Low Quality Pistons
Low quality pistons for a combustion engine. Pistons convert expanding combustion gases into the motion that turns a crankshaft.
The Low Quality Pistons engine part in Rust is tier 1 and raises a modular car engine's acceleration and top speed. It fits the engine of the Cockpit With Engine Vehicle Module (70 kW) and Engine Vehicle Module (95 kW). You craft it at a Level 1 Workbench, and its blueprint costs 20 scrap to research.
About the Low Quality Pistons
The engine runs only when every one of its slots holds a part and none of them is broken. It has 60 condition, and damage to the engine module wears down the parts inside it, spread at random among them.
On the tech tree it sits behind 6 other unlocks: Engine Vehicle Module, Modular Car Lift, Small Rechargeable Battery, Large Solar Panel, Water Wheel and Switch.
Engine stats from the Low Quality Pistons
With parts of this tier in every slot that raises acceleration and top speed, an undamaged engine reaches 70% of its best there. Each engine stat is a quarter the engine module's health and three quarters the average quality of the parts that raise it, and this tier counts for 60%.
How to craft the Low Quality Pistons
Crafting one takes 5 seconds at a Level 1 Workbench and costs 25 × Metal Fragments.
25 
How to get the Low Quality Pistons blueprint
Research it for 20 scrap, or unlock it on the Level 1 tech tree for 7 Blueprint Fragments in total.
1 Item 
20 Scrap Blueprint 20 
Node 
1 Blueprint Fragment Unlocked 7 How to repair the Low Quality Pistons
A full repair at a Repair Bench costs 6 × Metal Fragments, and you need its blueprint.
×6 What the Low Quality Pistons recycles into
A green recycler always gives back 12 × Metal Fragments for one.
×12 50% ×15 
×18 75% 
×10 
Cockpit With Engine Vehicle Module
Engine Vehicle ModuleThe car modules with an engine, where a part like this one goes.
Where to find the Low Quality Pistons
Vehicle Parts Crate drops it, at 41%.
Stats checked against the Rust game files on 14 November 2026.
