Wiseco was born 80 years ago from a passion for the performance and racing lifestyle, evolving from garage-made pistons to an industry leader in aftermarket performance. In 1940, when Clyde Wiseman first manufactured his own big-bore marine engine pistons, in his garage located on the East side of Cleveland, Ohio, it was with a purpose: to fill a void in the marketplace by building the performance pistons he needed (yet was unable to find) to win races. Word quickly spread about Wiseman's high-quality pistons, and by 1941 — with origins rooted in racing — he formed Wiseco Piston to serve the needs of fellow motorsports enthusiasts who needed performance pistons for outboard marine racing.
Wiseco is unique among aftermarket piston manufacturers in the United States because it is the only brand that produces pistons strictly using the forging process. Starting with aerospace-grade aluminum, the forging process compresses the material's molecules, increasing the density of the aluminum and aligning the grain flow of the alloy, resulting in a high-quality product that is resistant to impact, fatigue, and has improved material properties such as ultimate strength and ductility, which is a material's ability to stretch or move without breaking under tensile strain. For high-performance race applications (where increased horsepower and compression can stress an engine's components further than a stock engine), it is of critical importance.
This is why Wiseco engineers utilize the latest 3D design techniques and finite element modeling software to ensure each design provides the highest strength and lightest weight for each application. Wiseco's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and in-house Dyno facility, combined with its talented group of high-performance employees and field-testing network, ensures each product they produce exceeds the expectations and demands of the motorsports industry.
