Al-Si alloys have been steadily used as a potential material for the achievement of an efficient weight reduction in the automobile and aerospace industries due to its excellent castability and high strength-to-weight ratio. In this study, riser effect and mechanical properties were investigated according to the size of the sleeve. In addition, the effects of riser size on mechanical properties of castings were investigated. On the other hand flow and solidification process were simulated with a hybrid FDM/FEM package named ZCast. As a result, results of simulation and experiments were comparable regarding to the yield strength, tensile strength, elongation and hardness of casting. It proves the reliability of the simulation. It is expected that the proper size of riser can improve the recycling rate of metallic materials and reduce the cost of casting.