IF WE WERE TO DESIGN A CONNECTING ROD...
That is the very same thing we mumbled years ago when we were sampling every rod out there on the market in our builds trying to find the perfect "builder-friendly" piece but still able to withstand copious amounts of HP. While assembling motors with these rod contestants, we found a number of problems...including (but not limited to):
- The block needing some MAJOR hogging for rod "swing" clearance
- The pin end needing fitment to the chosen pin and/or the pin end needing width "adjustment" to fit between those snazzy custom slug pin bosses
- The rods had to be installed (ridiculously) from the bottom because their widths were larger than the bores
- The big end was honed such on the high side that a resizing was absolutely necessary
We didn't have time for this stuff...see you at the hone machine...and in some cases, spending time at the good ole Bridgeport to "make it work".
This is unacceptable and inherent with rod designs by individuals that don't understand what it's like to torque a bolt when installing a connecting rod. To put it more ghetto, it pissed us off so badly that the cat's ass hurt for a week.
DIRTY HANDS
Our rods are not designed by a tie-clad, Khaki-wearing CAD geek and/or a "cycle-start-button-pushing" monkey with no idea of what a rod should be, what a rod should be designed like, or how a rod should be installed. But by folks that actually build motors AND beat the Jesus out of what they build.
True...it is impossible to cover every single scenario when it comes to clearances and rotational setups. That is why builders are called "builders". It is the builder's job to blueprint the components to assure proper clearances as well as the correct fitment/matching of those components...LOTS of work. But we strived to decrease frustrations as much as possible for your build by understanding this assembly process.
BALANCING ACT
It's easy to design a buff aluminum connecting rod. Most designers just slap on the meat where stress analysis says to slap it on (if they even went that far with it)...call it "the strongest connecting rod out there" in their marketing campaigns...then kick back by the phones ready to take your cash. We don't subscribe to this haphazard approach. In a world where you'll be staring at the rod sitting on mom's coffee table while snapping pics to show-off in the forums like they were your first newborn, this mindset would be fine...but you are INSTALLING these suckers too. Whole different ballgame my friends. Especially with stroked configurations.
We feel that we have the best "strength per gram" ratio in the industry. Many many hours have been invested in finding the perfect balance between being "builder-friendly" by strategic mass reduction while still maintaining all-out steroidal brute strength. A very delicate balance...but a balance that has been successfully achieved.
IN SUMMATION
Not for the timid, not for the squeamish, and definitely not for those that think they can make mountains of horsepower and won't ever have to pop their hoods again. This is a REAL racer's rod.
- FFWD BILLET ALUMINUM RACING RODS are CAD designed and CNC machined out of proprietary aluminum bar stock developed exclusively for FFWD. Seriously...it really is.
- OUR ALLOY IS 35% HIGHER IN YIELD STRENGTH over most others “high performance” alloy and is also higher in strength-to-weight performance than Grade 5 Titanium.
- EACH ROD IS FULLY CRYO PROCESSED…a trusted and proven procedure we have done for the past 18 years to all of our turnkey race motors swinging the doors out of this shop. If it didn’t work, we wouldn’t be doing it. Period.
- OUR RODS FEATURE AN EXOTIC OIL SHEDDING COATING that allows the part to run cooler…resulting in a longer-lasting rod.
Combined, what all of this will give you is an extremely tough, durable, and refined billet aluminum racing connecting rod that can take all the beating you choose to throw at it. And why couldn't it? If you're needing rods like these, you'll definitely be beating on them. We understand this. We've got your back.
Because at the end of the day, we didn't set out to merely enter the aluminum racing rod market...we set out to destroy it.
End of story.