Dykes or rail ring

What size do ya need I have a few here. Dad always said they made higher compression. Well you can order them from TKM from 58mm to 59.5mm.

Frankie
 
Question, if they are so much better then why doesn't Wiseco and Vertex run them? They have run a rail ring for years. I understand the theory behind the Dykes ring, but it seems like karting is the only ones using them.jmo Also Wiseco's Pro-lite series, I think is right, those rings are TiN coated, I don't think that I have seen a Dykes ring coated before.
 
A Dykes type ring is a little harder to make than a typical rail. A Piston made to properly accept the Dykes ring is also more complicated to manufacture. With the advances in ring technology and the advent of the gas ported piston (there are numerous variations), the perceived sealing advantage of the Dykes ring no longer offsets the added costs and complications associated with the manufacture of them and pistons to take them. Supposedly, rail type rings can seal as well, nowadays, as Dykes rings. IDK. If I had a dependable affordable supply of pistons and rings, I would use them. I don't so I don't. Good luck
 
I'll also add to the last post , that as ring technology advanced the rail ring tended to get thinner to reduce cyl. wall friction and the very nature of the dykes ring design caused it to be a much wider ring that sealed good but would have more wall friction than a thin rail, a bit of a tradeoff there. I used to machine the top ring land of a Weisco dykes ring piston to accept an oil rail under the dykes ring to make a total seal out of it, those bores were sealed up. Jon
 
The very best dykes rings ever made for karting were from Hartman Engineering (the rings were actually made by Pacific Piston Ring in Los Angeles). This is from the era when dykes rings were standard on the Assos-made pistons we ran back then in the Italian engines.

The Hartman rings were made from 17-4 stainless, and hard-chrome plated and ground. They had very little tension... VERY little. The rings were so good you could run one for a season... just change pistons. (all engines were cast iron bore, no Nikasil back then).

I probably still have one in the cabinet somewhere... I'll take a photo and will post.

Pete
 
Pete_Muller said:
The very best dykes rings ever made for karting were from Hartman Engineering (the rings were actually made by Pacific Piston Ring in Los Angeles). This is from the era when dykes rings were standard on the Assos-made pistons we ran back then in the Italian engines.

The Hartman rings were made from 17-4 stainless, and hard-chrome plated and ground. They had very little tension... VERY little. The rings were so good you could run one for a season... just change pistons. (all engines were cast iron bore, no Nikasil back then).

I probably still have one in the cabinet somewhere... I'll take a photo and will post.



Pete
Click to expand...

X2 Pete, I was going to add that the ring tension on Dykes rings is much less than with a rail ring. The area for gas pressure to push against the ring must be more than enough to make up for the low tension dykes ring. The other known advantage of the dykes ring is the thermal heat transfer properties of the greater contact area on the dykes ring. IDK, if its all so much better then you would imagine GP bikes and nascar and classes like that to be still using them. You cant say the coating tech has become so much better because if you coated the dykes with the same slippery materials the dykes ring would again be better. Cost just doesn't seem a factor in high level motorsport. And if its cost related why do the euro kart engines still use dykes rings? KTM are euro, what rings do they use?
 
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