93 in the Eighth like that @3457 pounds me in it. With a rock-steady temp gauge.
Car now has over 100,000 miles on it and still runs like a champ.......
altho, she is on her third FTH cam. The first one I didn't like. The second dropped lobes in her 4th summer. This last one has been in there since 2004.

 

[RustyRatRod]

@crackedback was kind enough to let me know that Silvolite DOES make hyper pistons and that any of them with an "H" in the part number are indeed hyper. That's something I didn't know. Sorry for the wrong info.

 

[crackedback]

@crackedback was kind enough to let me know that Silvolite DOES make hyper pistons and that any of them with an "H" in the part number are indeed hyper. That's something I didn't know. Sorry for the wrong info.

They also have the quirky ring gap approach. So using the .004 base math most like to use doesn't work with them either. IIRC the instructions say something about adding 40% to the computed std ring gap factor (bore x.004) for silvolite hypers. I'm sure that is a naturally aspirated clearance as well. Not for something with a snail/huffer.

 

[33IMP]

LOTS more ring gap problems with hyper pistons from too little gap.
Run what you have.
But first.... make sure you have ENOUGH gap. KB hypers want a huge gap on their hypers (relatively speaking). Silvolite might be the same.

 

[33IMP]

.....but I would NEVER run boost with hypers.
Wanna run boost? Step one is forged pistons (imo).

 

[RustyRatRod]

.....but I would NEVER run boost with hypers.
Wanna run boost? Step one is forged pistons (imo).

I agree 100% with your opinion. I've also stated elsewhere that even in a N/A build that was for a truck for towing and hauling for example that it was my opinion to go forged. ....and I'm stickin to it, even though I got some disagreement.

 

[clapped2gAZ]

Thanks for the replies! Machine shop had me convinced I screwed up but I'd rather listen to the guys that have done this with my motor and pushed her hard like I plan to do. My only worry is I gapped the lowers to .032 because I read somewhere they needed to be larger gap on the second in order to not trap gasses between the first and second rings. Should I replace the seconds with .028? Thanks again guys nice to find a community with actual answers

 

[RustyRatRod]

Thanks for the replies! Machine shop had me convinced I screwed up but I'd rather listen to the guys that have done this with my motor and pushed her hard like I plan to do. My only worry is I gapped the lowers to .032 because I read somewhere they needed to be larger gap on the second in order to not trap gasses between the first and second rings. Should I replace the seconds with .028? Thanks again guys nice to find a community with actual answers

Lemmie tall you somethin. You could gap the rings at .100" and never tell a difference and that's the truth. It's not the end gap that has to do with compression, it's the sealing surface of the rings and the cylinder. I wouldn't sweat a thing where you are now.

 

[GTX JOHN]

Thanks for the replies! Machine shop had me convinced I screwed up but I'd rather listen to the guys that have done this with my motor and pushed her hard like I plan to do. My only worry is I gapped the lowers to .032 because I read somewhere they needed to be larger gap on the second in order to not trap gasses between the first and second rings. Should I replace the seconds with .028? Thanks again guys nice to find a community with actual answers

I would go ahead and run the rings the way they are.

I would worry more about the pistons.

 

[clapped2gAZ]

Last question before I commit to using these rings- couldn't get them 100% parallel gap. off by about a thousandth. is that gonna cause any issues? Sorry for all the questions, very new to gapping rings

 

[RustyRatRod]

Last question before I commit to using these rings- couldn't get them 100% parallel gap. off by about a thousandth. is that gonna cause any issues? Sorry for all the questions, very new to gapping rings

For what you're doing, you're golden.

 

[clapped2gAZ]

For what you're doing, you're golden.

Yall are the best, if ur ever in PHX I owe ya a beer!

 

[RustyRatRod]

Yall are the best, if ur ever in PHX I owe ya a beer!

Thanks. I haven't been that far. Been to Texas and that's as far as I want to go from home, I think.

 

[GTX JOHN]

Last question before I commit to using these rings- couldn't get them 100% parallel gap. off by about a thousandth. is that gonna cause any issues? Sorry for all the questions, very new to gapping rings

That is fine.

It is not easy to get them much better without an expensive gapper.

If you are at Wild Horse at Divisionals in a couple weeks = Stop by and
I will give you a Beer (Not Budweiser).

Nevada Missile Racing

 

[MOPAROFFICIAL]

All the hypers I've used.. I've only opened the gap on the top ring. I would not open the gap on the 2nd ring more than the top. I'm sure it'll run fine.. but didn't need to open the 2nd more than the top.

 

[TT5.9mag]

Hello all, this is my first post so I apologize if this topic has been beat to death before.
Building my first 5.9 magnum (bored .030 over, mild cam, ported kegger and headers). Machine shop got me silvolite Hypereutectic pistons and hastings rings. I beat the crap out of my truck and am eventually going to add low boost (5-8psi). I've been asking around and everyone seems to have a different answer. No reply from hastings or hughes engines. Machine shop says .026 - .028 for boost. First time gapping rings and I went a little overboard trying to keep them paralell. Ended up with .030 top and .032 second. Would you guys run this?
Other builders on the forum have done .030 to be safe with no issues, but I wanted yall's opinion. Rather be too loose than too tight.

thank you! Sorry for the wall of text

I have a twin turbo 5.9 magnum SBE (yup stock pistons), standard bore and I PURPOSELY gapped the rings at .030 top and .032 second. The larger gapped second ring (varying opinions here) keeps blow by (which you can’t avoid on boost) from loading the bottom of the top ring. It’s a good thing in my opinion. Put it together and run it. Don’t think twice about the lack of parallel of the ends at your power level, it’s inconsequential, especially with big end gaps.

 

[MiradaMegaCab]

I ran a Mopar Performance remanufactured short block with Speed Pro hyper pistons, stock rods and crank. I opened up the ring gaps and agree with running a wider gap on the 2nd ring.
I topped this combo off with a 174 blower (6PSI) and sprayed it with a 75 shot on the street.
Track use would get a 150 shot.
I ran this combo for years, it was my daily driver and had at least 30,000 miles , hard miles.
I would drive 225 miles to Carlisle Pa, 4000RPMs for hours.
Shifting at the track would be around 6000RPMs.

Heres what was in the pan after running 10.6@128MPH
The piston crowns were fine however, the skirts don’t exactly like excessive RPM’s…. LOL

 

[TT5.9mag]

View attachment 1716359703
I ran a Mopar Performance remanufactured short block with Speed Pro hyper pistons, stock rods and crank. I opened up the ring gaps and agree with running a wider gap on the 2nd ring.
I topped this combo off with a 174 blower (6PSI) and sprayed it with a 75 shot on the street.
Track use would get a 150 shot.
I ran this combo for years, it was my daily driver and had at least 30,000 miles , hard miles.
I would drive 225 miles to Carlisle Pa, 4000RPMs for hours.
Shifting at the track would be around 6000RPMs.

Heres what was in the pan after running 10.6@128MPH
The piston crowns were fine however, the skirts don’t exactly like excessive RPM’s…. LOL

That’s another thing I do that most consider crazy. I put a lot of skirt clearance in most of what I build. The twin turbo big block I did for my boat had a good mahle 2618 forged piston and .007 skirt clearance.

 

[33IMP]

That’s another thing I do that most consider crazy. I put a lot of skirt clearance in most of what I build. The twin turbo big block I did for my boat had a good mahle 2618 forged piston and .007 skirt clearance.

A buddy and I ran a 440 in a duster with cast pistons with .008 piston to wall. Piston slap would wake the dead cold, but it made lots of 11 second passes, and never came apart.