Best top end kit?

[Sleddinhunter]

Which top end kit would be the best?
I'm looking at replacing the top end and want to know which
kit would last the longest and be the most durable. I'm looking
at spi with the t-moly coating and wisco. Any feedback would
be great. Or if any other kits would be better. This is for my
07 M1000.

 

[m8magicandmystery]

go oem...if ya want coated skirts and ceramic crowns then send the oem to swain ..

 

[backcountryislife]

Call Michelle at Oregon trail sports & order STOCK pistons.

Or order some wisecos, and order a second set, and order some spare jugs, and make sure you've got a buddy with a tow rope.

Stock pistons are the most forgiving, & the most solid setup you can get imo for the 1000.

 

[mr.deeds]

I have had great luck with SPI. The price is great and they have held up amazing. I've had the stock ones fail, but never have had any problems with spi (and i put more miles on them). Never put them in a 1000... but they held up great in the cat 800s and 900.

 

[backcountryislife]

Never put them in a 1000...

 

[Bowfisher]

Ceramic coating

go oem...if ya want coated skirts and ceramic crowns then send the oem to swain ..

Is there any real advantage to coating the pistons? I'm going to do my topend this year and I have looked into Swaintech coatings.

 

[backcountryislife]

A guy just posted some pics of SPI's a few weeks ago, he had SIX miles on them... and look at the coating.

The squeeek aside, the coating is pretty much gone in 6 miles... doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[Bowfisher]

Swain claims that the coating that comes on piston skirts is just a breakin coating. They say theres holds up better.

 

[diggerdown]

As you can see in BC's pics, the problem comes in with the piston/clinder clearance. The larger the bore the more swelling you get with the spi's. the smaller bores seem to work well with them but the 1000 needs plenty of room to grow or they start to rub. They do have recommended clearance specs. They are good pistons and rings you just need to make sure your cylinder is honed out large enough.

 

[backcountryislife]

As you can see in BC's pics, the problem comes in with the piston/clinder clearance. The larger the bore the more swelling you get with the spi's. the smaller bores seem to work well with them but the 1000 needs plenty of room to grow or they start to rub. They do have recommended clearance specs. They are good pistons and rings you just need to make sure your cylinder is honed out large enough.

Myself I just prefer a piston that I don't have to dik around with... that I can put into a STOCK culinder & have it work. I know some folks say they check ring gap, or they check clearance, but in the motors I've done I've never done that once, and never had an issue.

Poeple say "piston x works great" (oh btw I've used it in this other motor, not the one we're discussing)... the 1000 is just a different motor, different needs, different risks & issues. It's not the same thing.

 

[Sleddinhunter]

The main reason I and doing the re build is because the last ride of last year 2011 I fell off my sled and it hit a tree and broke the air box. During that summer I pulled it apart and though I got all the broken plastic out. Come to find out I dident get it all one piece was caught in the pto side throtle body and all this season I ran it lean. Then the last trip this season up on Mt Shasta 10000 ft up started having problems and had to have my Dad pull me out. Got home and found that the pto crank rod bearing gave out. Bearing pieces got lodged between the piston and cyinder and scored the cyinder wall. Over 3000 miles on the sled and just one little piece of plastic in the throtle body ruind a very good motor never had any problems bofore this. I think that I could have got a nother 3000 miles on that motor. Just about made me cry. Any more motor info would be great.

 

[m8magicandmystery]

Is there any real advantage to coating the pistons? I'm going to do my topend this year and I have looked into Swaintech coatings.

1400 miles on mine...from what i can see..two tiny specks off...very very tiny..haven;t got bigger..just under the lower ring.
.and the ceramic piston dome and edges...flawless...i swear the dome gives a real cushion from just stock for tuning mistakes till ya catch them..i don;t know who coated mine...the supplier of my bigbore said it wasn;t swain but said it was the same technology..

but my stock pistons were a battlefield when i changed them out..but part of the reason probably was running upside down wot fo 15 seconds..lol..
im a believer in coating and the dome treatment..

 

[m8magicandmystery]

Is there any real advantage to coating the pistons? I'm going to do my topend this year and I have looked into Swaintech coatings.

i will try and get a pic or two of mine this weekend and i will post on this thread..

 

[Snopro98]

Myself I just prefer a piston that I don't have to dik around with... that I can put into a STOCK culinder & have it work. I know some folks say they check ring gap, or they check clearance, but in the motors I've done I've never done that once, and never had an issue.

Poeple say "piston x works great" (oh btw I've used it in this other motor, not the one we're discussing)... the 1000 is just a different motor, different needs, different risks & issues. It's not the same thing.

So basically is what your saying is you have just thrown **** together and it has worked? thats not very good workmanship, I would never buy a motor off someone that said I just put it in and ran it. Cyl wall clearance and ring end gap are a must to check. I have seen stock pistons vary up to 2 thousandths in diameter. You buy the pistons then hone the clinder to the correct dia for the cyl wll clearance you want, not the otherway around. But i will agree with you about saying a stock cast piston is more forgiving then a forged piston, but cast pistons are a bit heavier than a forged one.

 

[diggerdown]

Sno pro just touched another issue that has bothered me, but I must be the only one, thats is the weight of the piston. The crank, rod, and pistons are supposed to be balance from the factory, throwing in lighter pistons or rods will cause an out of balance crank assembly. Must be something I made up in my mind because I never see a single mention of it in any big bore kit or aftermarket manufacturer. We used to weigh every piston when putting together diesel engines and would get them all the same weight before putting them in. All high performance engines are balanced and blue printed....except sled mills!

 

[backcountryislife]

So basically is what your saying is you have just thrown **** together and it has worked?

Yep. Have yet to have a single problem with a STOCK piston in a 1000.

I don't run them anymore, so I no longer have to worry about it, but I've just seen way too many people have issues with other pistons.

 

[jaysonfreerider]

Yep, that picture was of mine. got 6 miles out of a set of SPI's. I went with them because they were abit cheaper than stock and that i have had nothing but great luck with them in my old 700. But i will be putting OEM's back in it. And really, the OEM's are not that expensive compared to others...

 

[backcountryislife]

Yep, that picture was of mine. got 6 miles out of a set of SPI's. I went with them because they were abit cheaper than stock and that i have had nothing but great luck with them in my old 700. But i will be putting OEM's back in it. And really, the OEM's are not that expensive compared to others...

And of course, no guarantees that the piston specifically was at fault... I just feel it's more likely & I used that pic just to show that the coating, IMO, isn't likely to be much help, obviously it didn't last long & sure didn't keep the problem from happening.

 

[jaysonfreerider]

Like 'ya said, it might not have been the pistons at all, most likely something i had done wrong. It happend and costed me more money, Oh well. its just money right? and yes the coating did wear off very quick. i did notice that on the ones in my 700, the coating had wore off fairly quick on those also but still running strong.

 

[Stack]

I prefer OEM, not worth the risk for a small difference in price.