Tech
Tips Provided by Andy Jensen
May 2005 Tech Tip: Connecting Rods
In this article I would like to cover connecting
rods. What types are good for what applications, and I’ll touch
on rod length, because this is a can of worms I’d rather not open
since there are so many things that can change rod length characteristics.
The types of rods are broken into four families: stock, aluminum, 4340
forged and 4340 billet. I know there are some 4130 and 5140 after-market
rods available, but I have no experience with these.
Stock rods vary from manufacturer to manufacturer,
not only in size and shape, but in the amount of power and RPM’s
they can withstand. For example, we’ve installed well prepared big
block Chevy rods in some 800+HP/7500 RPM nitrous engines with no failures,
but a big block Ford rod would never take that and it’s not that
I’m pro Chevy, a small block Chrysler rod is a very strong piece.
I just call them like I see them.
The preparation we do to a rod depends on the level of power or RPM’s
it will have to withstand. The minimum, even for a stock rebuild is to
shot peen, magniflux and re-size the bearing end. For more demanding use
we will side polish the rod. This is to remove any stress risers on the
beam area. A stress riser is a surface imperfection that will allow a
crack to start. Once the rod is clean and side polished, we magniflux
them. If they pass this test we get them shot peened. After peening, the
rod is re-sized using S.P.S. bolts. We have had zero rod bolt failures
with these and we feel that they are the best available. If a racer supplies
a set of good cores, rods prepared in this fashion will cost way less
than $200 and hold up pretty well depending on piston weight, RPM, horsepower,
and as I stated earlier, the manufacturer.
Now we’ll get into the after market
rods. First, we’ll look at aluminum. Aluminum rods are more suited
for higher RPM drag engines. Some of the advantages are lighter weight
and that they absorb some of the shock from the exploding intake charge
and from the piston changing direction. They are also more economical
than premium billet 4340 rods. The disadvantages are that they are bulky
and hard to fit in an engine with a lot of stroke. Another disadvantage
is their shorter life expectancy. Most manufacturers recommend changing
them after 200 to 400 runs. I’m sure that there is more to the aluminum
rod story and if you’re considering a set it’s best to call
the people who make them to see if they are right for your application.
Now, on to 4340 forged after-market rods.
These are a good compromise between cost and reliability. They usually
sell for between $600 and $800 and are available from a bunch of different
manufacturers. The ones we use the most are Oliver and Lunati. They are
available in a wide range of lengths and the Oliver rods come in a standard
weight and lite weight version.
The engines we most often use forged 4340
rods in are limited oval track and non-nitrous drag. For unlimited oval
track or high RPM nitrous drag, we use billet 4340 rods. These are the
most reliable rods on the market. They are also the most expensive (except
titanium rods). They sell for between $1,000 and $1,200 per set. They
are available in a bunch of different lengths and weight ranges. Since
they are machined from a solid bar, it gives the manufacturer a lot of
freedom to change the size and shape of the rod to suit a given application.
Billet rods are available from many different
companies, the ones we use the most are Oliver and Crower. They both seem
to be very reliable, but the Olivers are a little less expensive. We have
never had a rod failure when using these rods. This should help in choosing
what rods to use in your racing engine. I will shed a little light on
selecting the length of your connecting rods, but this is a whole article
in itself.
For limited induction engines the rod should be as long as possible. The
engines usually don’t make a ton of horsepower so the piston can
be pretty short and still hold up. On unlimited induction engines or engines
with heads that have a lot of port volume, maximum rod length is not quite
as critical so you can leave a little more piston height to get reliability
and still not hurt horsepower. This is about as deep into rod length as
I’m going to get at this time.
I hope this info is of use to the racer
as well as the street enthusiast. If you have an idea for a future
tech tip, just email them to andy@jensensenginetech.com
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