Aftermarket cast pistons for rb25/30? ACL, Hypatec, Endurotec?

[Desean Strickland]

Hey so i am trying to choose what pistons to use, the goal is 300kw but i would be happy with around 270-280kw, just whatever it makes on a safe amount of boost. 

i am fairly sure i wont be able to use my stock pistons as the bore will probably need oversizing and i'm not too keen on spending $2k on forged pistons for a power level that many people claim is safe for the stock pistons.

the idea of using aftermarket cast pistons came from this post: 

He used Hypatec cast pistons with no issue. However hypatec now only seem to make the std size 86mm pistons for the rb30, as the oversized pistons have been out of stock everywhere that sells them for a while.

Another brand of cast pistons i found was Endurotec: https://www.precisionintl.com/products/pnirb3060203e?variant=40555792498883

on the ebay page for Endurotec pistons it doesn't say where they are made, only "Endurotec® pistons are sourced from various world class suppliers. Make no mistake, these pistons are not seconds or factory rejects and are all manufactured from quality eutectic alloys with T5 heat treatment that are basically the same as many other premium brands". which doesn't exactly inspire confidence when they are saying their own pistons are "basically the same quality" as other brands.

The only other brand of cast pistons that i cant really find any information on is ACL. However i cant find where to get them. I can find ACL pistons for other engines for sale, just not the 6MKRY2799 set needed for the rb30e. Has anyone used ACL pistons? are they good quality? i thought since they made good engine bearings they would also make good quality pistons?

if i have to buy forged then i will, but i just wanted to get opinions on the aftermarket cast pistons first.

cheers 

[Murray_Calavera]

Are you doing this solely as a cost saving measure? 

I imagine future you will be rather annoyed saving a whole $1,000 on pistons when you find yourself wanting more power in future. The engine build won't be cheap regardless of the pistons used so it seems silly not to just do it properly first go. 

[GTSBoy]

Any engine open rebuild is either completely stock, or....you do everything.

[joshuaho96]

The only reason I can imagine going for cast is if you want very tight p2w clearance. I'd have to check again to be sure but I'm pretty confident a 4032 forged piston like Mahle or Tomei is on par with OEM cast for p2w clearance spec.