Which has higher compression after break in OEM Stihl or Caber?

[209CrownKing]

Has anyone ever done a side by side comparison of OEM vs Caber to see which ring provides the highest comp numbers after break in. Just curious to see other people's experience. My arm tells me Caber wins in this department but I could be wrong. If they do have higher comp readings I would assume that would be due to increased ring tension. Would that mean Cabers are harder on the cylinders and would cause increased wear and rings to fail faster?

 

[Marley5]

I can tell you that on a vehicle when you try to cheap out on economy rings like I did, compression readings suffer.
They were thinner and didn't fill the piston groove like OEM.
The ring itself is made of a harder material than the cylinder wall so it can seat and build compression...... your good.

 

[Mad Professor]

How would you do this test?

Put in OEM run it then test compression, then take it down again and the same with Cabers.

I don't think anyone would want to do that.

If you used DIFFERENT saws , the results would be meaningless. An exception would be two BRAND NEW saws, one of which got a set of Cabers.

 

[209CrownKing]

How would you do this test?

Put in OEM run it then test compression, then take it down again and the same with Cabers.

I don't think anyone would want to do that.

If you used DIFFERENT saws , the results would be meaningless. An exception would be two BRAND NEW saws, one of which got a set of Cabers.

What if you used two of the same model saws with new top ends? I have two ms360 pro I was thinking about doing this with. As long as the crank, bearings, and seals are good with new top end, the results should tell me which ring provides more compression no?

 

[209CrownKing]

I can tell you that on a vehicle when you try to cheap out on economy rings like I did, compression readings suffer.
They were thinner and didn't fill the piston groove like OEM.
The ring itself is made of a harder material than the cylinder wall so it can seat and build compression...... your good.

I don't think that's the way it works with two stroke nikasil cylinders but I could be wrong. Nikasil is very hard and harder than any cast ring. This might be the case with auto engines where the cylinders are not coated on most stock vehicles. Caber rings are very reputable brand, I believe Husqvarna even used their rings for OEM in some of their saws.

 

[cookies]

cabers are beveled reducing the contact face of the rings , the part that seals against the cylinder. It might be worth a hardness test...oem rings seem harder and more brittle than aftermarket rings as they definitely snap/break easier. A softer ring seals a little better and wear mates faster but wears out faster. Hyway rings are not beveled and seem to be a softer cast iron like a caber ring and seem to seal up fully after a few hard working cuts.