The piston skirt and pin account for about 17 percent of the frictional loss in a combustion engine as they are the most difficult to keep lubricated and have the largest contact surfaces. OE powertrain manufacturer Federal-Mogul has announced two new-generation coatings that are claimed to reduce this friction by up to 15 percent compared to standard coatings.

Engineers have attempted to overcome the friction losses at the skirt and pin by optimizing the geometry of the piston’s clearances and, more recently, by utilizing advanced coatings on the cylinder wall and piston skirt. Each advance has meant improvements in engine longevity, fuel economy, and power output. Federal-Mogul Powertrains says that its latest EcoTough coatings for gasoline and diesel engines take this a step further, reducing skirt wear in a gasoline engine by up to 40 percent compared to today’s market standard.

The coating is a metal oxide-reinforced resin with embedded solid lubricant particles. It’s applied [...]