Installing new piston rings in S14 Sr20det

[jdm_s14_zenki]

I fried my piston rings in cylinder #4.. im sure the others are on their last breath as well. (s14 sr20det, kouki motor, not zenki)

Tomorrow my car is being towed to LS Auto/BE customs. They do awesome work and will have it done in a couple of days. I will post my review on them as soon as the work is finished.

My question: Since theyre gonna basically tear it all down, should i get some CP pistons to go in there? Im shooting for only 350-375 whp MAX. I dont have enough money for Rods though.

Also, If if get the pistons, what compression should i get? 8.5:1 or 9.0:1? and why? (.020 overbore)

If i get the 9.0:1 can i use on stock rods and do i need a standalone, cus i dont have money for stand alone.

Will i lose power if i dont use stand alone? all i have is a fully built head with cam gears and an AFC.

Any suggestions on the rebuild and or piston tuning options would be great, thanks in advance!

[smithers584]

i would not personally replace the pistons, as long as there isnt anything wrong with your original ones when they tear it down. we all know that a sr stock will safely hold the power you are looking for, and thats like 400-500 bucks you could spend on something else, like turbo or fuel that will get you where you want to be.

[jdm_s14_zenki]

i would not personally replace the pistons, as long as there isnt anything wrong with your original ones when they tear it down. we all know that a sr stock will safely hold the power you are looking for, and thats like 400-500 bucks you could spend on something else, like turbo or fuel that will get you where you want to be.
never thought of it like that..ive had a lot of engine problems..i broke rocker arms, cams, bent valves, ect. so i fully rebuilt the head for better reliability. and now i have to deal with the block. i know the stock pistons and rods can handle the power that im looking for, but can it handle it reliably?

[richardxfeng]

If you are not upgrading the turbo,injectors and MAF, you don't need any stand alone. If you are really on budget, the stock pistons and rods will do the job fine.

Also be prepared for at least 1-2 weeks for rebuilding the engine.

[jdm_s14_zenki]

ls automotive will do it in 2-3 days. good enough for 600 bucks in my opinion.

[efextasy]

ls automotive still around??

[TheWolf]

What you need to do is check cylinder wear. Check the pistons. Make sure your stock rings have not worn out the ringlands so the clearance between the rings and ringlands is excessive. If you have to go an overbore you might as well use a CP or Mahle Motorsport Forged piston. They have high silicon content so they maintain stock piston to wall expansion rates so no piston slap and also are stronger and not any more expensive than stock.

[smithers584]

uhhhh yeah , what he said. base line i think is that if you dont need them or you arent going to overbore then stick with the stockies. but, if you want to do it just for reliability so you can sleep at night (i wouldnt blame you with the problems youve had) i would try to do rods and what not also. would just replacing pistons really make you feel good about your bottom end any more so then the glorious reputation of the stock one? they should hold that hp no problem, reliably.