Mahle or JE pistons?

[awdtalon4451]

So im beginning to piece my build together and ive come to the point where I need to decide on what pistons to run. Ive been talking a bit to a very cool dsm'er (BastardDsm thanks for all your help bro) here lately and hes recommended Mahle or JE's @ 8.5:1 comp.
Im building for 450whp with a little room to grow. With that being said should I go with the Mahle for the longevity or JE's for the abuse they can handle? Just torn on which one to run. Anyone else running either of these pistons?

 

[dsmcurse]

i originally bought CP pistons (9:0-1) but after doing more research i went with Ross Racing pistons (8:5-1) my only advice, do your home work really good and truly deceide what is best for you so you dont buy car parts twice

 

[nitrouskris]

ARIAS better piston and cost less then JE I have used every piston know to man.

 

[ncdirtrider249]

From the two that you originally posted, I would go with JE. I have had great luck with JE pistons in all my old race bikes. But if I were to buy a set of pistons for me personally, I would go with CP, or JE depending on the cost.

 

[dsmcurse]

My best friend also uses Aries pistons in his 6bolt. His car is fast as f#*k and solid as a rock

 

[awdtalon4451]

i originally bought CP pistons (9:0-1) but after doing more research i went with Ross Racing pistons (8:5-1) my only advice, do your home work really good and truly deceide what is best for you so you dont buy car parts twice

Yea I think im going to stay at the 8.5:1 being im going for an E85 and 93 pump setup. This will be a weekend warrior so i wont be dailying it. I guess ill just dig around and try read up as much as can

ARIAS better piston and cost less then JE I have used every piston know to man.

Hmm ill definitely look into them. Im not jumping on the bash wiesco bandwagon but but after hearing all the stories of side skirts cracking and failing prematurely has me steering clear of them for now.

 

[TJCTalon]

I would steer clear of CP.

I personally havnt seen a failure of wiesco, but I have read on the recent failures. Now I have seen a few sets of CP crack and chip at the valve relief. I wouldnt buy CP.

Either Manley or JE for me.

 

[bastarddsm]

I wish nitrouskris would contribute to this thread. "Arias Better piston" doesn't say much. I'm not doubting it, buuuuuut. come-on man.

Also, where to get them. I couldn't find them close to JE price.

I personally chose JE's because of the better dome design than others. What does the Arias dome look like? I'm not positive but I believe you can get Arias in the same alloy as the Mahles, for a more street friendly piston.

Back in 'NAM Ross and JE were the pistons to run. Malhe makes oem pistons for diesel's and lots of other oem turbo stuff.

Final word, a short block isn't forever. Also the cost of a short block is small compared to the mods to utilize it.

 

[killercolt]

Custom Wiseco all the way ($550-650). 11:1 compression + pretty low boost= easy 450hp. Ask for HD piston and wrist pin. Relatively cheap for custom pistons and comparable to price to off the shelf pistons from other companies.

I built engine with Ross, JE, and Wiseco pistons. Wiseco and Ross pistons just seem to be more within advertised spec than the other company pistons.

Right now I have two set of b18c pistons. One set is CP and the other set is Wiseco. Both set are suppose to be 84mm. The CP pistons measure out to be 83.7mm and the Wiseco measure in at 84mm.


I don't like JE piston because the advertised compression is off. When I compression test a stock 2g with factor 8.5:1 pistons, I usually get 180-185psi. When I compression test a motor with JE 8.5:1 pistons, I only get 160-170psi. When I compression a motor with 8.5:1 Wiseco pistons, I get 180psi. JE make the off the shelf pistons to dwell lower than the deck. This is to account for decking the block during a rebuild. For me the pistons dwell too low at TDC and hurt the compression. You have to cut the block a lot to get the compression to be up.

Ross are good pistons if you like the small valve reliefs. I only use two sets in my life. They measured out good and compressioned test very close to advertised value. The top of the piston to the first ring distance is big which protect the first ring very well in case of a lean run. The price is outrageous now compare to what they use to go for. I remember when you can get a set for 300 bux. The Ross pistons have smoother skirts than JE, Wiseco, Mahle, and CP. The smoother skirts are suppose to be a good thing from what the Ross rep told me at the PRI show in Orlando.


Wiseco piston has thick ring lands. The pistons comes deburred on combustion chamber. The compression is as advertised. Cheap off the shelf and in custom form. They are proven to hold over 600hp. Come as a very closely balanced set. Pretty quiet even with narrow skirt piston design.


I have Wiseco custom HD 11:1 piston now. I have over 300 dyno pulls on the motor and over 100 track pulls. That is a lot of abuse considering it been to 8500+rpm for 90%+ of those pulls. The motor is still alive so I can not complain. Most big dogs swear by JE and Mahle.

 

[WES_393]

Its not just a matter of this brand vs that brand either. What piston you use should be determined by how you plan to use the car. There are different Aluminum alloys that pistons are made from. For the most part you have 2618 (low silica) and 4032 (high silica). Basically, the more silica, the less the piston will expand/contract, but the more brittle it is. A 2618 piston requires greater PTW clearance so it will typically be noisy and won't last as long. However, it will deform under high heat/pressure rather than crack. A 4032 piston requires less PTW clearance so it's typically quieter and longer lasting. The downside is it's not as flexible as the 2618 and is more prone to cracking. Piston design has some affect on all of this, but that's the basic characteristics of both. Examples of each:

2618 Pistons:
Manley
Wiseco
JE

4032 Pistons:
CP
Mahle
Arias (can be found in 2618)

So for a high-power weekend warrior, 2618 is the way to go. Even in a high powered daily driver 2618's can be good so long as you don't do dumb stuff like overheat the engine and don't expect them to last forever. But 4032's are typically better for daily driving and will last longer if not abused.

I went with Manley for my car, which is daily driven and I hope to make around 500hp by spring time. They were relatively cheap and the company has decades of experience with producing high performance parts. The valve pockets are also farther from the edge than a lot of pistons I've seen so I'm not worried about them breaking/wearing off.

 

[bastarddsm]

Wiseco piston has thick ring lands. The pistons comes deburred on combustion chamber. The compression is as advertised. Cheap off the shelf and in custom form. They are proven to hold over 600hp. Come as a very closely balanced set. Pretty quiet even with narrow skirt piston design.

My wiseco's broke a wristpin after a week of making 600whp....The skirts were collapsed .008" on the non broken pistons, the motor was never allowed to knock. Composite HG.

 

[JacksonAuto]

Pistons are like anything else, you'll always get opinions. I've seen them all broken. Once they're in the engine you'll notice little to any difference between a JE/Wiseco/Arias or CP.

 

[bastarddsm]

^ yep for the most part. I think some pistons have a better dome design than others.

 

[biglady112]

I have had great luck with Arias. But, even the super cheap old off the shelf Ross and Wiseco we have done some sick things with. Hundereds of dyno pulls, numerous 200mph land speed runs and just about any nonsense a race program can throw at a piston.

With that sais, I stand by Arias after having a narly set of their pistons in a motor. But at the end of the day there is not too many bad choices when it comes to aftermarket pistons.

I will say, I would not run a Mahle piston. My friends have just not had good luck. They certainly feel the most cheaply made to me and barely seem above a stock piston in quality. I speak from 14 years of racing mitsubishis. I have used them all and held each one out there.

 

[nitrouskris]

Arias Period....I have never had a problem from them.

[ame=http://youtu.be/QL7ri59rb5I]4G63 PISTONS - YouTube[/ame]
Check it out in 20mins or so. its now 2:09 East coast

 

[Purple_Demon]

I had a talk with Twicks a while back and he recommended Ross pistons(for my application). And I have heard nothing but good reviews so far.

Mahle pistons are great either way you go.

 

[bastarddsm]

The only ones not to use are standard Wiseco. Also always get the upgraded pin.