323 gtx pistons?
 

Did a bit of searching, and I'm wondering if the 7.8:1 pistons are worth it. I've already got my engine apart for the rebuild, and it would be nice to have that safeguard against detonation.

Has anyone here actually tried them out? Some people say that off boost power goes to crap, but then some say that there wasn't that noticeable a difference.

I'm considering going with them because they're cheap ($35 for one piston and rings at rock auto for ITM brand) and the fact that they'd be cheap peace of mind against bad tuning, which I expect from myself. Those pistons and a set of SGI forged rods are probably as far as I'd go.

Cheap pistons are cast, not forged.

yes the lower comp will help against a bad tune, but the pistons will not be able to take it for long before suffering damage.

IMHO, a set of low comp forged pistons will be more forgiving agaist a bad tune. So the extra cash outlay would be more peace of mind.

I don't understand this. You've got the motor apart, you're doing a rebuild, you're considering forged rods...why skimp on the pistons? Do it right, have peace of mind, plus some headroom down the road if you get the bug to chase some serious power.

Would it be better to keep the current pistons and get the forged rods? I don't want to spend too much more on the rebuild, I just want something that will last a good while. Not shooting for more than 225 whp. There's been a lot of debate on where the stock rods let go... are they even worth upgrading for me? If not I'll stick with new bearings and rings.

There is no way I would tear a motor apart and not spend the couple hundred dollars on new rods at the very least. You're going to need new rings anyway, new pistons aren't that expensive, whether stock replacement or otherwise. Just check to be sure that the cylinders are still round before deciding on a piston size, you may need to bore it before installing new pistons.

gtx pistons break at the same power level that BP05 pistons do, not worth buying and im from a world were we buy ANY gtx part we can even used. :)

This is for a 1.6?
1.8GTX pistons are 8.2:1.
7.8:1 IMO is way too low.

Go with eBay forged rods and the low comp 323 pistons. You will have a bottom end that is easily good for 300hp with a good tune. If you search neogenesis2004 build thread you can see he ran them.

unfortunately the oem 323 pistons are hard as balls to find... looks like neongenesis got his from corksport, I can try contacting them to see if they can source them again. That was quite a while ago though.

i used some in the first version of my rebuild. oil pump failed...
engine's apart again, and now i'm putting in forged rods and pistons. hell, i'm still naturally aspirated, but definitely aiming for boost in the future.
i have the 323 rods and pistons sitting in a box in the shop.
if you want them, i can grab them tomorrow and take some pics.

how many miles are on them? Interested depending on price... are they OEM items?

they're oem. i bought em used.
i put 288 miles on em...
i'd recommend changing the wrist pins and clips or whatever they're called that hold the wrist pins in.

when you can, please send pics to stanley_ho35@hotmail.com. Thanks!

will do