A question about Piston Rings

[Smokey Eddy]

It's not all about how much you spend on a part either..   I've had expensive crappy parts, and cheap crappy parts..  I've used the Grant rings (@ around $25 a set) and they have worked lightyears better than Top Line rings (@ $65 a set)..

For me,  the Grant rings have performed just as well as the Goetze rings..  Now as far as those bargin basement rings, well there is such a things as too cheap as we have learned...   Of course the only way we all know this is by someone else's misfortune..  But if they would have been good and held up, I'd be buying $9 piston rings from now on...

Yeah! my misfortune! they don't work. Or maybe they would have worked with no power increases.
I'm really glad i've heard so much good talk about these Grant rings. I'll be going with them for sure.
This is exactly the type of discussion i was trying to prevoke. Thanks guys.

And sometimes, especially as a student, if you're too broke to buy expensive rings and have to go with the cheap but it means you can attend you job or attend your classes you're paying thousands of dollars for ... then it's worth cheaping out on the rings. a week of work that would have been otherwise missed makes up for having to re-do the rings later on when the funds are available.
So autohausaz it is.

[Smokey Eddy]

Oh ps can anyone shoot me the part no. for the Grant STD rings?
now that i think about it the $25 grant rings are probably the rings that AVR would sell me. that $60 is likely just after the mark up.

[jtanguay]

has anyone tried to buy total seal rings for a 1.6? i know they're available for the 1.9 but just wondering... i'd go total seal but the goetz total seal burned a hole in my wallet... all those fees!!!!!!

[Smokey Eddy]

I can't find rings on autohausez and bestpricecarparts doesn't have any either =(

[truckinwagen]

http://www.autohausaz.com/search/product.aspx?sid=k1zqgebji5iagbrn3smbqojj&makeid=800026@VW&modelid=1285185@RABBIT%20L%20CUSTOM&year=1982&cid=20@Engine%20Parts,%20Seals%20%26%20Gaskets&gid=5640@Piston%20Ring%20Set

1.6 diesel rings on autohausAZ.com

[Smokey Eddy]

OHHH see that's where i went wrong. I entered the model and year of MY car.
Now it makes sense.
oh holy crap so the rings for all 4 pistons is 22$...
and the Goetze brand is 25$ per set.
22$ for 4 sets of rings sounds cheaper than the 9$/set rings i bought...

[truckinwagen]

yeah, its important to know the model and year (and sometimes make) the parts you are looking for come from.

the hotrod guys(who have unbelievable amounts of parts from other cars making up their rods) have parts books, so they can remember what came from what kind of car.

I do the same, everytime I use a part from another year/model/make, I write it down.
because lord knows my memory is horrible.

-Owen

[Smokey Eddy]

The picture shows all 12 rings for Grant but the descriptions for both are the same?
the picture for the goetze only shows three rings

[Smokey Eddy]

i realized i was being a fool and just bought 4 sets of the Grant brand. Thanks fellas.

[cyrus #1]

has anyone tried to buy total seal rings for a 1.6? i know they're available for the 1.9 but just wondering... i'd go total seal but the goetz total seal burned a hole in my wallet... all those fees!!!!!!

I have a set for the 1.6.  I can't comment on the performance though, as my build isn't finished.  Zukgod and at least a couple others have them as well.

[zukgod1]

has anyone tried to buy total seal rings for a 1.6? i know they're available for the 1.9 but just wondering... i'd go total seal but the goetz total seal burned a hole in my wallet... all those fees!!!!!!

Yup Total Seal in my build.

Working great with 30+ PSI boosting all the damn time. I don't own the car any longer but the new owner is a good friend and he doesn't drive it any less hard than I did, I've even been able to run it around a couple times. 

Looking back on the build I would have probably gone with some goetze Rings (or the like) from Myke and spent some funds in other areas but hey they are in there and working great.

15k+ on the Total Seal rings and still almost Zero BlowBy

[zukgod1]

Ed,
sorry about your rings man, I think you and I had a conversation about ring quality when you were building. We both agreed at that moment for you it was the best option so don't go beating yourself up over it too much.
We all make decisions we wish could go back and re do later on once in a while.


My Grandpa used to say all the time,
"If you don't have the time or money to do it right the first time where are you going to find the time or money to do it over?"

EVERY time I have to Re-Do something I hear him back behind me somewhere......

[Smokey Eddy]

well my only alternative would have been to take money from elsewhere to pay for real rings.
It's not that big of a deal. Just a weekend is all. My new rings are already shipping. I've already got the HG. What else do i need if i can catch the fresh oil and the perfectly fine coolant in clean containers i'll just put it all back in when im done.
downpipe comes off, hard lines come off, coolant hoses come off, head comes off, oil pan comes off, push the pistons out through the deck, change them rings out, hone the walls lightly. Do the reverse!


I'm not actually all that upset because i just so happened to get my license suspended for driving with the magnetic "N" for novice  plate on the back of my car.
it's a 30 day suspension so i've got some time. I'm thinking i'll change out the worn gross grotty carpet, maybe paint the blue vinyl black, possibly port and polish some more.

[jtanguay]

Zuk, did you send them rings to be custom machined, or did you buy from them outright? if you bought from them, what P/N did you use for the proper rings? i know andy2 and a few others found some for a 1.9, but to date i have been unable to find any for a 1.6

[zukgod1]

Zuk, did you send them rings to be custom machined, or did you buy from them outright? if you bought from them, what P/N did you use for the proper rings? i know andy2 and a few others found some for a 1.9, but to date i have been unable to find any for a 1.6

Diesel Specific Rings from Total Seal for the 1.6.

The part number for 1mm over pistons is 7844-40 (TSR-S7844-40)

.50mm over would be 7844-20 (TSR-S7844-20)

Standard would be 7844-00 (TSR-S7844-00)

Summit Racing # is the one in the ( ).

They were $191.69 before shipping.