[Dusty]

Ring width is a factor. I saw some neat little 0.5 millimeter rings coated with titanium nitride not to long ago. They had a daytona 500 on them and were going back in a engine looked brand new!! In this engine we spent some time preping the bores with a scotch brite pad and polishing the the faces of the rings. I think that by doing this you present mating surfaces much more realistic to what will be had after break in. In essence its a pre break in process that knocks off surface irregularities. It cuts down the severity of the break in and junk in the oil pan. I've since broken that engine down to cut the pistons reassembled it with a different lube and with the cam installed it cranks over at 19 ft-lbs. There is nothing fancy about the bearings just plain old clevites. I don't think in the end any of this will contribute much to the turning torque when the motor is broken in. What I can say from working with the petroff (did I spell that right?) equations for an idealized bearing there are gains to be had using 283 mains and IRL journal like the cup teams do. It creates less area for viscous drag and cuts temperatures. Probably the most practical thing to do is use a 350 main with a honda journal. A plus is the honda or IRL journal will get you some extra clearance in a stroker motor