Forge Pistons
 

Is it worth the monies spend on a set of forge pistons?...how much could you make out from it?...what are its benefits...would appreciate any help out there...CHEERS :D

FYI..I am not going for a turbo set up..NA...

If you get forged higher compression pistons than you will get quite a bit more power from the higher compression and also forged pistons are stronger...

alot of stage II and stage III cams really require the use of high compression pistons (among other things) to reach their full potential.

we're gonna need to know more about your proposed setup in order to tell you whether forged pistons will be worth the cash.

What compression were you planning on running? What motor, for that matter? :thinking:

For most streetable n/a setups, forged pistons aren't really necessary, but thats all thats offered in the desired compression ratio, so thats really what you're left with. Of course, it certainly doesn't hurt that the pistons are forged... just not really necessary. If you're planning an lsvtec motor, you can achieve pretty much any streetable (and some marginally non-streetable) compression ratios using OEM honda pistons.

this is pretty much my seetup at the moment...

B20B Vtec, JDM B18C head with mild P&P, CTR cams int and exh, SSR Cam gears, ITR Valve springs, SARD fuel regulator, 4-1 Mugen, 5Zigen exhaust, Apexi SAFC, titanium crank pulley, lighten std flywheel, std B20B pistons and conrods, Exedy clutch...

cheers

YES, DEFINITELY GET AFTERMARKET PISTONS. There :chuckles: . Seriously though, stock B20 pisons are far from optimal when used with a vtec head. First, the compression is way too low, second, the valve clearances aren't designed for a vtec head, and can cause problems.

Given your setup, I'd spring on a set of aftermarket pistons AND rods. If you really want to be able to take advantage of that head (and the CTR cams), you'll want to rev the motor higher than the stock B20 rotating assembly will alow. Also, to get the most power out of those cams, you'll want compression somewhere in the 11:1-11.5:1 range.

If I were in your shoes, I'd do a bottom end rebuild. I'd have the crank balanced, use new bearings, get some aftermarket rods (Import builders, Probe Ind., and Cunningham are reputed to be the best N/A rods, and they should all come with ARP rod bolts), and some aftermarket pistons in the ~11:1-11.5:1 range. The make of the pistons themselves isn't as crucial as the make of the rods. JE/SRP, IB, Wesico, etc, all make pistons specifically designed for the crvtec, with appropriate valve clearances and compression ratios, etc... One thing to keep in mind is that if the pistons are designed for a crvtec with B16A head, you're compression will be about 0.2:1 higher than the advertized compression because your gsr head has a slighly shallower combustion chamber (so for instance if the piston says 11:1 for B20 w/ B16 head, your actual compression will be 11.2:1)

But an new rod/piston combo along these lines should allow you to safely rev past 8k and get the most out of your cams... After some dyno time, I wouldnt be suprised if you were making close to 200 whp after that work :D

Cheers mate. Apologies to all as i have set up another thread on the same subject but with a relatively diff approach.

White n slow...thanks for the valuable advice...however you stressed AND rods...mind if you could explain more....cheers mate...

Sure thing. Stock B20 rods aren't that hot. They're not really designed to rev past ~7k, and even that is a bit much. After shot-peening them and getting a set of ARP rod bolts, stock rods should be good for around ~8k, but they wont be nearly as reliable in the long run as a quality aftermarket rod. They're just not designed for that kind of abuse. Plus, most aftermarket rods designed for n/a are significantly lighter than stock, giving you a *marginal* boost in power, quicker reving and less stress on your bearings and rotating assembly which translates directly into better longevity. The other reason you should get aftermarket rods is that stock rods won't accept aftermarket pistons without being machined. The general rule of thumb is OEM Pistons--OEM rods, aftermarket pistons--aftermarket rods.

Look at it this way:

stock B20 rods, plus ARP rod bolts, plus shot-peening, plus machining to accept your new pistons = a fair chunk of change for an OK rod setup.

decent aftermarket rods = the same chunk of change (well... probably a little more, but not a lot more) for a well-designed, more reliable and better performing rod setup.

:D