Bringing a new product to market requires extensive testing and if you’re trying to introduce pistons that can withstand upwards of 2,000 horsepower that takes things to a new level. Diamond Pistons LS2K pistons earned their stripes in the hands of the BlownZ project team as they made some big power and produced numerous wins in the NMCA. That development time helped give birth to a piston that can make 2,000 boosted horsepower as an off-the-shelf product.

Having a need for a piston that could deal with high amounts of boost while being reliable was a cornerstone for the BlownZ engine program. The Dragzine team reached out to Diamond Pistons to come up with a solution that would deal with the rigors of racing. This set the project into motion and would eventually lead driver James Lawrence to an NMCA title behind the wheel of the BlownZ Camaro.

Mike Panetta from Diamond Pistons explains why having a piston that was originally developed as a custom product for a race team helped make the LS2K pistons one tough slug.

“James came to us with the idea for this combination, so we started working with LME to come up with a piston that would live at the horsepower and boost levels that were required. Over the years we refined the design to make a part that was pretty much indestructible and was proven to work through winning.”

That high level of success on the track would come in handy as the LS market grew, along with the amount of boost Diamond customers were trying to pump into their engines.

“We started getting more customer requests for a part that was readily available and could support 2,000 horsepower. We sat back and asked ourselves if we had ever done anything like this before and realized we had done it with the BlownZ build. From there we just took that idea and brought it to market for the general public,” Panetta explains.

With the information and experience gained from the BlownZ collaboration, Diamond had a base to develop the LS2K piston as a shelf-stock part. For an application like this, a forged design that is fully strutted is used. The crown and ringlands are reinforced to provide additional strength for the piston to assist with its ability to survive high levels of boost. Diamond adapted a valve pocket style that can use 15-degree and 12-degree aftermarket heads along with the standard OEM-style heads.

A huge benefit to these pistons is they can be installed in most applications with no finish work required. This allows the pistons to be made in a fashion where they can be kept in stock to reduce lead times for those trying to build an engine that can handle 2,000 horsepower. All of this comes from the testing under racing conditions with the BlownZ program.

Check out the Diamond Pistons website for more information about the LS2K pistons.