piston material differences ?
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2005
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From: Albuquerque
piston material differences ?
What are the differences between Cast pistons, forged pistons, and Hypereutectic pistons? forged is more expensive, then hypereutectic , then cast. I am pulling all my parts together and pricing item out for my 352 into a 390 bulid. chassis is done, now it is time for engine work, with all the parts needed its around 1000.00 just in parts, if I could cut piston price down it would save me around 200 dollars. Thats about the price of the intake, or the price of the cam and lifter kit.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,600
Likes: 4
From: Iowa
Cast: Lowest cost alternative. Regular cast aluminum, not very strong, good for stock rebuilds. Many OEM's used 'em.
Hypereutectic: Same as cast, but with more silicon added. This makes a more dimensionally stable, and somewhat stronger, piston. Many OEM's use this kind in new motors today. They can fit tighter in the cylinders and are more resistant to scuffing.
Forged: Extremely strong. They are not cast, but are beat into shape with thousands of pounds of force. This creates a denser molecular structure which actually makes the material stronger. Unfortunately, they also expand more with heat than either cast or hypereutectic, and must be given a little more piston to bore clearance. This can cause them to make a little noise when cold. Go this way if you're hard on motors, or are planning on racing, using nitrous oxide, or forced induction.
Additionally, you may not have a choice when it comes to what piston to get. Some cast or hypereutectic pistons may only have a compression height of 1.750", while the forged unit, supposedly for the same application, may be 1.780"! Be sure to look at the specs before buying.
Hypereutectic: Same as cast, but with more silicon added. This makes a more dimensionally stable, and somewhat stronger, piston. Many OEM's use this kind in new motors today. They can fit tighter in the cylinders and are more resistant to scuffing.
Forged: Extremely strong. They are not cast, but are beat into shape with thousands of pounds of force. This creates a denser molecular structure which actually makes the material stronger. Unfortunately, they also expand more with heat than either cast or hypereutectic, and must be given a little more piston to bore clearance. This can cause them to make a little noise when cold. Go this way if you're hard on motors, or are planning on racing, using nitrous oxide, or forced induction.
Additionally, you may not have a choice when it comes to what piston to get. Some cast or hypereutectic pistons may only have a compression height of 1.750", while the forged unit, supposedly for the same application, may be 1.780"! Be sure to look at the specs before buying.
Hotshot
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 11,141
Likes: 25
From: south louisiana
Originally Posted by rusty70f100
Cast: Lowest cost alternative. Regular cast aluminum, not very strong, good for stock rebuilds. Many OEM's used 'em.
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