Thanks for posting oldgeodriver, I'm glad this thread was of use to you, and hopefully to other lurkers. Don't be shy about posting about other topics - this forum is filled with very smart and helpful people. I'm sorry your original XFi rings were worn to much to reuse. My rings and Gasoline Fumes's rings are well within spec for gap and thickness, so with the elimination of concern for less outer spring force than replacement rings, we were "cleared for takeoff" as it were for reusing the old ones. A big deterrent as you know to using totalseal rings is the price. I still don't know whether I'd go with making my own rings out of Honda rings, or buy totalseal. Could you do us a huge favor and post some closeup pics of what the ends of your totalseal rings look like when you get them?
In other news, I've been talking to aerohead about what the science behind the singh grooves and where/what angle they are placed in. He didn't have any definitive answer, but he put me on the trail of some good relevant info by telling me about a guy named
Larry Widmer. He works for a super high-tech machine shop that could really be called an engine test lab. He tunes engines for HP, and specializes in Honda. There are several articles scattered about (see aforementioned link to google search of his name), but there is a very nice repository of articles, how-tos, and resources on the machine shop's
site. This is a
huge wealth of information even if you don't own a Honda. I know I'll be reading these for a while, looking for anything I can test out on my XFi motor to squeeze more FE out of it. Remarkable resource.