Titanium Rods Vs. Forged Rods...

[GNBRETT]

Will Titanium Rods Hold Up Better Then Forged Steel Or Aluminum Rods? I Have Heard That Titanium Can Be Brittle. Is That True Or Is It A Myth? What Are The Best Rods Money Can Buy?

 

[BlackBandit]

Well, going strictly off of memory (so I could be wrong) I believe titanium is a very hard metal and is therefore pretty brittle. Having never seen titanium rods I can only guess, but I would assume they would be some sort of alloy which means the characteristics of the metal will be differant from pure titanium. While I'm sure others will give you there experiances/opinions on differant rods and which is best, I would say you could always just call the manufacturer and see which is rated for the most horsepower. Hope this helps. james

 

[Louie L.]

There are 300M rods for SBC. By the price attached they appear to be stronger than even most billets. I dont know if they are even custom made for Buicks.

 

[bison]

My friend has a set of titanium rods in his S2. Its an on center with 6.3in rods i believe. They do exist for the buick. Im not sure who made them but they were bought used and sent back to the manufacturer for freshening. They have seen several 9sec passes and lots of street use in his application. The potential of these rods hasnt been reached, but i would guess they would go into the low 8 sec zone in a 3000lb car. I heard they were near $1k each when custom ordered new. I would think they are a better rod for a nasty N/A S2 engine myself. His engine revs like crazy for what it is. I wouldnt doubt those rods could go to 10k rpm if the rest of the engine was built for it. Most guys would want an aluminum rod for its cushioning abiilties on the bottom end. The limiting factor for a long time on the buicks was the fact that they couldnt get an aluminum rod in the engines to really throw a lot of pressure at them and not bend rods or break crankshafts. I think the times have changed though and some TSM engines now have aluminum rods.

 

[Ormand]

The big advantage of titanium over steel is lighter weight. Engines built for really high rpm benefit most. They would be better, even in a low rpm engine, but the cost makes them really a luxury.

 

[yullose]

The other benefit to a Ti rod is the smaller profile on the big end. They take up alot less space in the crankcase, so stroker clearencing isn't as severe as would be with an aluminum or steel rod.

If I remember correctly, years ago they were around $3000-$4000 for a set of 8.

Crower & GRP are the only Mfg's that I know of, making Ti rods.

 

[odell4o8]

rods,

I had a set that were 6.200 long. for wide jurnal, looked like new, they were used when i bought them, i sold them for 700.00 bucks, im going to a racers auction next weekend hoping there will be some old nascar, indy or asa buick parts there , as for alum, rods i give away four sets some of them some had never been used, i couldnt sell them so i give them away. good luck,

 

[1dmbth]

I had asked about this in the Stage II forum and Dale Cherry has them in his low 8 second Buick. I would think they would be the way to go. Check out Crowers site.

 

[John Wilde]

Not worth the expense in a Buick motor IMO.

 

[Cheeseburger]

I had a brand new set from Crower, according to one engine builder he said they transfer detonation more because of their stiffness........something like that anyway.

 

[John Wilde]

I had a brand new set from Crower, according to one engine builder he said they transfer detonation more because of their stiffness........something like that anyway.

If you knock with them kiss your bearings goodbye!!!

PS: Where have you been???

 

[GNBRETT]

K, Thanx Guys.

 

[1dmbth]

I would think they would be fairly reliable considering they come in a factory automobile that has a 5/100k warranty. It does however not have any boost
on it.

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

the main reason for using light weight alloys in reciprocating parts, is of course to reducing moving weight. and yea, they would only really benefit from high rpm engines. are they 'stronger' per se than forged? no. ill bet a million dollars on it too. NEVER ever forget something about ti. its strong..sure.. but RELATIVELY strong..for its weight. It will never be hardened steel. Its strength to weight ratio is great. But like I said, it excels cuz of that ratio, not strength or durability overall. Its a proven fact.

 

[JayC]

I had a brand new set from Crower, according to one engine builder he said they transfer detonation more because of their stiffness........something like that anyway.

I was told the same thing. I had a chance to buy a boatload of them supercheap one time and passed on them after talking to Dan @ DLS.

 

[gyrhead]

Acura NSX

I would think they would be fairly reliable considering they come in a factory automobile that has a 5/100k warranty. It does however not have any boost
on it.

I think this car uses Titanium rods.

 

[Ormand]

no. ill bet a million dollars on it too. NEVER ever forget something about ti. its strong..sure.. but RELATIVELY strong..for its weight. It will never be hardened steel

I'll take that million dollars, thank you. First point- it would be almost impossible to make connecting rods out of hardened steel. They are either cast iron, cast steel, or a steel forging. Crower makes excellent rods, and they use 4340 alloy. That alloy might have a yield strength of 100,000 to 110,000 psi as used in a connecting rod. Could be hardened to higher strength, but then it would be too brittle, and not tough enough. The forging alloys of titanium can be anywhere from 130,000 to 160,000 psi yield, in the "as used" condition. So the titanium is lighter, that's true. But even on an "inch for inch" basis, it is also stronger.

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

Well yea, what i meant was, steel or iron vs. Ti. But my statement is still true. Titanium may be close, but it's still not as good as steel. No way.

 

[Ormand]

Titanium may be close, but it's still not as good as steel. No way.

Maybe not as "good" but what I posted above is fact, not opinion. Titanium is both lighter, and stronger, than the iron or steel alloys used to make connecting rods.

 

[odell4o8]

rods

there is a good article wrote by a pro stock engine builder in this weeks NHRA dragster about rods. quiet interesting,