what is the general opinion of the pattern hepolite piston rings?
Caught Ring Applying Piston barrels and 2 have now broken/snapped very easily.
i bought some genuine old stock rings and barrels went down easy. no problems.
the pistons are top gear.
Should i seek compensation from Hepolite? pistons and ring kit are cheap though.
I tried fitting them then thought they were too tricky. But the engine was burning to much oil and they get good reviews so I tried again. Went on no problem with ring compressors. There's clearly a knack which I'd got by the 2nd attempt. I did the ring compressors tighter than I usually would and stoned a slight chamfer on the barrels. They have upped the compression and cut the oil consumption so they do work but those oil rings are fiddly.
I have used these rings many times and find them to be very good, the method I use is to fit the piston or pistons in the barrel first, make four home made studs to support the barrel at the correct hight then it's just a matter of lining up the small ends and sliding the pins in, making sure you've fitted the inside circlips first, I've done it this way on bsa and triumph twins and also bsa singles.
the trick is to have a really good hone in the bore and they will bed in quite quickly