Our Piston Rings

Hastings Piston Rings

25,000 SKUS.
2.5 MILLION VEHICLE APPLICATIONS.
1 WELL-EARNED REPUTATION.

At Hastings, we manufacture a bold and broad offering of piston rings—one that spans thousands of applications for virtually any engine. With the most comprehensive line of piston rings, compression rings, and oil rings in the world, we have a piston ring for practically any application—racing, automotive, heavy-duty transportation, agriculture, industrial, small engine, and more.

Our rings function in sets, usually—a top compression ring, second groove compression (or oil scraper) ring, and oil control ring—and range from 1.125″ to 8.875″ bores. If you’re questioning the set you need, our engineers can recommend the right one out of the thousands we offer.

Learn more about the piston rings we manufacture below.

01

TOP COMPRESSION RINGS

What are Hastings TopCompression Rings?
Top compression rings (UCRs – upper compression rings) control combustion chamber gases allowing the piston to transfer the energy of the expanding combustion gases, to the crankshaft. These rings also play a major role in the heat transfer process between the piston and cylinder wall. Our top compression rings come in a variety of coatings and four popular styles.
TOP COMPRESSION RING TYPES
Barrel Face
Top compression rings (UCRs – upper compression rings) control combustion chamber gases allowing the piston to transfer the energy of the expanding combustion gases, to the crankshaft. These rings also play a major role in the heat transfer process between the piston and cylinder wall. Our top compression rings come in a variety of coatings and four popular styles.
TOP COMPRESSION RING TYPES
Torsional
This ring type is trusted for increased gas side sealing and better oil control. It may have barrel or straight face. Coatings include: Manganese Phosphate, Chrome and Plasma Moly.
TOP COMPRESSION RING TYPES
Full/Half Keystone
Primarily used in diesel applications, the Full/Half Keystone type prevents carbon build up and ring sticking. It also creates additional surface area for side load bearing. Coatings include: Chrome, Ceramic Chrome, and PVD.
TOP COMPRESSION RING TYPES
Rectangular
Rectangular type has no ID bevel. Sometimes seen in internal combustion engines, it is widely used in compressors and pumps.

02

SECOND COMPRESSION RINGS

What are Hastings Second Compression Rings?

Second compression rings (LCRs – lower compression rings) scrape oil and prevent it from reaching the combustion chamber. They also provide a second seal to trap combustion gases and aid in the heat transfer to the cylinder wall. Second compression rings can be made of gray cast iron, ductile cast iron, high alloy steel, or stainless steel. Secondary compression ring profiles come in three popular styles.
SECOND COMPRESSION RING TYPES
Torsional
This twist ring creates an OD bottom side scraping edge that helps wipe oil off the cylinder wall and into the crankcase. Its sharp edge contact helps speed break-in.
SECOND COMPRESSION RING TYPES
Reverse Torsional Taper Face
This reverse twist ring along with a taper-machined ring face duplicates the OD bottom side scraping edge of a positive twist torsional ring. Reverse twist promotes side sealing that prevents oil from being forced under and behind the ring resulting in better oil economy—a very common second ring profile in modern gas engines.
SECOND COMPRESSION RING TYPES
Wiper Napier
This reverse twist ring along with a taper-machined ring face duplicates the OD bottom side scraping edge of a positive twist torsional ring. Reverse twist promotes side sealing that prevents oil from being forced under and behind the ring resulting in better oil economy—a very common second ring profile in modern gas engines.

03

OIL CONTROL RINGS

What are Hastings Oil Control Rings?
Hastings is the pioneer of oil control ring technology. In 1956, we invented the multi-piece oil ring, followed by the Flex-Vent® expander—the design standard by which all other oil rings are compared today. The Hastings oil control ring is energized by our Flex-Vent® expander, which provides uniform pressure through two steel rails assuring positive oil control. The three-piece design allows rails to be manufactured with a small cross-sectional area for better conformability to the bores of today’s low-tension, low-friction engines. Our oil rings come in four popular styles.
Oil Ring Types
Three Piece Flex Vent
The Flex-Vent oil ring is the benchmark for oil control ring price/performance. Its three-piece design allows rails to be manufactured with a small cross sectional area for better conformability to bore – even with today’s low-tension, low-friction designs.
Oil Ring Types
Two Piece Coil Spring
Although this design is not as conformable to the cylinder wall as three-piece designs, its rigid cast iron or steel body provides the durable axial structure required to function long term in compression fired diesel engines.
Oil Ring Types
One Piece
The one-piece design makes for ease of installation and simplicity. It’s available chrome-plated for long service life. The style is used in some diesels engines, vintage applications, and compressors.

Hastings Performance Rings

PERFORMANCE-IT'S ON OUR MINDS-AND IN YOUR ENGINE

Our Tough Guy Racing Rings protect and enhance the performance of high-horsepower, high-torque racing engines by reducing friction, improving heat transfer, maximizing the sealing of compression gases, and enhancing oil control.