New ‘Golf Ball’ Like Pistons Improve Power Stroke Fuel Economy by 25 Percent
These Power Stroke pistons not only improve fuel economy, but also power, all while elongating maintenance intervals and engine life.
These days, we see quite a few innovations in terms of engine components from manufacturers, but rarely does the aftermarket come along with something truly revolutionary. However, Speed of Air Engine Technologies recently came out with precisely that – its Hyperformance Pistons, which have been around for a while, in all fairness, but are new for diesel applications like the Power Stroke family. These unique pieces certainly seem like they may be akin to a late-night infomercial given SoA’s many impressive claims, but Dave’s Auto Center was recently able to take a much closer look and get down to the science that makes them tick.
Those claims are undoubtedly interest-piquing for any Power Stroke owner – fuel economy improvements of up to 25 percent, more horsepower and torque, significantly extended engine life, reduced service intervals, less soot, and lower temps – not to mention an improvement in emissions. It certainly sounds too good to be true, and the fact that the Hyperformance Pistons from SoA look, well, like golf balls with those familiar dimples on top makes them seem a bit gimmicky – but that’s also precisely where the magic happens.
What we call dimples SoA refers to as turbulators, which are precisely CNC-machined indentations designed to create a thin layer between an engine’s air-fuel mixture and the combustion chamber walls. That turbulent layer allows the combustion flame front to burn far closer to the chamber walls, which increases overall efficiency. The piston crowns and skirts are also coated with a thermal barrier and anti-friction material, which helps retain heat as well as minimize abrasion and resistance.
Another nifty feature present here is a “gapless second ring,” which helps keep soot out of the oil. And since it has a better seal, it also pulls more air into the engine – resulting in better compression and combustion sealing, to boot. According to a representative, it takes a diesel pickup a little while to figure all of this out, but once it does realize that it can run leaner, the results are quite clear – in the case of the pickup he’s driving, he saw fuel economy improve from around 13 miles per gallon up to 16 over the past 10k miles.
Even better, as we can see in the video, these pistons help make diesels run smoother and quieter, even ones that have been deleted and otherwise modified in various ways. However, it’s the potential fuel, maintenance, and repair savings that should entice quite a few Power Stroke owners – particularly if they’re operating larger fleets, because such an investment may very well pay off in that regard, especially if the pistons help elongate engine life as claimed, too.
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