LQ9 piston ring gap

**tylerdurden1** · 01-13-2008, 09:38 AM

I have been searching this forum and ls1tech with no results. If I have a balanced and honed LQ9 6.0L; What type of pistons rings (brand w/ part #) will work with the coated oem pistons?
What is the coating on the piston (telfon or cermic)? Will it effect the heat generated by N2O?

**LS2Tuner** · 01-13-2008, 12:00 PM

Call Total Seal on Mon. and they will make your rings specifically to your app.
We use the Advanced Profiling ring alot. It is a very strong ring and has lasted a couple seasons on many of our customers bracket motors. ANYONE that has had to file a some of these bad boys will tell you. It takes me 3 times as long to file a set of these than regular moly file fits.
The biggest thing with the nitrous and your ring pack is the gap. All that added cylinder pressure makes the rings butt together and break or ring failure will be the end result.

They will need your exact hone size on the cylinders. It will save you a lot of time or who ever does the file fitting.
Back in the day I thought they were a waste of money. I NOW KNOW BETTER! ANYTHING I plan on blowing the bottle through I put there rings now. Some of my customers have bought the HellFire rings which are a gap-less design also just from another company and seen gains.
http://www.totalseal.com/

Thats my 2 cents for you.

What your installing your oil rings it was found out by a Nascar engine builder (that orders all rings from Total Seal) the rings build more power when the oil rings are installed tee pee up. Squeeze the oil ring together and which ever ring goes up like a tee pee place that up on the piston.

**mrr23** · 01-14-2008, 04:29 AM

when i did my 408, i talked with wiseco pistons.

top ring was set to .0055" per 1" bore

second ring was set to .005" per 1" of bore

4.030" x .0055" = .022" gap top ring
4.030 x .005 = .020" gap second ring

best to talk with your piston manufacturer to make sure.

as far as the coatings go. the top is a ceramic. the sides are a teflon.

**tylerdurden1** · 01-14-2008, 07:29 AM

Thanks for the input guys. Iam going to be droping off this block in a couple weeks to a machine shop. I will have it torque plate honed, and then make sure all the cylinders are even. That measurment will be given to Total Seal before ordering.

**LS2Tuner** · 01-14-2008, 07:53 AM

Originally Posted by tylerdurden1

Thanks for the input guys. Iam going to be droping off this block in a couple weeks to a machine shop. I will have it torque plate honed, and then make sure all the cylinders are even. That measurment will be given to Total Seal before ordering.

So it will be square decked then....? I think that's what you were saying. If not have that done. Also did you buy head gaskets yet? If not I would STRONGLY recommend you buying a set of Cometics or the Fel-Pro MLS. Make sure you tell the machine shop you plan on using that type of multi layer head gasket. They require a little bit different deck surface to get max. sealing. There is a word and measurement for that but it's too early for me to remember right now.

**mrr23** · 01-14-2008, 09:09 AM

15 RMS is usually what you want for the deck surface and using MLS gaskets.

**tylerdurden1** · 01-15-2008, 10:00 PM

Ls2tuner I wanted to make sure that the cylinders were close to +or -.001 of each if possible and have the block squared and deck. I was already leaning towards Cometics .040.
Thanks, mrr23 for the RMS number. I now have something to go by when filling out the order.