piston head question

[darkthoughts5000]

ok, i put this in "advance tech", but no one answered. i figured if i put it where id expect the application is acctually used. question is, what is the difference between flat, dish, and domed piston heads and their applications? which is better for supercharged engines? having a blown engine is something i plan on doing in a couple of years.

[mattsv6]

you will want a "dished" type piston for a forced induction or nitrous motor. when the piston top is dished, it lowers the effective compression ratio and also forces the actual cumbustion "explosion" towards the center of the bore. this in turn makes a more focused burn where it should be. when the engine isnt breathing on its own, the air and fuel mix can be forced to the outside of the cyllinder bores, and this puts alot more stress on the whole rotating assembly. this also could cause pre-ignition. so there is alot of good reasons to get this type of piston compared to a flat-top or domed piston.

[imported_admin]

For a 2001 3.8 application I'd be more concerned with the compression ratio than the head type though. That stock 9.4:1 is asking for trouble with any sort of real boost. Drop it to 8.0:1 or 8.5:1 and you'll be fine. [img]smile.gif[/img]