I have had very good luck with my RCR Stage 1 Kit. It has been on for the whole summer and lots of miles of use. I am still happy with the power but now that it is winter (well almost) I want to do some more stuff so I have more power for next summer.

I hear that stock Polaris pistons sometimes break if you pipe your engine and run it hard. Is that true? What about RCR engine work with a Wiseco piston. For those who have done this how well does it work?

I plan on getting a full clutch kit and then maybe some engine work so any reports would be nice. Thanks.

'96 Scrambler w/RCR Stage 1 Kit, K&N filter and Boyesen Power Reeds

 

Let me re-ask the question. Who out there is running a Wiseco piston?

Should I replace my stock piston with a Wiseco as an insurance plan for longer life? What about any power gains? And while I have the cylinder off, I might as well have it ported right? Thanks. Adam

 

If you're planning on replacing the piston then definitely go with a Wiseco. If your stock piston shatters, which is common, you could have a mess on your hands. My stock piston puked about 6 months after I installed my Stage 1 kit. As far as a power gain, don't count on any major power increase just from swapping the piston. The Wiseco is much more reliable, especially if you're thinking of other mods.
Now if you choose to have it ported, that's different. You will definitely notice a difference then. Porting will wake that 400 up and you'll have a beast on your hands.

 

The stock piston won't last long after engine mods. As a matter of fact, in a bone-stock engine, it is the weak link.
I recently changed to a Wiseco piston in my Xplorer after 5200 miles, just for the piece of mind. I have seen 400 engines with just over 6000 miles (and 400 hours), crack off a piece of piston skirt, and send it into the guts of the engine. Much cheaper to do just the top end before that happens.
For the record, most of the machines I have seen have gone 8000 miles or 500+ hours, I just wanted to be SURE to catch mine in time. If you have the engine apart for ANY reason, drop in a Wiseco jug. Also, spend the extra few $$ to have the bore honed to proper clearances. That way the new piston has a nice, even, round bore to wear into.

 

Thanks guys. I now re-call a story of a friend who had a Scrambler engine blow up four times before they got it right. They put in a stock Polaris piston every time. Problem was the timing was off and detenation killed the piston/Wiseco or not it was a bad deal.

I may just get bored this winter and drop in a Wiseco with some RCR cylinder porting.