are trw pistons any good

Jeff Lee · 10-22-2007, 10:23 AM

There was a time when TRW pistons were affordable and there was little else to offer. Considering the cost of a new set today, those offered by CP, Ross, etc. are not only vastly superior in technology and quality, but the cost difference is negligible. Remember, ring seal and reducing friction is key to a fast engine. Both are difficult (but not impossible) with a inferior piston.
But if you have an old set laying around and just need to get it running on a tight budget, then go ahead. Have somebody prepare a high quality set of rings that are gapped, thinner with spacers and back-cut. Vertical clearance is important and can be adjusted with spacers. But you will not obtain the machining tolerance on the lands as offered by the other race piston manufacturers. Not out of the box anyways.

Glenn Briglio · 10-22-2007, 11:41 AM

We had run them for years with good sucess.They were the only forged piston available back then. Had numerous problems with them cracking on skirt to pin side. Lucky for us we caught them in time. You really don't want to use them! Customer just brought in a set from a street car, three out of eight were cracked.

10-22-2007, 10:23 AM	#1
Jeff Lee VIP Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Anthem, Arizona Posts: 2,766 Likes: 0 Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: are trw pistons any good There was a time when TRW pistons were affordable and there was little else to offer. Considering the cost of a new set today, those offered by CP, Ross, etc. are not only vastly superior in technology and quality, but the cost difference is negligible. Remember, ring seal and reducing friction is key to a fast engine. Both are difficult (but not impossible) with a inferior piston. But if you have an old set laying around and just need to get it running on a tight budget, then go ahead. Have somebody prepare a high quality set of rings that are gapped, thinner with spacers and back-cut. Vertical clearance is important and can be adjusted with spacers. But you will not obtain the machining tolerance on the lands as offered by the other race piston manufacturers. Not out of the box anyways. __________________ Jeff Lee 7494 D/S '70 AMX

10-22-2007, 11:41 AM	#2
Glenn Briglio VIP Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Massapequa Park,NY Posts: 1,282 Likes: 1,896 Liked 971 Times in 308 Posts	Re: are trw pistons any good We had run them for years with good sucess.They were the only forged piston available back then. Had numerous problems with them cracking on skirt to pin side. Lucky for us we caught them in time. You really don't want to use them! Customer just brought in a set from a street car, three out of eight were cracked. Last edited by Glenn Briglio; 10-22-2007 at 11:42 AM. Reason: spelling