Which piston shall i choose?

[Honda2000]

Well it is time to get more power out of my 400. I am stuck between a JE and a wiseco Piston. which one is better? I am turning it into a 426. What compression should i get, what are other necessary parts to get when i rebuild it. Besides a clutch gaskets, ad etc.... ANy advice will be appreciated.

[killa03ex]

personally I like JE the most, thats all I run in any of my toys. also do you want to stay high on pump gas or use race gas? this will determain what compression you want(personally I chose 12:1)and just so you know the higher the compression the more power you'll have but once your over 11:1 its straight race gas or a 50/50 mix of race gas and premium pump gas. I Hope this helps

[krt400ex]

i'd go with wiseco, but that's just me. i wouldn't go higher than 10.5:1

[coryatver]

Go with whatever you can get the easiest. They are both good pistions. I also would only go with 10.5 or I would get heavy duty head studs anything bigger than that

[Honda2000]

I was thinking about getting an 11:1 wiseco, because you can find them all over ebay. I was wanting a JE but they are harder to find. Do you think 11:1 is too high? i really don't want to put in HD studs. Thanks

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by Honda2000
I was thinking about getting an 11:1 wiseco, because you can find them all over ebay. I was wanting a JE but they are harder to find. Do you think 11:1 is too high? i really don't want to put in HD studs. Thanks

wiseco makes a 10.5:1 u can order it from ronniesmailorder.com for around $120. don't know 'bout the hd studs, but 11:1 is border line for running race fuel. depends on temp. if u ride where it's hotter then get the 10.5:1 because it'll be less likely to ping with that.

[400exstud]

Originally posted by Honda2000
I was thinking about getting an 11:1 wiseco, because you can find them all over ebay. I was wanting a JE but they are harder to find. Do you think 11:1 is too high? i really don't want to put in HD studs. Thanks

An 11:1 JE 426 would be killer. Whether or not you need bigger studs will depend on your motor building skills. There are many people on here that will say that you need them and then others who have 13:1 440's and are running stock studs without a problem.

[Honda2000]

Where is the best place to get a Je piston. Also, i know what boreing is but what is honing? thanks!

[cals400ex]

i would also consider ross and CP pistons. if i was to do it all over again i would research it out. i would even possibly try to get one of the companies to make me a custom piston. this would cost much more, but i would do it myself.


honing the cylinder is like "roughing it up." it is like a stone that breaks the glaze off of the cylinder to make it a little rough so that the new rings can seat properly. you will only hone the cylinder if you are replacing rings only or if you are putting in a piston that is the same size that you already have in the bike.

[GPracer2500]

Pretty sure there are a few different retailers on Ebay that sell JE pistons. You might also check with some of the sponsers of this site. Other than that you can buy one from a local ATV shop or use Google to find other on-line sources.

[jsmith2232]

JE all the way...

[underpowered]

Originally posted by Honda2000
I was thinking about getting an 11:1 wiseco, because you can find them all over ebay. I was wanting a JE but they are harder to find. Do you think 11:1 is too high? i really don't want to put in HD studs. Thanks

i have a wiseco 11:1 426. i run pump fuel in the winter and a 50/50 mix of race fuel in teh summer due to higher temps. power is awesome and i cant complain about reliability. as for the HD studs, they are worth every penny. but even with them if you run it hard you still may have problems. i have blown 4 headgaskets on mine in 2 years, but only one was due to the stock head studs pulling out, the other 3 were just blown. other than that, i have had no problems out of it. if i did it again i woudl go JE or Ross piston, but thats just me. i am not a huge wiseco fan, their compression ratio's are usually way off, they are usually lower than stated, so to equal that out i dont run a base gasket and i only run 1 layer of teh steel head gasket.

[johnsls]

I got my JE piston, rings, sleeve, and stage II from C&D Racing.
He had a good turn around time.
Also you better know what your doing with the rebuild. My engine had a 440 in it then I got the 426, the previous person who put in the 440 did a messy job. (some small details) but just sloppy work.

"If you build it right" you shouldn't have any problems.

I believe the JE piston KIT is about $130 from C&D

When you get the RPMs up the bike really hauls!!!!

[FoxRacingAdam]

i would recomend JE, they will last a lot longer than a weisco through my experiances.

ive got a 426 and im running 13:1 with a JE and use straight race fuel. and it definetaly flies, but you have to understand that anything over stock compression is going to put more stress on your rod and crank, so its like gambling, the higher the compression the more your risks of losing your bottom end...

[Honda2000]

Originally posted by johnsls
Also you better know what your doing with the rebuild. My engine had a 440 in it then I got the 426, the previous person who put in the 440 did a messy job. (some small details) but just sloppy work.

I am a novice engine builder, but the first thing that i did was buy a factory honda manual, so i have an even higher amount of confidence. Does anyone have any tips or advice to make my rebuild go easier and make it better?

[cals400ex]

read the manual and understand it all before you start. make sure you have all the tools as well. remember to gap the piston rings to spec. if you are taking out a stock cam and putting in a hotcam you will remove the spring and plunger in the head.

[Honda2000]

any more advice? I talked to the site sponsors to get a price check, i thought no one could beat rocky mountains prices. They shure can beat and/or tie all of their prices wow!!! ANy more advice will be greatly appreciated.

[spanky101]

on a 1-10 scale how hard is it to put in a 426 kit... i was lookin into the FST 426 kit for i think it was $135... thoughts, opinions, concerns are welcomed

[FoxRacing81]

Ross. :D Not saying JE is bad, but I have heard so many stories with Raptor JE Pistons, it was enough to make me pick Ross.

[400exrules]

im gonna do a 416 soon, i cant decide if i want the JE 10.8:1, or the 12:1. how much of a power difference would it be, and if i got the 12:1 would i be ok with just HD studs and stock crank and stock rod?

[FoxRacing81]

I had stock studs pull out on my 11:1, so I'd def do HD ones. I'd do a H-D rod anyway, crank should be okay.