Piston ring end gaps

Hi andre just wondering what your thoughts are on the difference in ring end gaps from top ring to 2nd ring? I started to gap my rings last night and found that the 2nd rings are at 0.021" out of the box. The bore size is 3.4061" i was going to run a top ring gap of 0.016" and a second ring gap of 0.021 as thats what they are out of the box would have liked a few thou smaller on the 2nd rings. They are je proseal rings on je pistons

Do you have any real guidelines to stick to with pistons ring side clearance? (In the ring grooves)

Or is it just as long as the rings dont feel sticky when moved/turned in the ring groove?

It's actually not uncommon to find the ring gaps are slightly larger than optimal as delivered. In your case I wouldn't be too concerned as the top ring does the majority of the sealing from a compression stand point and 0.021" isn't what I'd call excessive.

Side clearance is recommended to be in the range of 1-2 thou as per JE's instructions. If you're dealing with a full kit of pistons and rings from JE then you're almost certainly going to be fine here.

Sounds like i am good then thank you