"0" Gap Rings

[Mopar_Mudder]

Has anyone used any o gap rings? Are they any good? Sounds like a good idea.

[Beeracuda]

We've been using them (Total Seal) in the Beeracuda for about 4 years now. You must have the correct finish on the bores or they will go away quickly. The machine shop we used put the wrong finish on the bores the first year and wiped the rings out quickly. Last year after over 200 passes and with the correct finish, the worst cylinder leaked down about 2%.

Monty

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Monty Brown
74 Barracuda
446 / PG
10.23 /134

[Mopar_Mudder]

What is the correct finish, the block is in getting rehoned right now. Also are you running them in just the top ring?

[Diplomat360]

I think a top ring is a definite NO-GO!

Things just get way too hot up there, with a 0 gap ring you'd have them quickly butt against each other. AFAIK 0 gap rings are typically used as a second ring. Something I've read though suggested they may be causing some ring flutter due to trapping the combustion gasses between the first and second rings, this supposedly may unseat the top ring temporarily causing loss of power, etc.

A way to fixt this was to run one of the pistons with special pressure relief groves machined into them between the 2 top rings.

Mind you, I never ran them, this is just what I found when I investigated them for my 360.

[DartGT66]

A friend of mine had sealing problems with his high winding 440 with the total seal rings. He blew the intake bath tube a couple of times because of excessive crank case pressure. Some blown alcohol teams had same kind of problems; the rings seemed to begin to 'float' for some reason. Maybe the reason was something else than the rings, but they changed in to file fit rings and got rid of the problem. I have used C&A ZGS rings for four years now and have been very happy with them. Hundreds of runs at the strip and about 4000 street miles, and the leak down is close to one in all except one cylinder, which has 5%.

[Comp Chassis]

My machinst uses the Total Seals in his personal car and his customers engines. I have watched him do a leak down on his 496" Ford. Warmed up, every cylinder was between 0% and 2%, he freshens the engine at 4%. Pretty amazing considering that when I was in school, we were told anything under 10% was considered very good.

[AZMOPAR]

I ran Total Seal rings in my 440 for several years. Some engine builders like them and some do not. Talking to Indy CH - said they saw no dyno increase due to gapless rings. One thing I did find - you need almost a 0 degree crosshatch in the cylinder hone pattern - otherwise we found that the 2 piece total seal rings rotate - we found 3 of the 8 two piece rings gaps had lined up - negating their value. (Yes they were installed 180 apart.)

[sanborn]

We have used them for several years and in about 4-5 different engines in oval track applications. They work well for our application. They transmit very little pressure to the crankcase thus we can maintain a very good vacuum in the crankcase. Good crankcase vacuum helps to keep oil off cranks,rods,etc. There are two potential problems with them; if engine temp gets much above 250 degrees they seem to lose their tension and we have experienced some ring flutter at high rpms(above 8600)after 300-400 laps. This led to some loss of power (about 25 HP). We think the problem is cured by gas porting the pistons behind the top ring. We will know for sure in 200 laps.

[POWER]

HAVE USED C&A Z-GAP RINGS FOR 6 YEARS WITH EXCELENT RESULTS.CYL FINISH MUST BE VERY SMOOTH.THE REASON YOUR RING END GAPS ARE IN A LINE WHEN YOU TAKE THE ENGINE APART IS BECAUSE OF AN OUT OF ROUND CYL.CONDITION.

[Mopar_Mudder]

Well I decided that I am going to use the Total Seal rings. I don't run it over 6500 rpm so I think they will work real good for me, and the better vacume with a big cam and power brakes will be a bonus. The guy doing the block work has used them before and will take care of the finish.

All the relpys were of great help, thank you.