3.2 pistons and cylinders, euro vs other

[marcsalleras]

I dont get it, the euro 3.2 pistons and cylinders have more horsepower once installed and fit right into the 3.2 engine..........yet they cost less than the usa 3.2 heads and cylinders............euros are 3000 and the others are 4300....Now im not complaining but I don't get it, is it possible the other pistons and cylinders are better?

Porsche 911 & Carrera Pistons, Cylinders, and Heads - Page 1

[Henry Schmidt]

Cost is a function of supply and demand. It would appear that there are more Euro sets on the market making them cheaper.
There is no quality difference between them.
Good luck with your project
cheers

BTW: higher compression doesn't always mean more horse power. If the fuel quality is too low the higher compression pistons will need considerably less timing advance resulting in less performance at most rpm .

[marcsalleras]

yeah I've actually been trying to figure out the whole compression thing, the formulas are throwing me off though, because if its a 10.3:1 wouldnt that mean more room for fuel aka more energy being produced from combustion?.....but i was reading in a book written by wayne that said if your tearing the engine out you might as well put euro's in because theyll produce more hp.....thats one of the things that was different between the euro and american 3.2's that chopped off a little bit of the power from the american 3.2....

[marcsalleras]

Im learning slowly hahaha

[Flat6pac]

To save the hundreds of dollars you can base gasket the compression down or leave it and run with it.

[nagahota]

sounds like a good idea

[JeremyD]

In Georgia - you have good gas - I would not hesitate to run euro compression.

In California - not so much.

[Steve W]

Mahle pistons typically measure lower than they spec. Euros commonly come in in the low 10s, and U.S. spec comes in at low 9s. The real difference between the two is about 6 hp, given equal fuel octane. If you can get 93 octane, the Euro pistons are fine. If you only get 91 octane, you'd have to run less ignition timing negating the advantage.

[marcsalleras]

what does 'base gasket the compression down' mean? but dang thats alot of money used for only 6 hp haha

[88-diamondblue]

I asked the question about the Euro p & c's when I was doing my rebuild. Lots of good info in this thread Carrera Rebuild 10.3 Pistons & Cylinders I ended up with 98mm P&C's with 9.5:1 compression. It has been a blast....

You could get your P&C's bored to 98mm and use JE pistons for about half of what new Mahle's are.

[Canada Kev]

Ok, up in Canada, we don't have the same issues as does California with gas octane. That being said, premium gas here in Edmonton is typically 91 octane, while on the pacific coast in Vancouver area, the will have 92 - 94 for premium. This is even from the same retailers. Shell is 91 in Calgary and 93 in Vancouver.

I assume that this is a function of altitude. We are at about 2200 feet in Edmonton and 3400 in Calgary. Can anyone tell me why? Is it that with higher altitude, the air is thinner and thus there would be more fuel, increasing the air/fuel ratio? Does that make up for the difference in gas octane?

[Flat6pac]

You would use base gaskets thickness on the bottom of the cylinder to lower the compression in the top of the cylinder moving the cylinder away from the case.
Bruce