Aftermarket Piston manufacturers?

[benmyers]

Ok, I looked but haven't seen a detailed thread on aftermarket pistons. I would love to hear what people say about the different manufacturers. I'll start with a small list and what little I know based on experience or what I've heard....


GOLF-heard a few guys that have had ok luck, heard a lot of BAD experiences. Others say they are simply junk. Never used any myself for this very reason.

Meteor-Seem to be the best avalable. Some say they are better than stock.

Episan-Seem to be good pistons. Seem well made. Made in Europe somewhere?

Woodland International-I think they make/sell pistons? Don't know anythign about them.

Kolben-?? Some on ebay and stuff.......

Lots of others I'm sure. Let's hear some different brands and experiences with people using the saws every day....

 

[Jacob J.]

Kolben is german for 'piston'...

 

[lawnmowertech37]

you have oregon stens and rotary as well

 

[bitzer]

I have heard lots of good things about the meteors. Don't get a golf. I had one and never again! I knew there was trouble when I put it in and the arrow to the exhaust on the top of the piston pointed more to the flywheel side then the exhaust! I ran about three tanks through the saw and noticed some scuffing and small scratches when I took the muffler off to see how the piston was doing. I tore the saw down and the piston had been riding crooked and had been forcing the rod to rub against the crank causing small metal flakes to distribute through the cylinder. This may have just been a bad one, but never again. I bought an oem replacement and all is well except for $30 down the hole on that piston.

 

[benmyers]

Ok well Kolben is out. I took spanish in school. Thanks!

 

[parrisw]

I have heard lots of good things about the meteors. Don't get a golf. I had one and never again! I knew there was trouble when I put it in and the arrow to the exhaust on the top of the piston pointed more to the flywheel side then the exhaust! I ran about three tanks through the saw and noticed some scuffing and small scratches when I took the muffler off to see how the piston was doing. I tore the saw down and the piston had been riding crooked and had been forcing the rod to rub against the crank causing small metal flakes to distribute through the cylinder. This may have just been a bad one, but never again. I bought an oem replacement and all is well except for $30 down the hole on that piston.

Ring end gaps always go to intake side. Mislabeling can and will happen. I have a golf 2101 piston in a 395, and its working great. The biggest problem with Golf is the circlips, they are weak and can come out, use OEM clips.

 

[bitzer]

Ring end gaps always go to intake side. Mislabeling can and will happen. I have a golf 2101 piston in a 395, and its working great. The biggest problem with Golf is the circlips, they are weak and can come out, use OEM clips.

It was in right, just looked crooked. I may just have gotten a bad one and thats enough to make me shy away from them for good.

 

[bgiles117]

I have two golfs. They are just fine...

 

[parrisw]

It was in right, just looked crooked. I may just have gotten a bad one and thats enough to make me shy away from them for good.

Ya, I'm sure the QC could be better with Golf.

 

[tdi-rick]

[snip]
Kolben-?? Some on ebay and stuff.......

[snip]

Kolbenshmidt.
They are a big casting company like Mahle in Germany. They make pistons, cylinders etc, including OE (definitely Dolmar in years past, I think the legendary 166 used Kolbenshmidt P&C's)

Another company is Asso in Italy. (assowerke.it) They also make OE stuff. They were OE pistons in all the Italian kart engines (up to and over 20,000RPM on the track, 25HP/100cc) twenty years ago.

There is also this mob http://www.aippistons.com/prd_chainsaw.htm in India.

 

[leeha]

No aftermarket pistons available for any
of my saws, So i guess i can't comment.
But sure would like to know why any of the
mentioned companies can't make them.



Lee

 

[SkippyKtm]

I've used probably better than 20 Golf pistons and maybe 4 Meteors and 1 Episan, and I haven't had a problem with any of them. I did notice that one of the Golfs had the arrow engraved towards the intake side. Its best to not rely on the arrows anyway, just make sure the ring gaps end up on the intake side. Use the OEM circlips as the aftermarket ones did have problems, although I do notice that the newer Golf pistons have been coming with beefier circlips, but I still dont trust 'em.

 

[StihlGuitar]

I've used probably better than 20 Golf pistons and maybe 4 Meteors and 1 Episan, and I haven't had a problem with any of them. I did notice that one of the Golfs had the arrow engraved towards the intake side. Its best to not rely on the arrows anyway, just make sure the ring gaps end up on the intake side. Use the OEM circlips as the aftermarket ones did have problems, although I do notice that the newer Golf pistons have been coming with beefier circlips, but I still dont trust 'em.

I've had Golf circlip come off on an 036 pro, ruined cylinder, piston, rings...about 10 minutes after rebuild too. Anybody know anything about Mag Supply? I've gotten incredibly good prices from him (if emailed directly, much less than his ebay prices. Pistons for 18$, p/r/c for 63$) Many of the pistons I've gotten from him were Golf, but I've gotten some unmarked ones as well. An 026 piston I got looked great, comparable to OEM, came in cardboard colored box, faint horizontal lines, dark colored rings...I purchased one cylinder from him for 036 pro. There was a lot of grit in the ports. It worked well. I don't know who the manufacture was, suspect some Chinese company. Anybody know who makes the cylinders for Ahlborn? The fact that they are a "Forester official site" deters me from tryin them, but there is a saw shop guy who has been in business for 30 years near me who orders p/c kits from them for about 65$ and pistons for 14$.

 

[ryans4022]

Just stuck a meteor in my MS660....so far so good, it looked to be good quality and they seem to have a good rep here on AS. Baileys carries them FYI Ryan