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Total Seal Piston Ring Sets

Total Seal Piston Ring Sets

Total Seal Piston Rings - The Piston Ring Authority Since 1967

A piston can only perform as well as the rings surrounding it do. That’s why Total Seal® concentrates on making the most precise, strongest, lightest and innovative piston rings available. From extreme horsepower race engines to powerful stationary engines for industrial use and everything in between, Total Seal can help you improve the efficiency and durability of your engine.

After originally beginning in 1967 with a rotary engine design for Original Equipment Manufacturers, Total Seal invented the Gapless piston ring, which achieved broad use by professional race teams and engine builders due to the ring’s increased performance capabilities.

After 50 years of being known as the “Home Of The Gapless Piston Ring”, Total Seal® provides so much more than Gapless ring today. We believe in doing one thing extremely well, and our focus is on increasing engine efficiency and durability through improved piston ring seal. That focused drive has made Total Seal™ the piston ring authority and the leader in piston ring technology, innovation, advanced designs and proven performance. From the patented Gapless® piston ring to Diamond Finish, Advanced Profiling, Total Conform, Gas Ported and more, no other manufacturer offers as broad a selection of piston rings as Total Seal.

No matter what the application, Total Seal® can build piston rings that unlock the performance potential of your engine.


Piston Ring 101 with Total Seal's Lake Speed Jr.

Many of you know Lake Speed Jr. from his work at Driven Racing Oils as a certified lubrication specialist. In 2019, Lake joined Total Seal as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Lake is the son of former NASCAR driver and team owner Lake Speed. A former crew member for Chad Knaus at Melling Racing, Lake Speed Jr. joined the Joe Gibbs team in 2004 and led the creation of Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil. A member of STLE and SAE, Speed’s background in Tribology provides a unique perspective on engine performance and durability.

In this YouTube video series, Lake Speed Jr. from Total Seal Piston Rings covers piston ring basics:

Ring types and function
Materials and coatings
Gapless and gas-ported rings from Total Seal
Setting ring end gaps
Proper break-in procedures

Watch the entire Piston Ring 101 Series with Total Seal's Lake Speed Jr. over on LN Engineering's YouTube Channel.


How do Total Seal Gapless Piston Rings Work?

Total Seal Gapless piston rings for Porsche engines

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 will should remain the same throughout the life of the engine.


How do Total Seal Gas Ported Piston Rings Work?

Total Seal Gapless piston rings for Porsche engines Total Seal's gas ported piston rings are engineered to enhance the seal between the piston and the cylinder wall, optimizing engine performance. These rings feature strategically placed gas ports that channel combustion gases behind the ring, pushing it outward to create a tighter seal.

This improved sealing reduces blow-by, increases compression, and maximizes the transfer of power from combustion to the crankshaft. By maintaining a consistent and strong seal, gas ported piston rings contribute to better engine efficiency, reduced oil consumption, and increased horsepower, making them a popular choice for high-performance and racing engines.

This differs from gas ported pistons where the piston is machined with gas ports to allow increased combustion gas pressure to exert additional force to the piston ring to provide improved piston ring seal. However with gas ported piston rings, lateral or vertical gas ports should not be machined into the pistons.

The use of gas ported pistons or gas ported piston rings will result likely result in increased ring and cylinder wear, so they are not recommended for street Porsche engine builds with Nikasil cylinders.


Tips for Total Seal Piston Ring Installation

Proper preparation is essential to achieving optimum performance from your piston rings. Always follow the provided information with regard to installation of your Total Seal piston rings including gapping and orientation. It is imperative that all rings be checked dimensionally with the ring grooves and with the cylinder bore.

Unlike OEM replacement or factory rings, most aftermarket piston rings are "file to fit." This requires you to file the end gaps to properly set piston ring end gap for your application. Using a piston ring filer is a must to do this correctly. We use and recommend Total Seal's Precision Power Ring Filer to accurately carry out this precision task.

After gapping the rings, be sure to remove any burrs from the piston and the piston ring and clean thoroughly before putting the ring into the cylinder bore or installing the ring onto the piston. 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 and always use a tapered sleeve ring compressor when installing the pistons and rings into the cylinder bore. 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.

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. Ring to groove side clearance should be a minimum of .0015 to a maximum of .003”.


Breaking in your rebuilt Porsche engine with Total Seal Piston Rings

Engines with Nikasil plated cylinder bores can be notoriously difficult to get the rings to seat. Improper preparation, assembly, tuning, or lubrication can all lead to poor ring seal. Total Seal ® DOES NOT recommend the use of synthetic oils during break-in. Additionally, the use of any oils with friciton modifiers like moly or even partial synthetics should be avoided until the engine has been thorough broken in and rings are fully seated.

As always, please refer to the engine assembly and break-in guidelines provided with your Nickies cylinders and read thoroughly before assembling or breaking in your rebuilt Porsche engine. Check out our section on break in oils for more information on what oils to use as well as tip and tricks on how to break in your rebuilt Porsche engine correctly.


Custom Total Seal Ringsets for Porsche Engines

LN Engineering has everything you need to properly rebuild your Porsche engine including Nickies cylinders and sleeves paired with JE, CP, and Mahle Motorsports pistons. All are available with Total Seal gapless or gas ported piston rings designed for use with Nikasil plated cylinder bores. LN Engineering also now offers replacement Total Seal ringsets for most aircooled Porsche 911 engines with factory Mahle pistons featuring gapless 2nd piston rings.

Don't see the ringset you are looking for? We are dealers for JE, CP, and Mahle Motorsports and can also supply custom ringsets for any piston. To provide the correct ring for your pistons, we will need to know about your application as well as ring groove widths and depths. Options include Total Seal Gapless, Gas Ported, or Total Conform piston rings, available in upgraded materials and with specialty coatings to reduce wear, friction, and also to improve piston ring seal. The easiest way to put in a request for a replacement ring set for an unlisted application is to open a support ticket at http://support.lnengineering.com.. We will need to know the application, bore size, piston ring groove widths and depths, as well as what type of cylinders you are using if we are not supplying matching Nickies cylinders.

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