Heat is a byproduct of combustion. Both air-cooled and water-cooled engines need to dissipate that heat to keep the engine from running too hot. Can piston rings play a role in managing that heat? Before we get into the details on that, we need to talk about another significant source of heat in an engine: friction.
Heat is also a byproduct of friction. Think about rubbing your hands together to warm them up. The faster you rub your hands together, the warmer they get. Now think about the pistons in your engine—they’re moving faster than 200 cycles per second. That’s why piston rings matter when
