A piston ring set for internal combustion (IC) engine is provided. The IC engine includes a cylinder having a liner and a finish on the liner. A piston having a crown and a set of grooves is disposed in the cylinder. A set of piston rings is disposed in the set of grooves. The piston rings are disposed in order from closest to the crown and include at least a first compression ring having free ends defining a first end gap, a second compression ring having free ends defining a second end gap. A nominal value of the first end gap of the first compression ring is greater than a nominal value of the second end gap of the second compression ring.