[Dominik]

old dog:

as for the better heat disappation (note: "better") isolated hot spots on the ring or wall would be moved around up during rotation allowing hot spots to meet cooler ones?

Lining them up straight won't cause them to spin? Interesting, maybe the combustion gases act sot of like a pin down all the ring gaps "ligning them up" and keeping them there?

Patrickt:

I never quite understood the gap positioning, based on the rings turning.
BTW, do different engines call for different positions of such gap during assembly?