Dyke rings.... Love em? Hate em?

[64PI]

In typical fashion I'm not done putting my 406 together and I'm thinking about the next build. I have a set of .040" over 390 JE Comp eliminator pistons. They have had a ton of work done to them and are pretty darn light. I bought them and they had very little time on them and had the old rings.. The ring lands are cut to run a spacer and a dyke ring so I stuck with that package. Sent the old rings to Total seal and had them put a package together for me. The sales guy at Total seal was pretty impressed with the setup. At the time I was building a strip only engine but may have changed directions.

How well will Dyke rings live on a limited street/ strip application? Say 11:1 compression, 7000rpm max and maybe 500-800 street miles and 25 passes a season. I'd like to run Molnar rods, a crank that's lighter than stock, TFS heads and a hydraulic roller. Keep the pistons and rings? Ditch the idea and run a conventional ring package? I have ZERO experience with Dyke rings and appreciate any input.


Fred

[jayb]

I've only run them on one engine but had good luck with them, no sealing problems or anything like that.  I'd stick with them as long as you have them.

[gt350hr]

  The Dykes ring is a "compression enhanced sealing" design. The cylinder pressure forces the ring outward against the cylinder wall for the full 360*s of the ring when maximum sealing is critical. This does accelerate ring wear a bit but the ring face is still 1/16th inch. The ring has been around since the 60's and is used in Nitro and many blown alcohol engines. The design is more effective than "gas porting" a conventional ring in a super high cylinder pressure application. In lower power N/A applications , gas ports and thinner ( overall height) rings make more power because of less compression induced drag.
     Good in a race engine / "sunny day only" , overkill/bad idea in a daily driver. High mileage is not your friend.
    Randy

[wowens]

Loved them in 1972. H&M pistons, Tunnelport in a 67 Must F/B street car/street racer. Gained power over standard rings and reduced blow by a lot. Longevity, don't have a clue cause I dropped a sodium filled exhaust at 7600, kid on he way , sold car.

[64PI]

I might have to learn to love them... The ring package cost more than I paid for the pistons. The piston weighs 550g and the pin 105g. Someone spent some time  on the inside of these pistons removing material.

[GJCAT427]

I for one would like to know where to buy Dykes rings. I bought a set of OEM std bore Muscle Parts pistons from John V. last yr and haven`t found any rings. I can send the pistons out and have the top ring modified but is it worth the cost? Any one know who would still be producing them?

[64PI]

I for one would like to know where to buy Dykes rings. I bought a set of OEM std bore Muscle Parts pistons from John V. last yr and haven`t found any rings. I can send the pistons out and have the top ring modified but is it worth the cost? Any one know who would still be producing them?

Call Total seal and give them the dimensions of your ring lands. My rings were somewhat of an off the wall deal and they had no off the shelf rings that would work. I'm not sure of the cost to cut a piston to use a shelf ring. But my ring package was $360 shipped. I'm learning the hard way your better off just ordering the pistons you want to accept the ring package you want.

[gt350hr]

   Dykes ring are made in two versions and it is related to the amount of "step" or undercut on the ring. If the ring is .0625 , a "017" would measure about .0455 on the undercut portion and an "031" would be about .0315 on the undercut portion. To measure the piston , you have to check with a pin gauge (most accurate) or feeler gauges to determine which "step" you need.  Akerly and Childs is another ring company that can supply the dyke style rings , possibly less expensive than T/S. Pistons cut for dykes rings CAN be recut for a 1/16th ring and it will leave a small undercut above the ring. This is OK and "modern" piston companies are doing this calling it a "gas distribution groove" and it does improve ring seal and power output.
    Randy

[machoneman]

   Dykes ring are made in two versions and it is related to the amount of "step" or undercut on the ring. If the ring is .0625 , a "017" would measure about .0455 on the undercut portion and an "031" would be about .0315 on the undercut portion. To measure the piston , you have to check with a pin gauge (most accurate) or feeler gauges to determine which "step" you need.  Akerly and Childs is another ring company that can supply the dyke style rings , possibly less expensive than T/S. Pistons cut for dykes rings CAN be recut for a 1/16th ring and it will leave a small undercut above the ring. This is OK and "modern" piston companies are doing this calling it a "gas distribution groove" and it does improve ring seal and power output.
    Randy

Thought Randy you had changed the name of Childs and Alberts in error. So I looked it up. Wrong!

Apparently some time in the past they did become Akerly & Childs.

https://akerlychilds.com/piston-rings/

I find this thread interesting since my old fellow racers long who ran TA/D's and T/F dragsters would exclusively use Dykes rings for all the reasons noted above. In, fact, I can state with almost 100% certainty that all the blown engines, regardless fo the fuel type, in NHRA competition ran the design. Not too many ran them in door cars, even the top classes.

I do wonder though about the longevity of the rings AND the cylinder walls in a street/strip car that sees lots of miles. 

[gt350hr]

   Bob ,
      Some top fuel teams run TWO dykes rings ( top and second!) The quantity of fuel and insane boost pressure makes that ring a must have.
     Childs and Albert became Akerly and Childs when long time sales manager Ray Akerly bought out Jim Albert 15 or so years ago. They are tied in with a local ring manufacturer Pacific Ring here in SoCal.
    A dyke ring "twists" ( under squeezing into the bore) differently than a conventional ring and flexes differently under cylinder pressure. This causes piston groove wear and attending ring wear in a higher mileage situation. NO they are not "street friendly".
    My "day job" keeps me up on all of this LOL.
   Randy

[machoneman]

Thanks as I hadn't known about the buy out. C&A was the go-to pro racer ring maker way back then. Hope they are just as good today.