JE or Venolia

[kmcdon3960]

When I bought my car I had one goal: To own a 14 second spirit by the end of the year. Other then the traction issues, I've done this. Well now I have wristpin knock, which doesnt suprise me in any way since my motor is 150,000 miles old.

Anyway, I decided that my tax check is going to be used to create a bulletproof shortblock. FWD Performance sells venolia pistons, and Forward Motion sells JE. I'm leaning towards the JE because I've known about them for a while and FM is minutes away from my house. The real question here is which one is a better piston, do either of them have better oiling? Are one brand stronger then the other? Are they both ready for floating pins? Has anyone had good/bad experiences with either?

I'm probably going to go with the JE, but for the money I'm planning on spending on this project, I want to get the best. Thanks!

i'd vote for JE, always had nothing but flawless performance from them. venolia is a great brand as well. it's a win win situation in my opinion.

[altered7151]

Both are good but venolias are a little on the heavy side.

Quote:

Originally posted by altered7151 Both are good but venolias are a little on the heavy side.

This is a good thread.
as far as durability goes though, which is a stronger piston. I am am not looking to run a 10 here, I just want a short block myself that is somthing that I could count on. I myself will be picking a set of venolias and forged T2 rods. This should be good for my bottem end for (what I hope is) life. is thjere somthing for bearings and head gasket that I can use??

[Shelby VNT]

I here there is less variance when measuring JE pistons and comparing them to others in a matched set. I'm hoping to go with JE when my shortblock is ready for a rebuild.

[altered7151]

Honestly I think venolia, wiseco, and JE are all good products. If they weren't they wouldn't have remained in business this long, racers dont support products that are crap. You could probably ask 10 different people about them and get 10 different opinions. One thing to look into is if the company will custom make the piston you need, or if they only sell what they have on the shelf, and also if they'll make you a single in case you destroy a piston somewhere down the road. BME probably makes the best pistons out there, %80 of the top fuel cars out there run them, as well as most of the Nascar guys, but you're definitally gonna pay some serious cheese for them too.

[kmcdon3960]

Based on the replies I got I think I'm going to go JE. the only reason I've decided this is:

Originally posted by altered7151
Both are good but venolias are a little on the heavy side.

Otherwise, it would seem that they are both a high quality piston. Thanks for the replies everyone!

[GLHS0658]

Je pistons will also be cheaper. You have to have your T2 rod honed for the piston pin to fit. You can use your stock bushings.
Venolia uses a bigger pin. You will have to purchase larger bushings and have them installed into the rod , then have it sized for the larger pin. FM sells sets cheap and singles are on the shelf if you have an "oops"

Personally I am using Venolia pistons....yes heavier but not by much. But I'm making up for the extra weight by using aluminum rods.

Mike

[glhsken]

I went Wiseco... They customed my pistons for me. The pins are .901 so much closer to stock .900 size.

As for tolerance's we measured a set.. Needed a mic in the 000,000's to find any difference. The pistons were all within .4 grams of each other. They also give you the option of buying a cheap spare as they make 5 and match the best ones.

Roughly $350-400 including rings pins and pin retainers.

[kmcdon3960]

Quote:

Originally posted by glhsken Roughly $350-400 including rings pins and pin retainers.

Sounds good, did you get them direct from wiseco? (and I was happy when mike demoss told me his pistons cost $440)

[ShelbyMotorspts]

I've always have been impressed with JE pistons. They were also a supplier to Shelby Automobiles for their "special" projects at the Whittier plant.

[glhsken]

Quote:

Originally posted by kmcdon3960 Sounds good, did you get them direct from wiseco? (and I was happy when mike demoss told me his pistons cost $440)

Yes, mention my name ask for Duane...


A few others on teh board also have pistons from there... The quality of the work is fantastic.