Best Apex Seals?
 

Okay, I didn't ask about 2mm or 3mm because I'm not intrested in going into that debate again. Just pick which seals you've had the best luck with or like the best.

Best for what?
A stock rebuild? Mazda.
A budget rebuild? hurly or atkins?
a High boost high hp motor? Ianetti

I voted Ianetti because they are the coolest.

A boosted motor, more power than stock, but nothing crazy. Longevity is key.

none of the above:)
the new seals from real world solutions get my vote!

matt

So matt, you have used the rotaryaviation seals? For how long?

has anyone used rotary aviation for a good while on high boost yet. I just recieved my rebuild kit from them. hopefully they will hold up 500bhp

my vote is based on how the rotaryaviation seals
stand up to impact, they do not snap like stock seals
I am almost sure that they will not be damaged by
detonation, the only possible problem i can see is
the seal might bend and get stuck in the rotor,
time will tell, they are going into my 20b rebuild
and into a couple race engines .
also the price factors in to why they get my vote:)

matt

:withstupi

They have a very attractive price too. $168 for all the apex seals and the springs.

Matt, I have those in my current motor, S5 heavy streetport..
I have run the seals up 19 psi, with no problems..
They take along time to break in, probably due to the hardness of the seal...
I have noticed one thing, is that another set I have them in a bag sitting here, have devoloped a little rust from where I touched them, there is a couple of rusty finger prints on them, I know human skin contains all sorts of wierd acids etc, but i have never seen that happen on a stock seal, I think it also discounts the thought someone else had, when they said they were pretty sure they were just made of stainless steel, if that is the case its a poor grade of stainless..Max

Well, atkins is selling theirs on ebay for $150 minus springs which is also a good deal considering they have more of a track record than the rotaryaviation ones.

The cheapest price, isn't always the least expensive....My deceased boss told me that, and for the most part its true..Max

rust only means that they don't have an inhibitor like crome in them, even in grade 8 machine shop you always learn to not touch a project that was bare metal, fingers leave acid which leads to rust.. even aviation tubing , which is very high quality rusts at a touch, if left like that. THAT'S why you wear latex or neoprene gloves when building an engine.

Actually people are wearing latex and neoprene to protect themselves from the chemicals in automotives, not to protect the engine...

what do you guys think about ceramic seals, or have your ever heard of people using space shuttle material as seals(heat plates used for reentry)

I have seen one of them detonated. :) I cut the flow of fuel to the secondary injector on the rear rotor at 5000 rpm and 12 psi.
I can only tell you the detonation must have been severe, because it cracked an endplate, all of the corner seals, and 5 side seals. The apex seal lost a chip where the two seals meet, at the corner of the longer piece.
The apex seal stayed in its groove, and the chunk remained in position.
Rotary Aviation was shocked to hear of it, and has offered to replace the seals for free. I declined, simply b/c its not fair to charge them when I was simply testing the seals against detonation. They mentioned my specific seals were one of the first batch, and are significantly improved since then (the version with the single springs).

I cannot say enough good about these seals. Only one of the seals let go, and all of the other faces must have experienced detonation, and this was on their "crappy" seals.
Their customer service is fantastic, their prices more than fair, and their products top notch.

Yes, though, the seals take a LONG time to break in. I would not use them unless it was on new rotor housings.

I am wondering what you guys consider a long breakin period. Please let me know. Thanks

5000 miles.

isn't 5000 miles a little too much for a breakin??... why so long????????????

I would like to see pictures of this
matt

When using those seals on used rotor housings, that is when I saw max compression numbers. They are hard seals. They will take a long time to bed into worn rotor housings.

It is about the same length for a break-in whenever you replace any of the rotor or stationary bearings, FYI, a recommended 4000-5000 miles.

What exactly do you want a pciture of? The failed apex seal?
I will head to my shop this weekend if its necessary, but all it looks like is a cracked rear iron on the top upper half, extended from the upper dowel towards the stationary gear for about 3 inches, a RA apex seal with a chip about the size of a pencil head on one corner, and then a bunch of broken corner seals and side seals.
The rotor and rotor housing had no damage to take pictures of.

Or were you interested in seeing which style of seal they were?

pictures of the apex seal and all the rest of the broken
parts. i have seen damage from detonation before
but have never seen a side seal damaged under the
conditions you describe. maybe the side seal damage
was done as a result of this crack in the rear housing?

matt

I suppose, but that doesn't explain the side seals on the non-cracked iron.

I'll grab some pics this weekend

Wow, these seals appear to be really good. To bad they dont make side & corner seal versions of this apex seal. I would buy the whole set if they did. :D

for the apex seals, i'm not planning to run on big boost (not over 350whp...) but i want my engine to be really srong ..... wich one do you all recomend ???