I hava a question about pistons, detnation and coatings.
 

I have seen several race engines that use boost and N20.They have the valves, combustion chambers, and pistons coated to prevent heat soak. I was wondering if any one here has tried that since I saw the sticky on detonation and built engines. I am planing to get my pistons coated since I had it done on my last N20 engine and they seemed to hold up better then non coated pistons. Now I am not saying that it is a substitute for proper tuning. I would think it would help these engines hold together a little better under boosted conditions.

Whats your goal for the engine? Track abuse? Daily drive? Unless your floggin it over 300+ hp on a track there's no worry about the motor holding together. If your worries about the motors life, build the bottom end with nice rods and maybe some new pistons.

Do more research, don't waste money on coatings unless you just wanna spend money. Yes they work, no they are not needed.

What's N2O?

Nitrous.

I was gonna shoot for 300+ and while I may track the car on weekends from time to time mostly just a nice toy to play with and back up vehicle. I already looked into all the engine building stuff and I made this post since I was reading about how some of the built engines had piston melting issues.

built engines should not have any piston melting issues unless the tune is beyond terrible.

the coating may or may not help, but I don't think anyone here will be able to tell you "yes, significantly" or "no, completely irrelevant" like you're wanting to know. Its one of those things that I have never seen tested to the extreme to show some cold hard data.

But I'm open to being proven wrong.

I guess I was just more curious then anything if anyone had used them. Having only used them on a e-85 BBC with a 300+ N20 situation I know they work. I was reading as much as I could on here so I could go into my build well informed.

People have coated pistons on here many times.

I haven't seen anyone coat everything else.

I don't think they're more effective than the natural carbon coating that lays-down on piston.

The Miata engine also incorporates oil squirters to cool the pistons. It's already built for the abuse.

I ment that as in there are very few people using nitrous in Miatas. As in "what's an 18" wheel?"

Its fun fun fun!

I know about the oil squirt feature I was more concerned with the tops of the pistons since I know boost can and will melt a piston if too much is used or if the timing is too far advanced.

I coated mine.. I've got no idea if it helped, hurt, or if its still even there, or not..

I'd coat the exhaust valves and call it done.

I think the reason why you don't see a lot of talk about piston coatings and other piston/block treatments is not because they are ineffective (there's a reason why high hp and full out race and enduro applications commonly use coatings and cryo/rem treatments), but do to the fact that a mildly built BP is already stronger than its supporting hardware. Meaning that the weak link is the trans or diff, or the cylinder head... NOT the rotating assembly.

The Miata platform isn't exactly a stellar drag performer, so you don't see a lot of nitrous use normally -- and when you do, it's small shots.

thanks guys.

And the stock pogo sticks rods BP engine have. You may not throw one out, but usually before the pistons melt, the rods will bend even so slightly.

If a piston crown coating could give me more spark angle, I'd be interested.

There are differing opinions regarding the merits of ceramic or other thermal coating on the crowns, and I can not claim I am an expert in the subject. I think the less disputed benefits are found in coating the skirts and in cry or cry/rem treatment of the cylinders.

if your gonna run nitrous then i would coat, its not if, its when if it gonna melt with nitrous. i have worked on plenty of high dollar V8s running mass nitrous that have been tuned great and come back melter down, domes,combustion chambers, valves. if your gonna run juice then get the ceramic coatings. for just boost i wouldnt bother. Brian crower advised us not to coat on a 1000hp 4G63 , they said coating cause the rings to over heat. im not sure how much i believe this but it was their stroker kit