Modern Engine Coating(s);

Modern Ceramic coating is the same space age, ceramic that NASA uses in the Space Shuttle Program. It provides protection from heat, flame, fire, combustion, exhaust, and will not wear, chip, flake, or burn off. Teflon low friction coating provides a reduced friction surface for any metal to metal contact. "Non-Wetting" or "oil shed" coating is used to help cool items that have direct contact with lubricating oils(Crankshafts, Connecting rods, and windage trays). Powder Coating is both protective and decorative, and lasts much longer than paint.

Properly applied coatings reduce friction and wear, save fuel and increase performance, and enhance looks. DPR’s arsenal of coating solutions include ceramic, Teflon®, Chromium Nitride (for valves), dry film (bearings, piston skirts), PVD, Corrosion Resistance Dry Film (Alum housings), Manganese Phosphate (for gears and Shafts), Coolkrome (headers and exhaust pipes), Coolblack (thermal barrier coating/headers and exhaust pipes), Heat Transmitting Coatings (radiators and intercoolers), and "D"/Diamond like Composite (Lifters and valves).

An Introduction to Performance Coatings
A Cost-effective Way to Improve Performance & Reliability

High performance does not come without its price. That price often is reduced reliability in the form of damaged internal engine parts. However, high tech, high performance engine coatings can now improve performance and reliability. Best of all, there are no trade-offs, no downside to the benefits coatings provide. It’s a win-win situation.

Heat is necessary for power; engines operate by converting thermal (heat) energy into kinetic (movement) energy. But, heat also takes its toll on metal, often melting lightweight parts like aluminum or alloy pisto. For these reasons pistons were traditionally the weak link in the drive train. That doesn’t have to be the case today. Lightweight aluminum and alloy pistons can be coated with thermal barrier and friction reduction coatings to ward off the reliability nemesis called heat.

A .002” ceramic thermal barrier coating (TBC/"Ceramic") protects piston domes. TBC/"Ceramic"™ holds heat inside the combustion chamber where it can power the sled, rather than dissipate through the piston to weaken or burn the metal. TBC/"Ceramic" also protects parts from high temperature oxidation and reduces heat transfer by spreading the heat over the entire coated surface. This encourages proper flame travel and eliminates hot spots. Less heat conduction through the wrist pins and rods keeps the crank and bearings cooler, too. And, the coating is thin enough that no clearance provisions have to be made.

Friction between the piston skirt and cylinder wall is reduced with a tungsten-molybdenum disulfide polymer matrix coating. This material, which we call PC-9™, has an extremely low coefficient of friction. Applied .0008” thick to piston skirts, the durable coating reduces scuffing and friction caused by piston movement.

Standard aluminum pistons can expand too much when subjected to high heat, and this expansion can cause them to seize. This does not happen with coated pistons because the thermal barrier coating reduces heat transfer. As an added benefit, carburetor jetting can be safely leaned down to achieve better performance.

Pistons coated by DPR's Performance Coatings can usually be identified by their white domes and dark gray skirts. TBC/"Ceramic" Thermal Barrier Coating is white and PC-9 friction reducing coating is dark gray. However, DPR's Performance StealthCoat™ has the same color and texture as piston metal. StealthCoat is for racing classes in which stock appearing parts are required. And, GoldCoat™, a special .003” thick DPR's Performance thermal barrier coating for nitrous and turbo charged engines, is gold in color.

The energy that creates horsepower comes from the heat of combustion. Adding nitrous oxide to the fuel/air mix greatly increases the intensity of the energy-generating heat in a combustion chamber. When that heat reaches certain intensity, it can melt pistons and other engine parts. GoldCoat protects pistons from heat damage, actually extending engine life while boosting power.

Pistons are the most popular coated parts. However, high tech coating of other snowmobile parts will increase power and reliability even more. TBC/"Ceramic" applied to heads, enables the engine to convert more heat to power. Coating the entire combustion chamber surface area (piston top and head recessed chamber) improves combustion efficiency, resulting in higher horsepower. A Black Body Emitter (BBE) heat radiating coating applied to the outside of the cylinder and head, will help dissipate any heat that does get through the TBC/"Ceramic" and is particularly effective on hot-running fan cooled engines.

Exhaust systems, coated with White Lightning, keep exhaust gases hotter longer, improving the scavenging effect. White Lightning is a unique exhaust system coating. The white, .015” thick, three layer thermal barrier coating keeps heat inside the pipe, which increases exhaust gas velocity for more efficient heat extraction. A good looking, rust free exhaust system, coated with White Lightning, also contributes to an increase in horsepower – as much as three percent.

White Lightning is unequaled; it is a true, permanent ceramic thermal barrier, not a hi-temp paint like other shiny coatings. It can be used for trail riding, drag racing, oval track and cross country sleds. The coating reduces under-cowl temperatures, increases gas velocity and makes turbo charger systems perform better. The coating can also be painted without affecting its thermal properties.

Many snowmobile performance engine builders offer performance coatings as standard or as recommended optio. Do-it-yourself engine builders can have their parts coated as well. Pistons are sent to our offsite facility, coated and returned, usually within a week.

Engine coatings are low cost insurance in anybody’s book. A failed racing engine can be costly and eliminate you from the race. An engine that fails on a trail ride can result in a long walk back to civilization. Advanced coatings are extremely beneficial in the snowmobiler’s quest for more power, speed and reliability.

Exhaust system/header/manifold coating:

Like all of DPR's Performance ’s coatings, White Lightning™ is a performance improving coating. What makes White Lightning™ the best perfor- mance exhaust coating?

1) White Lightning™ really is ceramic so the material is a superior insulating material.

2) White Lightning is applied much thicker than any of the cosmetic coatings. White Lightning™ is applied about .015” thick compared to about .002” thick for the cosmetic coatings. Because White Lightning™ is the best insulating material and it is applied thicker than any other coating, White Lightning™ offers performance improvements that cannot be matched.

Many companies apply the shiny or colored paint based coatings and call them ceramic. Those thin shiny coatings are very different than DPR's Performance ’s White Lightning™.

Whereas it would be more accurate to call those thin shiny coatings good high temperature paints that may have a very small amount added to them, DPR really uses a ceramic coating that is applied molten where it bonds and cools directly on the substrate.

After heat has performed its function in the combustion chamber, it travels out the exhaust port and into the exhaust header or manifold. If the gases are allowed to cool they lose velocity and the scavenging effect is reduced. By insulating the exhaust system, gases inside are kept at the highest possible temperature resulting in greater exhaust gas velocity and higher efficiency.

White Lightning™ insulating headers typically reduces radiant heat by about 35-55%. This reduction in radiant temperature will decrease under hood and cockpit temperatures. Lower under hood temperatures lead to lower intake temperatures. A 10°F reduction in intake air temperature provides a 1% increase in horsepower. A 30°F reduction equates to a 3% horsepower increase.

Because White Lightning™ really is a ceramic, it is not possible to offer color choices like you can get with paint based coatings. However, the white textured finish of White Lightning™ makes it an ideal base for a good high temperature paint if you want to change the color of the coating. The high temperature paints bond well to the natural textured finish of White Lightning and the paint will not impact the effectiveness or durability of the White Lightning™ coating.

How durable is the coating? It is so durable that you would need to grind it off to remove it and it would take a significant amount of time to grind the coating off in one small area. If you mar the coating with wrenches you tighten up the header to the motor or against the frame rails when you guide the motor into place you will not damage the coating. You can make that area that was marred shiny, but it will not damage the coating or degrade its insulating value.

DPR's Performance Coatings does not give White Lightning™ an official “temperature rating” because temperature ratings really mean nothing when dealing with exhaust parts. The melting point of White Lightning™ is over 3,000°F and there are applications where the coating would stay completely intact at temperatures well above temperatures that can be reached on exhaust parts. However, what can damage our coating or any coating, no matter what the “temperature rating” is would be if the base metal of there is a differential of expansion between the base metal and the coating greater than what any coating can expand. If the base metal does get hot enough to expand more than what a coating can expand, there is the possibility any coating can fracture. Whether the coating is rated for 1,300°, 1,400°, 2,000°F, or in the case of White Lightning™, about 3,000°F, it is possible that a coating will get damaged if your parts get hot enough to glow. If you ask around to those who have had coatings done with temperature ratings, it is easy to find people who will confirm that the temperature ratings really mean little in a real world environment.

On naturally aspirated motors (non-turbo), we will typically coat the inside of headers as deep as possible. However, if we think the coating will interfere with the fit of the header to the motor or the header to the mating exhaust part, we will typically mask off those surfaces. Remember our coating is about .015” thick, not a thin paint. If there is masking you want to have done, be sure to let us know by marking this right on the part with a marker so we know what you want. If you want us to coat the inside of the part, let us know so we can process the part the way you want. We do not coat the inside of mufflers, catalytic converters or expansion chambers because they are not very accessible and there is very little coating that would bond to the inside of the parts.

The most critical step in getting a coating to achieve a tenacious bond to the base metal of an exhaust part is by applying a good abrasive blast on the part at about a 90° angle to the substrate. Simply put, there are few exhaust parts that are open and accessible enough to apply this type of blast. If a good blast cannot be obtained there is no possible way a permanent bond will be achieved. This is why we take the time to mask off the interior surfaces of turbo parts. For the small amount of area that a good bond can be achieved on, it is not worth taking the risk of coating the inside where the coating could come off and damage the turbo.

It is much easier to simply coat a part all over instead of taking the time to mask a part and process it properly. We would only coat the inside of a part if it makes sense to coat it or if it has been requested by the customer. If it does not make sense to coat it or if it has not been requested by the customer, we will take the time and effort to mask the part.

When choosing which exhaust coating to have applied to your exhaust parts you should consider what you want the coating to do for you. If you want the best insulating and most durable exhaust coating available, DPR Tech’s White Lightning™ is the only coating to consider. It simply is not possible for the .002” thick paint based coatings that many other companies offer to insulate nearly as well as the .015” thick true ceramic White Lightning™ coating that DPR's Performance offers. However, if the look of the coating is the primary purpose for the coating, White Lightning may not be your best choice. Though White Lightning™ is an attractive white textured coating it cannot provide you with the brilliant shine that can be achieved with the paint based coatings. If the shiny look is more important than the function of the coating, there are now many companies that offer that service. DPR's Performance Coatings would recommend using a company with a national presence that has been around for a while.

If performance is what you are after and you consider the facts about coating materials, the effectiveness of coating the inside of parts (or lack of), and temperature ratings, it is easy to see that White Lightning™ is the only choice. For those only wanting a shiny look, we actually recommend that they not use our coating. With more than 25 years of developing and applying the leading performance improving coatings, DPR's Performance Coatings will give you the coatings and honest advice needed to get the best coating for your specific application.  Return  

WPC™ is a proven process that has been utilized for many years in the racing and automotive industry. WPC™ is not a coating, it is a treatment that enhances the surface to reduce friction and strengthen engine parts.

WPC™ achieves this process by firing ultra fine particles towards the surface of a product at very high speeds. The resulting thermal discharge permanently changes the surface, strengthening structure and creating a harder more durable final product. ("WPC" treatment detail...) or   Return  

DPR's Performance Coatings' performance improving coatings for internal engine and exhaust parts are a perfect fit for the 2 cycle market. Because every stroke of the piston on a 2 stroke is a power stroke, these motors achieve power 4 strokes simply cannot make all other things being equal. Unfortunately, 2 strokes are also very limited from a lubricating and cooling standpoint. This is why DPR's Performance ’s coatings are essential for 2 stroke motors.

Snowmobiles, motorcycles, ATV’s, watercraft, competition saws and other applications all benefit from the power and durability gains that DPR's Performance ’s thermal barrier coatings and friction reducing coatings provide.

With DPR’s coatings, any type of piston can be reliably used in a 2 stroke. Do not mistake DPR’s coatings with the basic break in coatings some factory pistons are treated with or a simple plating or anodizing process done to a piston. DPR’s advanced thermal barrier, friction reducing, lubricating and heat emitting coatings have all been developed to be permanent functional coatings. Many pistons that have been DPR's Performance coated would at least double the useful life. This extension of part life is in addition to the power gains DPR's Performance ’s coatings offer.

In the early 1970’s ceramic engineer Dan Swain developed the first successful ceramic thermal barrier coating. Dan took this technology and perfected it in both his own NASCAR modified and with leading NASCAR Winston Cup (now Nextel Cup) teams. In 1981, Swain Tech Coatings was started to provide race teams and performance enthusiast with performance improving coatings, and has remained the coating industry leader by continually developing coatings that allow customers to achieve power and durability gains that simply would not be obtainable otherwise.   Return  

Why Coat a Two-Stroke Piston?:

Pistons are the highest stressed and the most critical part of an internal combustion engine. This is especially true for a two stroke motor. The four cycle piston only sees heat from combustion every other stroke, and in between, it has a full stroke to be cooled by the fresh incoming air. To further aid cooling, four stroke pistons are often cooled on the underside by oil spray and runs in a cylinder with no ports to interrupt the rings.

The two stroke piston sees the heat of combustion on every stroke without the benefit of a cool intake stroke or oil spray. Also, the two stroke cylinder is full of ports that attract heat, especially on the exhaust side where the hot gases flow directly over the crown on their way out of the cylinder, building even more heat in the cylinder near the exhaust port. This extreme heat can burn the little lubrication that the piston skirts see. This is why the piston is the weak link in the two stroke motor.   Return  

Despite extensive research and design improvements from the major two stroke manufacturers over the years, piston failure remains a nagging problem. How do you extend the life of pistons? Simply put, COATINGS.

DPR's Performance Coatings is the original high performance coating company. They have been developing and applying high performance coatings for over 20 years and are widely recognized as the industry leader.

DPR's Performance applies their ceramic TBC/"Ceramic" to the top of pistons, holding heat in the combustion chamber where that heat can be used to power the motor, rather than dissipate through the piston where it can weaken and burn the piston. This allows the piston to run much cooler and stronger. Piston skirts are coated with PC-9, a low friction/anti-seize coating to reduce frictional loses and piston sticking.

To further improve the thermal efficiency of the two stroke cylinder, DPR's Performance often applies TBC/"Ceramic" to the domes of the heads and the exhaust ports, keeping the heat where it is needed to make power and out of the areas that lead to failures. Expansion chambers are often coated with DPR's White Lightning exhaust coating to keep exhaust gases as hot as possible, allowing the motor to breathe better. White Lightning is the only true performance available. This three layer ceramic coating keeps a tremendous amount of heat inside the pipes.

To get most life and performance out of your two stroke motor, DPR's Performance 's high performance coatings are the most economical and beneficial modification you can add.   Return  

Coatings provide added performance and protection at a very reasonable cost. Calico also offers unequaled tech service to help you with your selection and application for all your coating needs and more.   Return  

Will I have to change my clearances?

CT-1 dry film lubricant used on engine bearings, valve springs, oil pump gears, timing and transmission gears is 0.0002" to 0.0004" thick and generally speaking does not need extra clearances. A benefit of Calico Coated bearings is the allowance for tighter clearances. Keeping in mind that bearing clearances of .002" to .003" are typical for High Performance applicatio.

CT-3 dry film lubricant used on pistons is 0.0005" to 0.001' thick. With as many different piston materials on the market today, there are no typical clearances. However, CT-3 coated pistons can be installed with tighter clearances then any other uncoated pisto. Tighter piston to wall clearance will result in faster sealing and longer ring life, with less loss of power due to blow-by or for partially sealed rings.   Return  

How long will the coatings last?

CT-2 ceramic thermal barrier and CT-5 oil shedding, corrosion resistant coatings are virtually permanent.

CT-1 and CT-3 dry film lubricants are "sacrificial" in nature and eventually wear out. But rather than wearing out the engine part, wearing the coating will save you time and money on expensive engine parts. It is also possible to re-coat and further extend the life of the coated parts at a fraction of the replacement cost (i.e. pistons, etc.   Return  

What Should I Coat?

Engine bearings, pistons, oil pumps, combustion chambers, exhaust ports & valves, exhaust systems, transmissions & shifter, rear ends, wheel bearing races and many others.

What other benifits can I expect from DPR Performance coatings?

There are many "hidden" benefits to using DPR Performance Coatings. Engine builders using CT-1 coated engine bearings save time and effort during rebuilds by not having to change and refit new engine bearings. CT-1 coated engine bearings have greatly extended service life over uncoated bearings. Engine builders have also seen reduced damage in engines from heat and lubrication-related failures.

Coated transmission and rear end housings as well as gears and shafts reduce operating temperatures by 30 degrees or more. Coating heat shields, cowlings, air cleaner housings, and exhaust systems reduces under-hood temperatures. Coating brake pads, calipers, and caliper pistons extends pad life and reduces or eliminates boiling of the brake fluid. The list goes on and on. Coatings are economically priced. In many instances, engine builders and car owners have saved considerably more by using coatings than the initial cost of having parts coated.  Return