Mahle Forged 85.5mm VW Piston & Cylinder Kit for 69mm Crank

Kit includes:

• 4 Cylinders
• 4 Pistons
• 4 Wrist Pins
• 8 Wrist Pin Clips
• Complete Set Piston Rings

Cima/Mahle 85.5mm pistons & cylinders come as a complete set with forged aluminum pistons, cast iron cylinder sleeves, wrist pins, clips and piston rings. The cylinders are made for the stock 69mm crankshaft and will fit 1300cc, 1500cc & 1600cc engines. Installing the 85.5mm pistons and cylinders in a 1300 and 1500 engine will change the displacement to 1600cc. 1300 engines will need 1500 or 1600 heads to fit the larger cylinders. The 85.5mm piston and cylinders sets will fit 1966 through 1977 Standard Beetles, 1971 through 1979 Super Beetles, 1966 through 1974 Karmann Ghias, 1963 through 1971 Type 2 Bus Models, 1962 through 1973 Type 3 models and 1973 to 1974 Things. The outer diameter of the cylinders (sleeves) is roughly 89.5mm at the case & 94mm at the head.

Forged vs. Cast Pistons

Forged pistons are stronger. In a high performance application a forged piston is a necessity. A high revving, high compression engine or a turbocharged engine will benefit from a piston than can withstand higher temperatures and see much more load than a standard, street driven engine. Forged pistons will take longer to warm up than a cast piston. With that longer warm up time, a forged piston will suffer from “piston slap” as it will be looser in the cylinder until it comes up to temp and expands. If the engine is driven hard before it is fully warmed up, the piston is prone to wearing prematurely. Forged pistons do have a place, just make sure it is the right place for your VW engine!