It wasn't a fluke, it was not a stuck injector. It was due to setting on the line for over a minute with exhaust temps over 1200 trying to light my turbo. Forged have held up every since. Why do u think monotherms would be a wiser long term investment? What testing have u seen that no one else has? Ive heard of a few Cummins failures with far less power than I have. I also heard high HP was not the intention for them, daily driving with medium range HP was. Everybody jumps to spend tons of money on new parts just cause someone says its the answer to our problems. Sorry, from what I've heard, and seen, ill let someone else take that $4k gamble, while ill run what works for me.
Not sure where you heard your information, but the ability to withstand heat better than any form of alumimum (cast, forged, etc) was a key factor on why many think they would be better. Your pistons failed due to heat (regardless of reason), so a material that is better suited to heat would tend to be less resistant to failure in your case. There are guys that are/were running more power than you on CAST pistons, so HP isn't the be all and end all of measurements.
I said it "sounds" like a fluke as you said you lost A cast piston and not I melted a complete set. It was a valid inferrence. If the entire motor was that hot, more than one should have been melted and if it was that bad you would think ALL would be and I would have thought you would have stated such (maybe not). Even if they all showed signs, if one was worse than the others it would be a logical assumption that something was different in that cylinder (could have been a piston from a different run with slightly different chemical composition, could have been an injector that was not flowing as close to the others, could have been valve lash, something else, a combination, etc.), which is why I assumed you stated one piston versus a set. I just went off what you posted and made and inference, maybe it was wrong.
Other Pro's of the Monotherm piston design/material: Tighter PTW tolerances (documented fact), ring life (documented fact), and I'm going from memory but I think they were a few grams lighter (or that was the target) which would be better on balancing and bearings. Not too many 200HP builds are melting pistons from sitting at the line with 1200 degrees for over a minute, so that is where the high HP application of these would come in. I never stated they were indestructable, but there have been a few Cummings making power and running these with zero issues SO FAR. If they are breaking in other Cummins builds then they are breaking, but would a forged have lasted longer in that environment (not saying it would or wouldn't, just asking). Remember guys are killing pistons in DMax's at a lot lower power level than you. It's not all about an HP number.
I believe you were the one on CompD that was talking about guys taking it to the next level and trying different things to gain an edge on the competition. How is this any different. Without someone willing to try things how does a sport progress? Some guys are going to find cost effective ways to be innovative (which you seemed to have done a great job at) and some guys are going to spend money regardless. If DMax guys run these at high HP levels and have a significantly lower failure rates than even forged pistons and you have trouble with your new pistons, I would think you would consider these even if the price tag is a little higher....or no?
As for MY money, I'm not planning on re-using my LBZ pistons, I don't trust buying a used set of any design, so I'd be buying brand new (possibly was looking at Fingers design) and would have them top coated and the skirts coated (my personal beliefs). Buying 8 new pistons, modifying them, and coating them is a fairly $$$ purchase compared to some who have had luck with modifying their existing pistons. The monotherms in the grand scheme (if they work) would not be that much more money.
You can run rubber pistons in your motor for all I care (we each have to make decisions on our own and sleep at night), but with the current batch of pistons available having one issue or another, it's nice to know there are those trying things to see if they can come up with a better design (Imaging where we would be if there was only stock axles available for the AAM 11.5?, even the first batch of aftermarket axles and even first batch of large diameter axles proved not to be enough when running duals until someone tried something else). I'm assuming you are running something more than a stock axleshaft as someone else proved it works better? I just don't like to see people saying they won't work without proof (especially when the design "seems" to address many of the current issues). Doesn't mean everyone should buy them and run them, just that they should get a fair shake before they are dismissed, just like Fingers design. Depending on the intent of the build, each may have their spot.
Remember how even "people in the know" said aluminum heads on a diesel was a big mistake....lol
