This is a good comparison of two second rings with the tapered-face design that have seen different amounts of use. The upper ring has not seen excessive use, and only a small part of its face is shiny (from direct contact with the cylinder bore wall). The outside face of the lower ring is completely shiny, meaning that it is worn out.
Oil Ring Tension
The oil ring is a completely different animal than the top two rings. Unlike the others, the tension of the oil ring is controlled by the radial thickness of both of the oil rails as well as the size of the gap in the expander ring. By manipulating the different parts of the oil ring to reduce the tension, Dorton has found a couple of horsepower on the dyno without harming oil control.
The radial thickness of the rings can vary by as much as 0.015 inch. This variance comes in different production runs, so you shouldn't see that much change in one pack of rings. But because the ID of the oil ring sits inside the expander, a ring with a greater radial thickness will have more tension than a ring with less radial thickness. This is true even if both rings have the same end gap.
Ring Matching
Begin by separating out your rings according to thickness. Keep the thinnest and save the rings with the greater radial thickness for a later rebuild. You may need to go through a few packs to get a good set. If you cannot afford to purchase several sets of rings, see if your local engine builder would be willing to swap a few with you.
You can also check for variances in the gap in your expander rings. A properly sized expander ring will fit in the cylinder bore so that the ends butt without buckling the ring. You cannot gap an expander ring, but if you have one that has a gap when placed inside the bore, you can match it with scraper rings that have a greater radial thickness.
You can actually feel the difference in a well-matched set of low-tension oil rings. Install both oil rings with the expander on a piston and install it upside-down in a dry cylinder bore. Slide the piston up and down inside the bore and get a feel for the resistance. Now try the same thing with a set of oil rings with a greater radial thickness matched to the same expander ring and notice the difference.
Once the ring is square in the bore, check the width of the gap with a feeler gauge. Be careful to slowly "sneak up" on your final gap size. If you file off too much, you can't put it back. | 
In the oil rings, ring tension is controlled both by the radial width of the scraper rings themselves, but also by how tightly the expander ring fits in the cylinder bore. | 
You can't gap expander rings, but if you are willing to go through a few sets, you can probably find some that have a gap inside the bore, such as this one. Match these with scraper rings that have the greatest radial thickness. |