I just looked up on the TA web site There Aluminum rods are good for the street and race... I was thinking how long can aluminum rods last on the street ...I like the saving of rotating mass weight...
Eric, I have a small block chevy with aluminum rods in it and had a long talk with a guy at Superods, dont think they are still around now. They told me they have street strip daily drivers with over 60,000 miles on them and still running strong. I would call a rod manufacturer and talk to them, that would be your best bet in my opinion. Jeff
Eric, There are quite a few guys with bbc and sbc engines that are running alum rods and are well over 25K on the street. If you plan on flogging the pan off it ala Alan then I would imagine you would prolly be ready for a rebuild long before mileage would be an issue.
With the RPM range on our Buicks they can live quite well,I would say the biggest concern is oil temp.
Does the aluminum rods stretch on street driving? Is stretch from high revs what the major concern is of rod failure? It sounds like aluminum rods need to be taken out and measured along with the connecting rod bolts for fatigue/stretch on afrequent basis? Allen
More so on hi rev race only applications. On occassional street pounding under 6000 rpm I don't think stretch would be an issue. I can see Gary's point though. Oil temp on a street motor could be an issue. I think Eric should get TA's recomendations before making a decision.
Thanks for the replys guys, I feel that aluminum rod technology has come a long way in the past 10 years or so.. ILL call TA during the week and ask mike what he thinks. I would really like to go aluminum As far as a oil cooler will be in needed...
In my race motor, I change the rods every 50 runs. I am shifting in the stratosphere though. The rods are egg shaped on both ends and too long c to c length by that time . Rods can fail earlier or later depending on many factors. Yes, rods have gotten better over the last ,lets say, ten years and you might be able to get away with it but be prepared to maybe not buy the 6-700 dollar set but the 8-900+ set. The super lightweight set might not be the right rod though for longevity. Even the heaviest aluminum rod is lighter than a steel rod you're going to put in it.As heavy as the bob weight are in a bbb I say its worth a shot. Just be sure to put a light piston and pin in it too. That makes a difference in my experience. Think of it like a yo-yo string . Measure the string on the first day and then on the 50th day -- the length is not the same. The lighter the yo yo the longer it will take to stretch the same amount. Just some thoughts. Good luck with it . George in DC
George, What do you consider to be stratosphere??? Inquiring minds want to know. :Brow: Also what is the bore on that 459 and possible piston weight? Its amazing how much power your making so any information you could pass on without giving up to much info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Hey guys, I do have 12.5 to 1 ross racing pistons i dont know the weight of them i would think that there at least 500 grams i dont know about the pins tho, I do have a rollor cam and will be looking into aluminum heads from TA OR BullDog.
I just got off the phone with TA Performance I talked to mike he said that he has some customers that have 800 passes with there billet rods Also they do have customers that have over 40,000 miles on there rods at low RPMs of course... So Im sold on them as soon as the money comes....
Dumb question... TA has two kinds of billet rods...Mike was talking about their aluminum rods, right? If so, would you know how much they weigh?
Eric, If you order anything from Bullydog, your going to get a chip for your diesel or an exhaust system for your truck. If you want heads go to Bulldog! :grin: p . I cant wait till I get my Bulldogs, should be here anytime now! Jeff
OK ill admit the typo thanks for pointing that out... ou: Tommy,Yes we were talking about Billet Aluminum Rods :TU:
I leave the starting line between 5400 and about 6200 depending on track condition. I shift at 9200 and go across the finish line at 9400. Because of the shallow 12 degree head (Olds DRCE II)the chamber are small ( in the high 50 cc's )and the corresponding pistons have very little dome -- this allows them to be very light . The pistons are short as we can make them . They are Bill Millers right now but we will be going to the profiled skirt type piston( nextel cup style ) on the next set --even lighter . The bore is 4.622 so even witht the small stroke ,3.41, it still has close to 16 to 1 in it . I use GRP rods they are more money but a better rod and some of the lightest out there. I wouldn't recommend those on the street. When you start spinning stuff that hard its going to wear out quicker . In a 6500 rpm bbb I dont see why a billet rod wouldnt work. Just beware of the dreaded "thump" good luck with it . George in DC
