I want about 500-550whp out of my block max. I know that A lot of people love the Arias Extreme Duty/Pauter combo. But I simply can't afford that much. Nor do I really need that much. I plan on driving my car at about 400-450whp most of the time, but at the track (and if someone needs a lesson) I'd like to crank it up to higher boost and get 500-550whp, maybe a little more.
What is a cost effective piston/rod combo that won't break the bank should support 550whp (maybe 600 max)?

I want to do pistons/rods, ARP fasteners, cometic headgaskets and L19 studs.
With that said... what should I buy for pistons and rods and also what compression ration should I consider? 8.5? or 9.0?

Thanks

 

Well first off I would do HKS headgaskets over Cometic. Aside from that Eagle rods should be fine for that power level but when it comes to pistons the only ones I've never seen fail in all the motor builds on this board are the Arias Extreme Duty ones Sharif sells. Every other piston out there it seems has melted or broken a ring land except those. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on that. (CP pistons may not have as well). Compression ratio is your choice but I will be doing 9:1 if I ever get around to building my motor.

 

I ran CPs in my built block honda... and eagle rods coincidentally.
Never had an issue, but you know...
whats good in a Honda might not be good in a VW or Nissan, Mazda, etc.
I dunno how decent CPs are in price tho.
Thanks

Also ... just curious ... whats better about HKS HGs over Cometic? Difference in price? where to buy etc?

 

No idea...but I don't think any of the CPs have the re-inforced ring lands that the Extreme Duty has. Sharif and Arias did a good job with those pistons.

 

you have seen numerous built motors go due to melted pistons or broken ring lands? I haven't heard about too many built motors going, but those I have, have almost entirely been tune or part failure (overboost or fuel issue for example) related

 

Yeah, all things being equal was my idea.
I.E. what should work if my tune is decent?

 

Search this board. t32gz had a melted piston, Todd had a broken ring land, someone else had a cracked skirt, there have been a lot of issues posted about several other pistons on here.

 

We'll see how my arias hold up in a couple weeks after a retune for a bit more boost.

 

Guys, please... Don't start a holy war.
Can you answer my questions on HKS vs Cometic? and the original question?

I don't wanna discourage debate (ro come off like an *******), but I've read too many thread where people just start flaming and the original question never gets answered.
Just try and keep it on topic. Thanks

 

Regular Arias or Extreme Duty? I know Todd lost a ring land on the standard Arias pistons.

 

The HKs headgasket has a stopper ring design to further reduce the chance of head lift. Sharif sells both though and can provide you with the best guidance. www.forgedperformance.com

 

Ahh ok I got ya. so the L19s and the HKS gasket (and maybe add the stud kit that is sold on the forums... I forget by who) should definitely stop headlift? Or just do a way better job of preventing it?

 

Regular Arias -> and on top of that oem HG with only the standard ARP head studs According to the boards, I am at severe risk of head lift and now piston failure. I think I just might cancel my appointment and be happy with the HP I have

Seriously though, I am sure the ED pistons are stronger and will withstand more, but I am confident in the standard pistons and even the oem HG for that matter. Just an FYI, I will be tuned to 15-16 psi on an 8.8:1 CR motor with stock heads and cams

 

Well good luck. The data from the boards aren't guess work. People have had these issues before and thats where this info is coming from. No one's saying your heads WILL lift or that you WILL have an issue with the pistons. But people HAVE had issues with the setup you have and if you are going to spend with as much as it costs to pull and repair a motor its worth the extra coin to decrease that risk as much as you can. That's all I'm saying.

 

Those items combined should prevent it from occuring but lets face it nothing is ever 100% when it comes to things like built motors. All you can do is get the parts that have proven themselves to work the best and make sure you have a good shop doing the work.

 

Hey Speed..you are asking some great questions.

A typical engine build with parts and all the labor is going to run about $7000. IMHO, it would be a bad idea to save a couple hundred bucks by using a lesser piston design. It's a small price to pay for an unbreakable piston. You can save about $600 by using Eagle rods, and those fine for your power levels. But Arias ED pistons are 100% proven, and we've supplied about 80 sets of them, and not one person has reported breaking them. We even have a few amateur tuners that are tuning their built motors with Arias ED pistons...and even those folks havent broken them. I think that speaks volumes.

If you need any help, dont hesitate to ask. We can do a forged shortblock with Eagle rods and Arias ED pistons for about $3300. Definately use the ARP L19 head studs, and an HKS head gasket. Although we havent had issues with the Cometic/Cosworth gaskets, the HKS gasket is a superior design.

 

Thanks Sharif.
Since I can't get down to you guys and am simply worried about AAM. I have found a tuner (same guy who did a good job on my turbo honda - Jeff Evans of Evans tuning... search him on Honda tech or any NSX or S2000 forum, nothing but positive results) I'm going to use. I'm pretty confident of him, he's only 35 minutes away.

You may have heard of him, you may not have. But people trust him with NSXs, and S2Ks with AEM and other standalones, he's used UTEC before (what I'm planning on using) with STIs. He's well known in the Honda world, but does everything.

 

I'd at the least have Sharif build the motor. Considering how many motors he has done and how experienced his with the platform I'd say he is the best choice. Thats where my motor will go when its time.

 

Jeff Does motor building as well.
He did my Honda motor ... he's done NSX motors, etc.
To be honest, it's not that I don't trust Sharif, I actually have the utmost respect for him and what he's done to help the Z/G community. But shipping a motor, etc is gonna kill me. Jeff offers great rates on construction and I have a good trust and rapport built with him. And ultimately, he's closer.
When it comes to buying the parts. Sharif will likely be my first call.

 

Jeff evens? by any chance?