Maxima guy here building a 3.5L...
Im looking for ~600whp from boost and a little juice.

I am using CP pistons. Ring gaps out the box are .012-.015 for all. From what I have read at the JE site gaps for street/strip should be .017 for the top ring. With moderate boost/nitrous (sounds like me) .019 is recomended. My car is driven once a week to work ~80 mile round trip, a little on the weekends around town, some street racing mostly drag racing at the strip. What sorta ring gaps are you guys running? I'm leaning toward .019 but I dont want to make a mistake.

 

Average .019 ring end gap on my motor for boost.

 

Call CP and ask them withthe recommended end gaps are. They need to be file fit, so sure if the numbers you referenced are the recommend gaps, or just the gaps that the rings have out of the box.

The amount of power to be gained by getting greedy with end-gaps is negligible. Give yourself a little cushion...better safe than sorry....cuz if the ends touch..the rings are toast.

 

First issue to address is that your trying to apply information from one manufacturer to another. JE pistons grow more than any other forged piston. Hence the larger end gap. As Sharif stated, just call CP and ask for their opinion, assuming thats where you got the ring. Conversly call the ring mfg. and ask for thier recomendations as well. You'd be suprised how helpful these companies can be.

 

I just built a vq35 we used cp pistons and i gapped them at .020 the car is gonna be running about 15 lbs of boost....Ive built alot of engines with cp pistons and never hade a problem with the ring gap,most cp ring's that come to your door are gapped at 0.011 or in that area somewhere this way you can build your engine to the specs and tolerances that you or your engine builder have planned...Best bet is to like stated before call the manufacture and ask them....Good luck

 

Thanks guys!

 

I just realized how many typographical errors I made in my post...how embarrasing.

 

CP asked me the worst cast how much boost and juice. I figure 20psi and 100 shot is not outa the lets try and break it relm, he came up with .023 on the top and .028 on the lower. Whata you guys think?

 

It's their piston design.....I guess they should know.

 

Hey I don't know if anyone already talked about this. New on here. Building my vq35 and I filed the ring a little more than I'd like. Just wondering what ring gaps everyone else is running.

 

Do what CP tells you to do.......

 

This thread is 10 yrs old. Chaps folk.

 

Funny, I did not look at the date.

 

No worries haha.