Forged Piston Advice

[kangaboy]

Below are three options I have been weighing for and up and coming 2084 (78.4x92) build. I have the intention of running 20+psi on the build, so with what I have come to learn, forged pistons are pretty much a requirement. I looked for Wiseco, as they are what initially comes to mind when I hear "Forged Piston", but wasn't able to easily find them with a VW cylinder set in the 92mm variety. I don't know the measurements well enough to look at a set on their website and know if they would work with a set of TW AA cylinders.
I have heard rumors that the Mahle forged cylinders are not a sure bet either, in the fact that it's hard to guarantee that the set you get is in fact forged, but please correct me if I misconstrued something I heard in the past.
I for sure want to go with the TW AA Cylinders, so the Forged JE kit has the lead as far as the best candidate in my mind.
As I said initially, I will be building a 2084, so I will be leaving some room on the table to go bigger as time goes on. With that in mind, would the AA Forged Pistons and Cylinders may be acceptable to use? Anyone have experience with these? I didn't know if that would be a gamble by any means, and maybe I should just spend the extra ~$200 and get the Forged JE set.

Bottom line: what forged piston set for 20+psi?

Forged JE Pistons, AA TW Cylinders

AA Forged Pistons and TW Cylinders

Forged Mahle, Cima Cyclinders

[buguy]

It's my understanding that the AA's are very very good.
And you are correct, many say the Mahle are not a true forged piston.

[rubenski]

I have a set of true forged mahle's. Even when i was buying them i heard some set's advertised as forged were not forged....

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[Chip Birks]

I have a set of true forged mahle's. Even when i was buying them i heard some set's advertised as forged were not forged....

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If you hold up a "true forged" Mahle and compare to a JE or Wiseco, the differences are pretty significant. The JE and Wiseco are obviously made for handling a beating. Everything is thick and strong looking. Kanga, if you are willing to spend the money, aircooled.net offers a 92 SS piston now. They are made from a Wiseco forging.

http://vwparts.aircooled.net/ACN-Super- ... sh-92b.htm

[buguy]

Dang. Those are $200 more than i paid for my car!
I believe i may try them on the next one though. I love how snappy my engine is now at 8:1 compression. 9:1 has to be super sweet!

[kangaboy]

Welp, after doing some research and reading Chips thread over on the Samba about the squishies....I think I'm going to go for it. Thick wall AA cylinders and a set of the 92 ACN squishies.
Buguys comment really hitting home though, because my bug only cost $500 when I bought it too

EDIT: After reading so much about the squishies and how much cooler they can run, I'm actually having second thoughts about running the TW92s. I have full intention of building this motor with stout parts, so the TWs are a no brainer...but if the 94s are not going to have potential to overheat/warp, maybe I should just go with them?

[Schweg]

Not speaking from experience But I feel like a lot of guys run 94s non squishy with minimal problems.
All of that to say you should be fine to run what ever squishy pistons you want.

[Coyotemutt]

As I understand it, 94s are no more prone to overheating than any other size. They might warp more easily IF OVERHEATED. So... dont overheat the engine!

If it all costs the same at this point in your build, go big.

[kangaboy]

As I understand it, 94s are no more prone to overheating than any other size. They might warp more easily IF OVERHEATED. So... dont overheat the engine!

That is totally correct...they are only prone to issues with overheating as you said. Didn't know if it would be a little more wise to run the thicker cylinders for the added safety buffer, just incase something went south or tuning wasn't spot on. Also didn't know if the thicker cylinders added any benefit to longevity or durability when running 20+psi of boost. I guess that is my real deciding factor.

If it all costs the same at this point in your build, go big.

Ha, funny part is the 94s are actually cheaper than the 92s

[buguy]

If you can run a decent amount of boost, i doubt it matters much which one you run. 92's might just be a little safety buffer. I wouldn't be scared of either one. But then again that may be because I'm not running $700 pistons.
I think the big selling point of the SS is the ability to run more compression. I'd personally run 9:1 on a stroker, but i also can run E85 so do more research on that.

[kangaboy]

92's might just be a little safety buffer.

This is my main sticking point. I feel like I can and have been running a decent tune, so I don't really think I need a too much saftey netting, but things can go wrong. I haven't "dragged" the car at all, which is what I am aiming to do with the new build. I feel like that will prove to be more stressful on parts with a not ideal tune, compared to me just running back and forth to work on the highway.

I'd personally run 9:1 on a stroker, but i also can run E85 so do more research on that.

I have my car tuned now and run a flex fuel sensor and have run bigger boost numbers in the past with E85. It got to be such a pain in the ass having to go out of the way to get E85 every other day when I was dailying it. I do need to get some research in though, because I would like to utilize it a little more in the future.
I saw in Chips build (many moons ago) that he was running 91octane with his squishy pistons and wasn't pinging at 14psi.

[Schweg]

If you wanted to you could also run water methanol injection with 91. The knock protection is similar to E85.

[buguy]

92's might just be a little safety buffer.

This is my main sticking point. I feel like I can and have been running a decent tune, so I don't really think I need a too much saftey netting, but things can go wrong. I haven't "dragged" the car at all, which is what I am aiming to do with the new build. I feel like that will prove to be more stressful on parts with a not ideal tune, compared to me just running back and forth to work on the highway.

I'd personally run 9:1 on a stroker, but i also can run E85 so do more research on that.

I have my car tuned now and run a flex fuel sensor and have run bigger boost numbers in the past with E85. It got to be such a pain in the ass having to go out of the way to get E85 every other day when I was dailying it. I do need to get some research in though, because I would like to utilize it a little more in the future.
I saw in Chips build (many moons ago) that he was running 91octane with his squishy pistons and wasn't pinging at 14psi.

I feel ya. We have one station in town with E85 and its on the other side of town from everything else. Pain to keep it full. I think I'm going to buy a 30 gallon transfer tank and fill it with cans. That way i always have it on hand.

[kangaboy]

If you wanted to you could also run water methanol injection with 91. The knock protection is similar to E85.

I had previously planned on it, but after I cranked the boost up and my clutch started slipping, there was no point. I just turned it back down to 8PSI and run pump gas. I did buy all the stuff to set up a Water/Meth system though, so I will go ahead and just install it on the new motor. No reason not to. I have to plan on putting an intercooler in there too. I have been looking at Chips air to water in car system for like two years now, so it will likely be some spin off of that.

I'm still finding a couple new threads via google about the squishy pistons, both on VW and not. Seems anyone that buys them have nothing but positive things to say. While some have said they didn't get the cooling that John at ACN got, everyone was satisfied with the way they work. I need to look more into the idea behind the "squishy" and what these pistons are doing specifically to improve things. I'm ultimately going for a motor that can get me back and forth to work (60 mile round trip), but also get worry free (if that is even a term in the drag racing world) runs on the quarter mile.

[buguy]

Yeah put a better clutch in it!! Then you can get to buy a new trans like me!