Running with a piston ring missing, to get you home?

[ove]

Is it possible to run a 2 ring piston with only 1 ring in it,to get you out of trouble? What would be the problems? compression,lack of performance,tickover?
You can get pistons with 1,2 or 3 rings, so why would they have 3 rings if only 1 was needed?
Over the years I`ve had a couple of pistons with the ring peg come out, just wondering if i could of used them as a back up spare?

Cheers for any words of wisdom.

ove

[coaster]

I reckon the compression would be down a bit and you might possibly suffer some blow by but so long as you treated it respectfully it would get you home. I'd concider it certainly....I've even heard of nuts and bolts being used to fix holed pistons :shocking:

[TS1-200]

I reckon the compression would be down a bit and you might possibly suffer some blow by but so long as you treated it respectfully it would get you home. I'd concider it certainly....I've even heard of nuts and bolts being used to fix holed pistons :shocking:

Yes, I`ve heard of that, in fact I was tempted the other weekend after holing a piston, I`m sure it would have worked, but didnt fancy spendind most of the one full day of the rally fixing it, glad I didn`t, cos when pulling it apart at home I was amazed at the amount of aluminium particles there was everywhere in the engine, crankcase, bearings reedvalve, would have done more damage than just a holed piston I reckon.

[soosh]

I've run a 3 ring piston on just 2 rings for the past 10yrs.
I'm sure its fine.

[Supereibar]

I've run a 3 ring piston on just 2 rings for the past 10yrs.
I'm sure its fine.

[joey]

...a well known tuner always recomended leaving the bottom ring out for more speed on a three ringer...me and a friend once filed the rings out of a knackered up piston in the South of France for someone [they had put it in the wrong way round] could only get the top ring back in...they carried on 2 up and returned to the north east no problem....

[tom-wsp]

I have done this before, would only do 30 MPH and would have to be bump started but did about 100 mile like this with no "real" issues

[Powolotti]

with good rings you won´t feel a difference, BUT always put a ring in the TOP groove, especially on tuned exhaust ports (!!)