But for a brief time.
Because plastics are cheap, light, malleable and durable, the automotive industry has one of the largest users. However, their low melting point doesn’t make plastics attractive components in engine blocks where combustion takes place at high temperatures.
This is why pistons were always made of metal. Modern examples are made from cast aluminum alloy, which allows for high thermal conductivity and doesn’t add weight.
What if pistons could be made from plastics? Garage 54 is one of our favourite Russian YouTubers. They have done many crazy acts on cars and they tried to figure it out. We’re not surprised that they tried to make a wood clutch for a Lada.
It’s strange considering that they had to destroy an engine to test their hypothesis. They were fortunate to have a car in their collection that had blown its head gasket. So they used it as an opportunity for them to answer a question no one asked: Will plastic pistons work?
These Russians fabricated four pistons out of plastic and attached them to their engine using a variety of machinery. The engine was able to run for a while after the first polymer pistons worked. The whole experiment went sour, literally. What is the reason for this? To see the entire process and the final result, you can view the video at the top.