Watts Shop Performance

Home

Contacts

About Us

Camshafts

heads

Valvetrain

Friends of the WSP

Vids/Pics

Links

Intake

Cranks

Exhaust

Classifieds

Metals

Transmissions

Cryogenics

Calculator

Rods

Camshafts Custom Camshafts LT4 Hot Camshafts LS1 Camshafts Chevy Camshafts Ford Camshafts Street Camshafts Race Camshafts Blower Camshafts NOS Camshafts Solid Roller Camshafts Hydroulic Camshafts

Pistons

Aluminum Rods

Aluminum rods are manufactured by the forging process or they can be cut from a sheet of aluminum plate, billet style. Aluminum rods are generally 25% lighter than steel rods and for this reason they're very popular with racers looking to shed mass from the reciprocating assembly. Lighter reciprocating parts demand less energy to set into motion, allowing more of the force of combustion to be applied to the wheels. Lower reciprocating mass also allows the engine to gain crank speed faster for quicker rpm rise after each upshift, to keep the engine near the peak of the power curve. That's the good news.                                                                                                           The downside is that aluminum has a much shorter fatigue life than steel, perhaps one- tenth as long in a racing environment. This means you'll have to measure for stretch and replace suspect rods at regular intervals to stay ahead of possible catastrophic failure. How long will they go? That depends on how hard they're loaded and if they're abused. We've all heard stories about hot rodders getting 100,000 street miles out of a set of aluminum rods. Could be. But the fact remains that aluminum has a tendency to work harden with use. Using the analogy of a coat hanger, if you keep twisting it, it'll break. That's work harding and an aluminum coat hanger can't handle the same strain for nearly as long as a hypothetical steel coat hanger.              Another hassle is the fact that aluminum rods must be made physically larger because the ultimate tensile strength is about half that of a good steel rod. The added bulk often causes clearance problems inside the crankcase, especially when they're swinging from a stroker crank. Some aluminum rod users abuse them without even knowing it. A cold motor must be warmed thoroughly because the expansion rate of aluminum is twice that of steel. The difference in expansion between steel crankpin and aluminum big end can restrict the oil film clearance until the temperature of the parts stabilizes. Wing the throttle on an ice cold motor and you might be looking at spun rod bearings or worse.                                                                                              Aluminum rods can handle plenty of horsepower. You'll want to check with the manufacturer for specifics, but it is safe to say that 2 horsepower per cubic inch is just the beginning. We'll err on the side of caution and say that aluminum rods are best suited to race only engines where regular inspection can ward off potential trouble.

Heads Ported Heads LT1 Heads LT4 Heads LS1 Heads Chevy Heads Ford Heads Custom Head Work

Valvetrain Valve Spring Retainers Titanium Retainers Chrom Moly Retainers 7 Degree Retainers 10 Degree Retainers Solid Roller Lifters Pop Up Lifters Vertical Bar Lifters Chevy Lifters Ford Lifters Mopar Lifters Pontiac Lifters Olds Lifters

Intake Ported Intake Intake Machining Intake Spacer Carburetor Spacer Intake Insert Intake "Turtle"

EFI ECM/PCM Reprogramming   LT1 ECM/PCM Reprogramming   LT4 ECM/PCM Reprogramming   LS1 ECM/PCM Reprogramming   OBD II Reprogramming

Transmissions GM Transmissions 200-R4 700-R4 TH 350 TH 375 TH 400 4L80E   Ford Transmissions AOD AODE 4EOD C4 C6 Torqushift   Dodge Transmissions 47RH 47RE 48RE Torquflit   Transmission Parts

Classifieds Parts For Sale Clearance Items Overstock Items Used Parts New Parts Track Adhesive

EFI