MAHLE Group

ENGINE COMPONENTS
PROGRAM
PRODUCT INFORMATION
AFTERMARKET

THERE ARE CARS,
WHEREVER
MAHLE IS THERE.

About us
In the beginning there was innovation: the first
light-alloy piston in 1921 was the prelude to the
MAHLE success story in all aspects of the combustion
engine. This was followed by many more
market defining innovations in the engine component
and filter sector: for example, the first
series-produced aluminum engine block in 1976,
the production of assembled camshafts in 1985,
the start of production for pistons with cooled
ring carriers for passenger car diesel engines in
2000, the first multifunctional oil filter modules
with plastic tube in 2003 or the first complete
engine from MAHLE in 2004.
industry, dealers and workshops can therefore
be assured: a product from the MAHLE Group is
always a product that can be relied on – with
guarantee. In the engine component sector, we
supply the aftermarket according to geographic
region with a comprehensive product range of
the renowned brands MAHLE Original, Metal
Leve, Cofap rings, Izumi, Clevite and Perfect
Circle. Thanks to the recent integration of the
Mopisan Group into the MAHLE manufacturing
network, the production capacity, especially for
small and medium batch sizes for pistons and
cylinder liners has been extended once more.
As development partner of the international
automotive and engine industry and in the top-
3 of system suppliers, we are today not only
represented in every second vehicle, but also
on the racing circuits, where racers equipped
with MAHLE products cross the finish line regularly
in front positions – recently for instance
in Formula 1, the 24 hours race in Le Mans or
in Truck Racing.
More than 2,500 engineers work in eight R&D
centers worldwide on new and intelligent solutions
for the combustion engine of the future
with the aim of securing and extending this
innovative advantage. Those engineers develop
innovative products that are manufactured in
110 production sites worldwide by about
48,000 employees and sold all over the world.
MAHLE has also local representations in all
important world markets.
All our customers benefit from this global presence
– customers from the original equipment
sector and those from the aftermarket. It makes
no difference whether MAHLE makes a product
for the automotive industry or for the independent
aftermarket: our products always meet
the same high standards. The automotive
A look at the original equipment customer list
will confirm that more than 140 renowned
engine and vehicle manufacturers decide every
day in favor of engine components and filters
from MAHLE. Here a small selection:
Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Case New Holland,
Caterpillar, Citroën, Cummins, Daewoo, DAF,
Deutz, Ducati, Ferrari, Fiat, Ford, General Motors,
Harley Davidson, Hatz, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu,
Iveco, Jaguar, John Deere, Komatsu, Lancia,
Land Rover, Mack, Magna Steyr, MAN, Maserati,
Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Moto Guzzi,
MWM, Nissan, Perkins, Peugeot, Porsche,
Renault, RVI, Saab, Scania, Seat, Škoda, Smart,
Steyr Daimler Puch, Stihl, Suzuki, Toyota, Volks -
wagen, Volvo, Zettelmeyer.
All MAHLE production
sites are certified by re -
nowned vehicle manufacturers
– and by all
relevant certification
authorities.
3

THEIR FINGERS
OUR COMPETITION DOESN’T WANT TO BURN
IN THE FORMULA 1.

Pistons
Our pistons have to put up with extreme pressures,
as their working conditions have become
significantly tougher in recent years. For example,
the thermal loads (with temperatures in the combustion
chamber reaching 2,600 °C) and the
average ignition pressures have greatly increased.
Also the inertial force loads have increased due
to high-speed concepts and a tendency to larger
piston strokes. Naturally, the demands on pistons
have also risen progressively: they are to
be lighter, to have lower oil consumption and
should be absolutely safe – and this even under
extreme conditions such as hot and cold load
capacity testing and continuous running under
thermal shock.
And the effects of these demands: the overall
height or compression height of the pistons has
decreased continuously. New solutions such as
the ECOFORM ® piston concept developed by
MAHLE allow further weight reductions. And with
MONOTHERM ® pistons, which are single-piece
steel pistons that are machined accordingly, it is
possible to achieve the same weight as with
pistons made from aluminum in the meantime.
However, significant improvements have also
been made with aluminum pistons such as the
MAHLE pistons with cooled ring carriers.
We also benefit in this field greatly from our successes
in motorsports – after all, we are the only
producer of series products who is gaining its
experiences from Formula 1. As the world’s
largest manufacturer of pistons, MAHLE is oper -
at ing an intensive research program into the
products of tomorrow and offers you today so -
lu tions for almost any engine – fast, reliably and
all over the world. With our pistons, we offer the
aftermarket the opportunity to benefit from
products of the original equipment market and
the inherent safety of products that have been
tried and tested in practice under most grueling
conditions. We warrant this.
The only supplier of
series produced pistons
to Formula 1: MAHLE.
On the piston top, you
will find the company or
trade mark, the maximum
piston diameter, the
mounting clearance and
the fitting direction ac -
cording to the respective
engine makers specifications.
The market leader
offers you security.
With the non-replicable
hologram on all new
European engine component
packaging – and
the security strip that
indicates whether the
packaging has already
been opened.
5

The optimum piston for every engine
ECOFORM ® pistons with
pivoting side-cores
Weight optimized pistons for passenger
car gasoline engines. As a
re sult of a special casting technology
these pistons offer low weight
and high structural rigidity.
AUTOTHERMATIK ® /
HYDROTHERMATIK ® pistons
These pistons are mainly used in ga soline
and diesel engines for passenger
cars under heavy load conditions.
They have cast-in steel strips but are
not slotted. As a result, they form a
uniform body with extreme strength.
AUTOTHERMIK ® /
HYDRO THERMIK ® pistons
These very quiet running pistons are
used primarily in passenger cars.
The pistons have cast-in steel strips
and are slotted at the transition from
ring belt to skirt section.
Cast solid skirt pistons
Piston top, ring belt and skirt form a
robust unit. Cast full-skirt pistons have
a long service life and can be used
in gasoline and diesel engines. Their
range of applications reaches from
model engines to large power units.
Forged solid skirt pistons
This type of piston can mainly be
found in high performance serial en -
gines and racing engines. Due to the
manufacturing process, they are of
higher strength and allow therefore
reduced wall cross-sections and lower
piston weight.
8

Pistons
Pistons with cooled ring carriers
For these pistons, ring carriers and
cooling galleries are combined into
one system in a special production
process. This provides the pistons
with significantly improved heat re -
moval properties, especially in the
first ring groove.
Ring carrier pistons with
pin boss bushes
These pistons for diesel engines have
a ring carrier made from special cast
iron that is connected metallically and
rigidly with the piston material in order
to make it more wear resistant, in
par ticular in the first groove. With pin
boss bushes made from a special
material, the loadability of the pin
boss is increased.
Ring carrier pistons with cooling
gallery and crown reinforcement
These pistons are used in diesel en -
gines under heavy load conditions.
For additional protection and to avoid
cavity edge or crown fissures, these
pistons have a special hard anodized
layer (HA layer) on the crown.
Ring carrier pistons with
cooling gallery
Ring carrier pistons with cooling galleries
are used in conditions with particularly
high operating temperatures.
Because of the high temperatures at
the piston top and the ring belt, intensive
cooling is provided with oil circulating
through the cooling gallery.
FERROTHERM ® pistons
A steel piston top and an aluminum
piston skirt that are connected flexibly
via the gudgeon pin. Due to their high
strength and low wear values, these
pistons make it possible to comply
with the low exhaust and emission
standards, especially for diesel en gines
under heavy loads.
Two-stroke pistons
Pistons made from special aluminum
alloys that can withstand the high
me chanical and thermal loads of twostroke
engines.
7

0.004 MM –
THIS CAN
MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

Piston rings
In modern engines, and for high continuous outputs,
our piston rings take reliable and precise
care of the welfare of their carriers. As the leading
manufacturer of pistons, we work steadily to
opti mize the performance and running quality of
our piston rings. And we set quality standards
also in this field with state-of-the-art production
facilities. With decades of experience in development
and production, we can assure optimum
interplay between our pistons and piston rings
and can satisfy the highest demands.
Piston rings have three important functions in
modern engines:
■
■
■
They seal the combustion chamber from the
crankcase.
They limit and regulate the oil consumption.
They dissipate the heat that is taken up by the
pistons during combustion to the cooled cylinder
working surfaces.
In order to satisfy these demands, the piston
rings must fit tightly to the cylinder wall over their
entire circumference, even if the cylinder deviates
slightly from its ideal form. Due to the high inertial
forces and combustion pressures as well as the
high wear producing loads, the piston rings have
to satisfy high demands in respect of piston ring
material (strength/temperature stability) as well
as surface finish and shape.
The ideal ring set for every piston
We offer you different versions of piston ring sets
in original equipment quality or especially for
engines that have already been running with the
aim to reduce their compression losses and to
normalize oil consumption. We can supply piston
ring sets for almost any gasoline and diesel en -
gine for passenger cars as well as for commercial
vehicles, at diameters from 60 to 160 mm.
Materials
Only high-grade materials are used for our piston
rings. For normal or heavy loads, lamellar
graph ite cast iron materials are used and for the
highest demands, nodular graphite cast iron
materials or steel materials are used.
Ring face coatings
Special coatings can be applied to the ring
faces of piston rings to increase wear resis tance
and avoid the formation of scuff-marks. For
instance, chromium coatings or plasma spray
coatings of metallic or ceramic materials are
used for this purpose.
The MAHLE “N” piston
ring set offers you the piston
rings that are also used
as original equipment.
The MAHLE “V” and “G”
piston ring sets have been
developed especially for
engines that have been
running for some time.
It is essential that the TOP
markings are observed.
Rings with TOP markings
have to be fitted with these
markings facing upwards
in direction piston head.
9

WE ARE
STRICT WITH OUR
TOLERANCES.

Cylinder liners
The steadily rising demands on internal combus
tion engines require also in the area of cylinder
working surfaces continuous improvements.
The precise matching of the honed cylinder liners
with the pistons and piston rings, leads to im -
proved results in the engine. For cylinder liners
made from gray cast iron, it is therefore necessary
to create optimum surfaces that contribute
to lower oil consumption and blow-by, produce
less wear particles and allow shorter running-in
times and therefore a longer service life.
MAHLE manufactures cylinder liners for international
engine manufacturers for series production
and the aftermarket – always according to the
same strict quality standards. We manufacture
our cylinder liners with very strict tolerances.
There by ensuring, among other things, that the
cylinder liners can be optimally fitted into the
engine block. Additional important quality characteristics
of our cylinder liners are the materials,
the structure and the surface quality. In close
co operation with engine manufacturers, we de -
ter mine the composition of the melt, the treatment
of the melt and the machining process.
Materials
In addition to aluminum, cast iron alloys are used
as materials for cylinder liners. Lamellar graphite
cast iron is alloyed with phosphorus. Additional
alloy materials improve the wear properties and
can strengthen the matrix due to bainite and very
fine perlite formations.
Honing methods
Good honing has a positive effect on piston ring
wear, particle emission, oil consumption and friction.
With further developments and innovations
in the honing of cylinder liners, it is attempted to
keep the running-in phase of the cylinder
(engine) as short as possible and to achieve
improved tribological properties. An important
prerequisite for good and regular honing of the
cylinder liners is high material quality. This
means, cast material free of voids, with homoge -
neous structure and uniform hardness as well
as suitable pre-machining of the bore.
Lamellar graphite.
Honing
Method of machining, in
which the tool carries out
reciprocating and rotating
movements. With this
method, a cylinder form
error below 10 μm and an
even surface roughness
can be achieved.
Tribology
The science of friction,
lubrication and wear of
bodies in relative motion.
The most important honing methods in single processing steps
Description
Honing process
Application
Version
1st Operation
2nd Operation
3rd Operation
4th Operation
Normal honing
1
2
3
Diamond
Diamond
Ceramic
Diamond
Ceramic
Ceramic
Series gasoline car
Series diesel car
Series commercial vehicle
Plateau honing
1
2
3
Diamond
Diamond
Diamond
Diamond
Diamond
Ceramic
Diamond
Diamond
Ceramic
Series gasoline car
Series diesel car
Series commercial vehicle
Brush honing
1
2
Diamond
Diamond
Diamond
Ceramic
Brushing
Brushing
Series car/commercial
Liquid honing
Diamond
Diamond
Liquid honing
Micro-finishing
Series diesel car
Laser honing
1
2
Diamond
Diamond
Laser structure
Diamond/Ceramic
Ceramic
Laser structure
Ceramic
Experimental/motorsports
11

WELL SUPPORTED WITH
BEARINGS.

Bearings
Bearings support rotating shafts such as crankshafts,
camshafts, rocker arm shafts or balancer
shafts in the engine block or in the connecting
rods. The mechanical stress in internal combustion
engines is extremely high. Our bearings
have therefore to meet a number of quality charac
te ristics: they have to be fatigue-resis ting,
adaptable, highly loadable and wear and corrosion
resistant.
In cooperation with engine manufacturers, we
develop and test the bearings for every single
engine type. Ongoing basic research and further
developments of materials and production techno
logies ensure economically and technically
optimized products of highest quality.
Materials and production methods
Material development is extremely important in
order that bearings can meet the high demands.
Thanks to years of experience and developments,
MAHLE disposes over a large number of
bearing alloys such as aluminum and bronze
alloys. Depending on the application, our bearings
consist of a high-strength steel backing that
is coated with different bearing metals. With
regard to their applications, the bearing materials
are chosen in such a way that their properties
compliment one another optimally.
During the production process, we use different
coating methods that depend, for instance, on
the relative bearing loads.
We offer you a comprehensive
range of bearings,
available under MAHLE
Original and – in Europe –
Perfect Circle.
Our product range comprises bearing shells and
thrust washers in a diameter range from 27 to
140 mm as well as bushings with diameters
from 6 to 105 mm.
Types
Sputtering
Coating method that works
on the principle of cathode
sputtering, in which atoms
are knocked- out from a
metal cathode due to the
impacting ions from a gas
discharge proc ess. The
resulting atomized metal
condenses on the bearing
surface of the bearing shell
as a uni form layer.
Solid bearings
Solid bearings are made completely from
special bearing metal that consist of
special alloys.
Two-material bearings
Two-material bearings are used for low
to medium loads in petrol and naturally
aspirated diesel engines in passenger
cars. They consist of a steel backing, an
intermediate layer and a layer of bearing
metal. Mainly aluminum alloys are used
as bearing metal.
Three-material bearings
Three-material composite bearings are
mainly used in engines under heavier
loads. They consist of a steel backing,
a bearing layer, a barrier layer and the
sliding layer. Sputter bearings are special
three-material bearings with signif i-
cantly increased hardness and wearresistance
due to a special production
method (sputtering). Sputter bearings
are therefore ideal for supercharged
engines with intercooling and can now
also be found increasingly in passenger
car diesel engines.
13

SMALL CAUSE,
BIG EFFECT.

Valve train components
Not many components in engines are under
as much load and tribological stress as valves
and their attached parts. At temperatures up to
800 °C, the red-hot exhaust valves strike the
valve seats more than 70 times per second and
must withstand the hot and corrosive exhaust
gases that flow around them. At every valve lift,
enormous acceleration forces and retractive
forces occur due to the strong valve springs.
Valves form a closed system together with valve
seat inserts and valve guides, which has to
withstand highest loads and stresses. We have
there fore not only valves in our program, but
also their tribological partners, valve seat inserts
and valve guides. The combined development of
these products in one system allows us to attain
advantages in respect of wear characteristics
and costs of the components.
Any kind of valve
MAHLE manufactures high-quality valves for in -
ter nal combustion engines worldwide at several
production sites. Our program includes valves of
diverse designs and types for passenger cars
and commercial vehicles from 5 to 12 mm stem
diam eter as well as valve lengths from 80 to 210
mm. Thanks to the high technical know-how, the
high productivity and the outstanding quality of
these products, MAHLE today is one of the
world’s most important valve manufacturers.
secure our quality standards. For example we
use plasma powder methods in raw part production
or high-speed grinding methods for
mechanical finishing. In order to make valves
resistant to the high loads, our valves have
hard-faced seats, are hardened, chrome-plated
or nitrided according to the requirements. A
wide range of materials is available for every
application. For special applications with extreme
de mands, also sodium filled valves are available
to reduce thermal loads.
Valve guides and valve seat inserts
The valve guides centre the valves in respect to
the valve seats and compensate for the lateral
forces acting on the valve shafts. In addition,
they need to dissipate the generated heat
towards the cylinder head. Depending on engine
design, identical or different valve guides are
used for the intake and exhaust side. The range
of materials reaches from gray cast iron and
brass to sintered materials of various alloys.
The valve seat insert has the task of sealing the
combustion chamber against pressure loss. In
addition it is responsible for heat dissipation.
Another important task is to prevent impacting
of the valve into the softer cylinder head material.
Valve seat inserts are predominately made
from chromium-steel alloys. Also sinter materials
are now increasingly being used.
Tribology
The science of friction,
lubrication and wear of
bodies in relative motion.
We employ state-of-the-art production technol -
ogy as part of our large-volume production to
Materials
Austenitic steels
Martensitic steels
Types
Mono-metal valves
Bi-metal valves
Valve seat
Plasma powder facing
Induction hardening
Valve tip induction hardening
Profile hardening
Through hardening
Tip surface hardening
Hollow valves
Stem size: > 6 mm
Bore sealing:
■ Laser welding
■ Friction welding
Sodium filling
Fillet profile
Turned, ground
As forged
Head top surface
Machined
As forged
With or without dish
Valve tip geometry
1–3 grooves
Special designs
Valve length
80–210 mm
Valve head diameter
18–65 mm
Valve stem diameter
5–12 mm
Surface treatment
Salt bath nitrided
Hard chrome plated
(Coating thickness: 3–35 μm)
The greatest challenge is
to determine the design of
the valves. Our valves are
designed for a wide variety
of operating conditions in
order to withstand the extreme
mechanical, chemical
and thermal loads and
to assure optimum heat
dissipation.
15

WHAT ELSE WE HAVE BUILT-IN WITH
EVERY ENGINE
COMPONENT.

Sales and service
The best engine component is of little use when
it is not at the right place at the right time. In
more than a dozen logistics centers and numerous
regional bases at strategic locations in
Europe, North and South America as well as
Asia, MAHLE Aftermarket is therefore striving to
provide an optimal flow of goods and consequently
the best possible availability. This forms
the basis for the worldwide supply network
of the international MAHLE Aftermarket organization.
for instance, of our constantly updated online
catalog or our popular customer information
system KIS. Furthermore, we offer our customers
a demand-oriented training program. Practical
sales material and informative packaging, complying
with the newest security standards, are also
part of our customer-oriented portfolio.
In addition, we get involved in workshop co oper
ations and also participate in individual advertising
campaigns.
However, apart from product quality and availability
there are other matters to be considered.
For example, the comprehensive customer care
and advice or a convincing package of services.
At MAHLE Aftermarket, this starts with the
extensive supply of information. We think here,
Comprehensive public relations work and our
pre sence in the relevant trade and consumer
media also assure that we are widely recog -
nized and contribute to the excellent image of
our brands.
17

Stockholm
MAHLE AFTERMARKET – AN
INTERNATIONAL
NETWORK.
THE WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION NETWORK ASSURES OPTIMUM AVAILABILITY.
Churubusco, US
Niagara-on-the-Lake, CA
Oldbury, GB
Ann Arbor, US
Poissy, FR
Décines, FR
St
Olive Branch, US
Alcalá de
Henares, ES
Mexico City, MX
Limeira, BR
Itajubá, BR
Santo Tomé, AR

, SE
uttgart, DE
Krotoszyn, PL
Izmir, TR
Okegawa, JP
Tokyo, JP
Shanghai, CN
Dubai, AE
Gurgaon, IN
Melbourne, AU

000007458E.Ra.08/08 www.mahle-aftermarket.com