Hello, can forged pistons be used in a daily driver/work truck? Thanks all
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Forged or Cast pistons
- Thread starter Ron2145
- Start date
I thought you had the mahle race cast and really liked those for street applications. You didn't break one did you?
My LMM has mahle race cast, got them two months before Fingers came out with his. Haven’t broken one yet lol but I am on a single turbo and have 250% injectors. If I had a choice I would run Fingers.
From what I've seen I would rather the race cast on a work truck under 8-900hp in normal conditions.
I have fingers pistons in The Limo and I don’t have the issues everyone is talking about
Yours is probably dialed in a little better than most lol. Honestly though anything over 500hp should be tuned in the seat in my opinion, so at that point I guess just go fingers.. if they really can be made to run that clean. I guess budget plays a small part too but...I have fingers pistons in The Limo and I don’t have the issues everyone is talking about
they are pretty easy to midigate smoke and noise. i mean, i tuned it out to where i was happy with it lol.
run factory p to w clearance and either stock or slightly higher than stock p to h clearance. No valve reliefs helps with mpg but that an across the board thing for all pistons with reliefs.
i had a slight knock/rattle upon low rpm accel. a little post injection timing change and all fixed. had 100% overs so had typical haze at idle but again, timing and rail pressure cleaned it up. always ran clean when towing too and i ranged uS from 900 to 1200
ive noticed alot of bad feed back on the oval pistons from tuning that is 100% correct. each setup can be unique and this is where the tuner knowing the engine specs and being able to sit in teh driver seat helps. even if you didnt run fingers pistons, you can still have these issues.
at the end of the day, they are not the most optimal design but the longevity of the piston outweighs a forged imho. they also will eat less oil than a forged and are comparable strength (this is assuming cold start into daily driving, not letting it fully warm up before driving). the nice part of the fingers pistons is that you can run a fuel heavy HP target and not worry about cracked pistons unlike a delipped lb7/lly or a mahle race cast.
run factory p to w clearance and either stock or slightly higher than stock p to h clearance. No valve reliefs helps with mpg but that an across the board thing for all pistons with reliefs.
i had a slight knock/rattle upon low rpm accel. a little post injection timing change and all fixed. had 100% overs so had typical haze at idle but again, timing and rail pressure cleaned it up. always ran clean when towing too and i ranged uS from 900 to 1200
ive noticed alot of bad feed back on the oval pistons from tuning that is 100% correct. each setup can be unique and this is where the tuner knowing the engine specs and being able to sit in teh driver seat helps. even if you didnt run fingers pistons, you can still have these issues.
at the end of the day, they are not the most optimal design but the longevity of the piston outweighs a forged imho. they also will eat less oil than a forged and are comparable strength (this is assuming cold start into daily driving, not letting it fully warm up before driving). the nice part of the fingers pistons is that you can run a fuel heavy HP target and not worry about cracked pistons unlike a delipped lb7/lly or a mahle race cast.
Thank you all! I found a built engine not too far from me and it has Mahle forged pistons.
Here’s his description, he’s asking 15,000 Canadian:
Duramax Race Engine
- New Build
- LBZ Block Bored .20 over
- Empire billet main caps with ARP main studs
- Callie’s Race Star crank
- Crowder Gen 2 rods
- Mahle forged race pistons
- Internally balanced
- SoCal CNC Stage 2 heads with 1 piece valves & heavy springs
- ARP Head studs
- Triple layer steel head gaskets
- Custom reground cam
- 60% Exergy Injectors
- SoCal Dampner
Assembled & Painted by Curtis @ Extreme Engine Development in Calgary.
Also included HSP Raw Billet Valve Covers. No turbo, CP3, Exhaust Manifolds, Piping included
Almost 24,000.00 put into this engine and that was buying parts years ago.
Located in Creston BC
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Here’s his description, he’s asking 15,000 Canadian:
Duramax Race Engine
- New Build
- LBZ Block Bored .20 over
- Empire billet main caps with ARP main studs
- Callie’s Race Star crank
- Crowder Gen 2 rods
- Mahle forged race pistons
- Internally balanced
- SoCal CNC Stage 2 heads with 1 piece valves & heavy springs
- ARP Head studs
- Triple layer steel head gaskets
- Custom reground cam
- 60% Exergy Injectors
- SoCal Dampner
Assembled & Painted by Curtis @ Extreme Engine Development in Calgary.
Also included HSP Raw Billet Valve Covers. No turbo, CP3, Exhaust Manifolds, Piping included
Almost 24,000.00 put into this engine and that was buying parts years ago.
Located in Creston BC
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i wouldnt buy someone elses engine without a whoooooole lot of specs/info first.
This motor has been running around Facebook and it is not at all what it seems. There are some major red flags with that engine.
1) That engine has a counterweight on the damper and an OEM flexplate meaning it is not internally balanced
2) What is a "race star" crankshaft? Callies offers 3 cranks for the duramax platform with them being the Compstar/Durastar, Duramag, and ultra billet.
3) What strength head studs?
I'm not trying to pick anything apart but I also would be real careful like James said about buying a used built engine. I also would not (personally) run a forged piston on a daily driver. Supposedly you can according to SoCal (with proper warmup) and have a decent life out of the pistons but overall they tend to be more of a track/"weekend warrior" type setup than a dd/tow rig.
Myself, Richard Coker, Dustin Mintern, and many others have all commented asking clarification on these items and the seller has done nothing to respond to anyone.
Interesting. Curtis Halverson has built some very capable engines in the past.
If the owner isnt being forthcoming, I would either call Curtis directly and ask him questions or just steer clear of it.
If the owner isnt being forthcoming, I would either call Curtis directly and ask him questions or just steer clear of it.
What concerns me is only the “assembled and painted” part. That can be very open ended
One of these things is not like the other... 
Nice work! Is the block salvageable?
Nice work! Is the block salvageable?
Let me put it this way, with some new parts that have come to market recently building a motor has become actually quite affordable compared to just a few years ago.Thanks guys! I will keep saving towards my own build! This is what I found when I pulled my head. Apparently I don’t do things half way!
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Like Callies new rods, I've been eyeing those. Heck of a deal!
Exactly what I'm referencing. Wagler is pissed and tried to tout the "Made in USA" side of things to me (which I understand). The hard part is the average consumer doesn't give a damn as to where the part was made, they just care if it's decent and is cheaper than the next competitor.
One of these things is not like the other...
Nice work! Is the block salvageable?
Right!
I’m not sure yet.
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