Internal engine coatings
 

What are y'all's experience and opinions on internal engine coatings?

I'm talking specific things like:
thermal barrier coatings
thermal barrier head coatings
low friction piston skirt coatings
low friction bearing coatings

Are there any of those that are not really worth it? I.e. really low return on $$ invested?

Is www.swaintech.com the best? They seem to be the most popular but that's not always the best. :P

The thermal-resistant coatings will help the life of your pistons, and likely with prevention of pre-ignition and detonation.

The low-friction coatings will help with your power output, as less friction means more combustion power gets to the flywheel, as well as resulting in less heat. Probably would help the life of the bearings too.


IMO, if you've got the engine apart to replace something (i.e. burned piston, busted ring lands, spun bearing) it might not hurt to have some of it done. But it is probably more like doing a major interior gut or some other drastic measure, more like one of the last things you do to squeeze out every last bit of performance.