In our 3rd episode from Engine Performance Expo 2025, Keith Jones of Total Seal Piston Rings and Ed Kiebler of Rottler Manufacturing, deliver an in-depth look at how various components of a performance engine work together to create horsepower.

This video is packed with practical advice and technical insights on the function of piston rings, the importance of cylinder surface finishes, and the role of oil and pistons in a high-performance engine.

🔑 Key Subjects 🔑

✅ The Evolution of Piston Rings
Piston ring technology has moved from porous, brittle cast iron to stronger, more durable steel, which can be manufactured more efficiently and coated with advanced materials like DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) for superior performance.

✅ The Importance of Honing
A single-grit finish on a cylinder bore is not enough for modern engines. Plateau honing is essential to create a surface with both peaks (for sealing) and valleys (to hold oil), ensuring proper lubrication and ring seal, which directly translates to more horsepower and less wear.

✅ Oil is the Gasket
Oil acts as the gasket that seals the piston ring to the cylinder wall. A properly prepared cylinder surface holds the oil needed for lubrication, allowing the piston ring to “hydroplane” on a film of oil, preventing metal-on-metal contact and wear.

✅ Don’t Just Look at the Numbers
While surface finish numbers (like Ra, RpK, and RvK) are important, the visual trace of the cylinder finish is even more telling. A consistent, uniform pattern is a sign of a well-honed cylinder and will result in better performance and longevity.

✅ Gas Porting and Piston Design
Gas porting is critical to properly activate the piston ring for a tight seal. It also addresses the critical relationship between the piston and the bore, cautioning against excessive piston rock and improper stroker crank installations that can compromise ring seal.

✅ Proper Break-In is Key
The guys emphasize the need to put an engine under load immediately during the break-in process. Idling is detrimental because it doesn’t create enough heat and pressure to properly seat the rings and can lead to fuel dilution of the oil.

⏱️ Timestamps

[0:00] – Introduction: Meet the experts from Total Seal and Rottler.

[1:15] – The “What’s New?” Question: Discussing Total Seal’s investment in new manufacturing equipment.

[4:25] – The Job of a Piston Ring: Sealing combustion, moving heat, and controlling oil.

[7:10] – Evolution of Ring Materials: From cast iron to ductile iron and modern steel rings.

[10:30] – The Free Gap Test: A great way to check if your rings are right for your application.

[14:15] – Ring Coatings: Explaining the pros and cons of different coatings like moly, chrome, and PVD.

[20:15] – Pressure vs. Drag: Understanding the difference and why fish scales are a bad way to measure ring tension.

[23:30] – Oil Ring Tensions: The surprising difference between “standard tension” on various rings.

[26:30] – The Three Leak Paths: How rings seal the end gap, the ring groove, and the cylinder wall.

[28:15] – The Importance of Ring Flatness: The difference between typical ground rings and diamond-lapped rings.

[32:10] – The Four Levels of Lubrication: How piston speed affects the oil film and wear.

[34:10] – Piston Design and Rock-Over: Why barrel-shaped pistons and proper crank selection are crucial.

[38:40] – Gas Porting: Why it’s a vital feature and how to spot reversion.

[44:30] – The Honing Process: Understanding why you can’t get a plateau finish with a single abrasive.

[49:00] – Plateau Honing Explained: The importance of unit pressure and why a plateaued bore reduces wear and increases oil retention.

[53:45] – The Problems with RA: Why looking at the visual trace is better than numbers alone.

[56:45] – The Right Stone for the Job: Using RZ numbers to determine the best abrasive for your application.

[1:00:20] – Vitrified vs. CBN/Diamond: The pros and cons of different abrasive materials.

[1:04:45] – The Slinky Test: A visual demonstration of bad bore geometry.

[1:06:55] – The Purpose of a Torque Plate: And why your torque plate might not be doing what you think it is.

[1:08:45] – The Future of Honing: OE technology and pattern honing.

[1:10:00] – Crosshatch Angle: The difference between a steeper angle and a flatter one.

[1:12:40] – Proper Break-In Procedures: The dangers of idling a new engine and why you need to put a load on it immediately.

[1:18:15] – Q&A: The Importance of Eight Identical Rings, Break-in Oil, and the need for some friction.

It’s a great deep dive into the interplay of cylinder finish, pistons, rings and oil in the performance engine. Definitely worth a watch a few times!