Total Seal Gapless Rings by Top-End Performance
Contact us by Phone (818 764-1901) Fax (818) 764-0155 or email for
specific vehicle applications. These are the preffered rings
for all our
 custom
piston sets.
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Gapless
® Piston Rings |
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| Total
Seal's patented Gapless ® Piston rings provide increased performance through
unmatched sealing of the cylinder and combustion gasses in the combustion
chamber. Increased horsepower and torque along with longer engine life are just
a couple of the reasons why Total Seal's Gapless ® Piston rings are the best
rings available. Here are many more. |
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Increased horsepower and torque
Longer engine life
Saves money (fewer teardowns)
Improved consistenny
Cleaner engine oil
Longer ring life |
Better Oil control
Less friction
Lower engine oil temperatures
Wider torque curve
More engine vacuum
Increased intake signal |
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How
it Works... |
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| As
shown in the illustration, compression gas is deflected by the rail into the
piston groove and aid in pressure loading the ring throughout the 4 stroke
cycle. At the same time the rail also and most importantly closes off the
combustion gas leak path created by the ring end gap. This gap is the primary
cause of blow-by in a 4 cycle engine. With a conventional type ring as the ring
and cylinder wear the ring end gap increases and the blow-by figures increase.
The Gapless® ring blow-by figures are not affected by this wear, as
the ring end gap increases it is blocked by the rail portion of Total Seals
patented interlocking 2 piece design stopping the blow-by at the source.
Conventional style rings when newly installed will show leak down figures of 7%
or higher these figures can quickly exceed 20% or higher after a surprisingly
short period of time. Gapless® rings on the other hand when newly
installed typically show leak down figures of 2% and lower and should
remain the same throughout the life of the engine. |
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The
Total Seal ® Advantage |
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Total
Seal ® is the leader in Piston Ring technology with the ability to meet
whatever special needs you may have. From IMCA modifieds to Nextel Cup and Irl,
Total Seal ® can fit rings to your piston.
We will go out of our way to help our customers, and will make custom sets
(backcut, special tensions…etc) for any specific piston you may have. |
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Ring
Installation |
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Proper preparation is essential to achieving optimum performance from your
piston rings. It is imperative that all rings be checked dimensionally with the
ring grooves and with the cylinder bore.
Remove any burrs from the piston and the piston ring, they should not have any,
but check!
Using a squaring tool put the ring in the bore to be used and measure the ring
gap to make certain it is correct for the bore size and application. When
measuring the ring gap it is recommended that the ring be below the top of the
block at least one inch to avoid any taper from bore recession |
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Gapless®
Top Rings |
Gapless®
2nd's or Conventional |
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Application |
Min. Top Ring |
Second Ring |
Oil Ring Rail |
| Street,
Strip, Circle |
Bore
x .0065" |
Bore
x .0056" |
Min.
.015" |
| Nitrous
up to 150hp |
Bore
x .007" |
Bore
x .006" |
Min.
.015" |
| Nitrous
over 150hp |
Bore
x .009" |
Bore
x .008" |
Min.
.015" |
| Blown
Gas* |
Bore
x .007" |
Bore
x .006" |
Min.
.015" |
| Blown
Alcohol* |
Bore
x .008" |
Bore
x .007" |
Min.
.015 |
| Blown
Nitro* |
Bore
x .0085" |
Bore
x .007" |
Min.
.015 |
| *Indicates
any type of forced induction system. |
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Application |
Top Ring |
Second Ring |
Oil Ring Rail |
| Street,
Strip, Circle |
Bore
x .0045" |
Bore
x .0035" |
Min.
.015" |
| Nitrous
up to 150hp |
Bore
x .006" |
Bore
x .0045" |
Min.
.015" |
| Nitrous
over 150hp |
Bore
x .008" |
Bore
x .0055" |
Min.
.015" |
| Blown
Gas* |
Bore
x .0055" |
Bore
x .0035" |
Min.
.015" |
| Blown
Alcohol* |
Bore
x .0045" |
Bore
x .0035" |
Min.
.015 |
| Blown
Nitro* |
Bore
x .0055" |
Bore
x .0035" |
Min.
.015 |
| *Indicates
any type of forced induction system. |
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HELPFUL TIPS
FOR RING FITTING AND SEATING |
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All
pistons (including new ones) should be checked for proper ring to groove
clearances.
Ring to piston groove back clearance should be a MINIMUM of .005" deeper than
radial wall dimension of piston ring. If piston ring sticks out of groove by
any amount, you have the wrong rings (see fig.1).
Ring to groove side clearance should be a minimum of .0015 to a maximum of
.003" (see fig.1). |
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Boring
and Honing |
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Boring and Honing is becoming a very complicated subject as cylinder
finishesbecome more refined and oils become more slippery. different honing
procedures depending upon ring material, ring tension, blockmaterial, and
application. If you have any questions about how your cylindershould be honed,
please contact us at 800-874-2753 so that we can learn moreabout your
application and designate a specific honing procedure just for you. |
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Ring
Seating |
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When first starting your engine to ensure proper ring seating, do not allow the
engine to idle for long periods at a time. It is a good idea to mildly load the
engine as soon as you can. Highway driving is a good way to properly seat the
rings quickly. Do not idle the engine as idling does not break in any engine.
Total Seal ® DOES NOT recommend the use of synthetic oils during break-in.
After 2000-3000 miles on the street, or one night racing on the track, the
rings should be adequately seated so that any oil you prefer can then be used.
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Valve
Guides and Seals |
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Total Seal ® recommends using a positive valve guide seal preferably made of
viton on all applications. Proper valve stem to guide clearances must also be
maintained.
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| Total
Seal ® FAQ's |
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| QUESTION:
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Do Total Seal rings require
special cylinder honing?
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| ANSWER:
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No,
Total Seal rings do not require special cylinder honing. But they like all
piston rings do require proper cylinder honing. One of the most common causes
of ring sealing issues today is improper cylinder honing. It’s not uncommon to
see engine blocks and cylinder sleeves ranging in hardness from approximately
150 to over 300 on the brinell scale. Yet it is very common to see these all of
these being honed using the exact same process. The end results vary
dramatically. These results are measured with a tool known as a surface
roughness tester. The results are measured as Ra, Rz, Rpk, Rk, and Rvk and vary
depending on the specific application. Basically these numbers are telling us
to how rough the cylinder is and how well it can retain oil. An overly rough
cylinder will prematurely wear the rings while an overly smooth cylinder may
never seat the rings and can lead to cylinder burnishing. Cross hatch angles
can also vary depending on the application, These angles determine the critical
ring rotation speed, generally a 45° cross hatch angle will do a very good job.
Though some O.E. applications do vary from this, if your not sure check before
you proceed. To steep of a cross hatch angle can cause the rings to pump oil,
rotate to quickly leading to accelerated ring and ring groove wear. To flat of
a angle can cause a chattering affect as the ring passes over the valley
preventing the ring from receiving proper lubrication again leading to
excessive ring wear. If you’re not sure about the proper honing procedures and
cross hatch angle for your specific application please give us a call.
The following recommendations are for most general applications.
Ra 10-20 µ in.Rz 10 times the
RaRk 30-50 µ in.Rpk 5.0-20 µ in.Rvk 50-100 µ in. |
| QUESTION: |
What advantage does
the gapless top ring offer over the gapless 2nd ring?
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| ANSWER:
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| The Total Seal
gapless top ring is the natural evolution of the gapless second. By moving the
gapless ring to the #1 ring groove we effectively seal the cylinder closer to
the combustion chamber. This not only increases the cylinder seal on the
compression and power stokes but also improves the ring seal on the intake
stroke resulting in better cylinder filling on a normally aspirated engine. The
increased amount of force generated by the combustion process in turn delivers
a greater amount of energy to the crankshaft. The choice is yours and either
ring offers superior cylinder sealing. |
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| QUESTION:
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| Can I
use a gapless top ring if my piston is gas ported? |
| ANSWER:
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Yes,
Gas porting aids in keeping any top ring seated in high rpm /
high cylinder pressure applications. |
| QUESTION:
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| Can I
break my engine in on synthetic oil? |
| ANSWER:
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Though
we have seen it done successfully on occasion we do not
recommend it. We have seen the best and most consistent results
breaking the engine in on light viscosity conventional oil. Synthetics
can be used after completing the break process. |
| QUESTION:
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| What
should I set my end gaps to? |
| ANSWER: |
Please
follow the gapping chart supplied with the ring set. Different
applications require different amounts of gap. If for some reason the
gapping chart is missing or your just not sure please call our tech
line and they will gladly help you make the right choice. |
| QUESTION:
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| When
file fitting the gapless ring do I need to file rail? |
| ANSWER: |
Yes the
ring and the rail need be filed*. Follow the gapping chart
supplied with the ring set.
* The rail end gap can be larger than the primary ring but not smaller. |
| QUESTION:
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Which
way does the gapless ring go on the piston rail side up or
down? |
| ANSWER: |
| The
gapless ring is always installed rail side down. |
| QUESTION:
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| What is
Quickseat? |
| ANSWER: |
Quickseat is our
patented dry film cylinder wall assembly lube. It’s
quite unique in that it is a dry lube this helps to prevent glazing of the
rings from the over use of assembly oil. It also provides outstanding
lubrication during the critical initial start up period helping to prevent
ring scuffing and cylinder wall burnishing. |
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Top |
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"I've been using Total
Seal® rings in my engines for over 15 years. They’ve shown the most significant
gains in power through improved cylinder sealing than any gains from cylinder
heads or camshafts I've tried. Equally as important is the service and
technical support I've received from their sales and tech staff."
- Don Ott, Don Ott Racing Engines
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We thought this was an accurate
quote that many people may question. The following briefly explains why and how
piston rings have become such a vital part to your engine’s performance and
helps to explain why the above statement should be read again.
Piston Ring
Function... Sealing for Horsepower.
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There are three leak
paths for blow-by to escape past the piston into the crankcase and we all know
that any blow-by leaking past the piston is horsepower lost. Let’s examine one
path at a time... |
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THE
FACE OF THE RING
– The face of any compression ring can have many characteristics that may help
or hinder cylinder sealing. The profile (barrel, taper..etc) can vary in many
different ways that help the ring stay seated through piston rock over. Face
coatings can also make a substantial difference with cylinder sealing depending
on your cylinder wall material. |
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THE SIDES OF THE
RING – The
side surfaces of the ring, that is the surfaces that seat against the piston
flank itself are often overlooked but equally as important in sealing an
engine. Simply, the flatter and smoother these sides are, the better they will
seal against the piston and stop any blow-by from traveling around the ring
land and into the crankcase. |
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THE
END GAP –
Here is the correlation...the larger the end gap, the more blow-by and power
reduction your engine will see. |
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Lets examine the strokes in a
four stroke engine and the importance that cylinder sealing means to each...
INTAKE
– On any naturally aspirated engine, the better the rings are sealed inside the
cylinder and against the piston, the more intake charge (air and fuel) will
fill the combustion chamber. Ring seal is the only thing in a normally INTAKE E
aspirated engine that draws air / fuel into the cylinder. |
Intake |
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COMPRESSION
– The better the engine is sealed on the compression stroke, the higher the
percentage of intake charge that previously filled the cylinder will be
utilized. Ring seal is the only thing preventing the charge from leaking past
the piston and into the crankcase.
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Compress |
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POWER
– During this explosive event, the more explosion the rings keep above the
piston, the higher the force will be COMPRESS. exerted downward on the piston,
resulting in more torque and horsepower. |
Power |
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EXHAUST
– The more efficiently the cylinder disposes of exhaust, the more that event in
overlap, will help prime the intake stroke for cylinder filling. |
Exhaust |
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SIMPLY
STATED... AN INCREASE IN PISTON RING SEAL RESULTS IN HIGHER VOLUMETRIC
EFFICIENCY WHICH EQUALS INCREASED TORQUE AND HORSEPOWER.
Total Seal® has worked hard trying to address each of the circumstances above.
We have developed a number of separate ring lines from Gapless® to Diamond
Finish™, all intended to improve the sealing of whatever engine you may have.
Please look through our catalog, call and ask questions, and Total Seal will
work with you to decide which ring set might be right for your situation.
HOW FAST DO YOU WANT TO GO? |
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