A closer look at H and I Beams Con Rods
 

Hey guys,

I wanted to start a discussion on connecting rods. We snapped some pictures of Manley H Beam rods and Manley I Beam rods that we keep in stock to help show you some differences in the construction of the rods.

http://www.realstreetperformance.com...beam_hbeam.jpg

In the picture above you have the Evo H Beam rods on the left and the I Beam rods on the right. Let's start with the H Beams. These forged rods are made from 4340 steel with perfectly round big and small ends that are honed within .0002". The rods will come weight matched within 1.5 grams and we recommend balancing the entire rotating assembly upon engine assembly. These rods can be used in builds up to 700hp. If the power is going to exceed that slightly then the rod bolts can be upgraded. The H Beam rods are a great economical choice while retaining high quality. Manley H Beam rods are fully machined, heat treated, magnafluxed and shot peened.

The "Turbo Tuff" I Beam rods are made for 4340 aircraft quality steel that is vacuum degassed, 100% magnafluxed, and shot peened after machining. These rods are manufactured in their Lakewood, NJ facility. You can see the difference in design in the picture as these are made for maximum strength. We try to use these in all our builds when possible. The Turbo Tuff rods can handle over 1000hp and the bolts can be upgraded to handle even more. Bend and twist is tightly controlled. Also keep in mind that in most applications when going over 600-700hp don't forget to upgrade the wrist pin to a stronger material to support the power.



http://www.realstreetperformance.com...beam_bolts.jpg

In this shot you can see the ARP 2000 bolts that are included with the H beam and I beam rods. They are the newest 3/8" ARP 2000 rod bolts. These can also be upgraded to ARP 625+ for additional power handling capabilities. If you have any questions on your Evo build just let us know.

Can anyone post if they are using these rods? Also post what power you are putting down.

Cheers guys nice to see the difference

I use the Manley H-beam with upgraded bolts. 608 hp at the hubs (Dynapack).
I have started thinking to upgrade to the I-beam, but have not decided yet...
Hoping to see 650-700 hp soon. Will limit tq to about 450-500 lbft and rev to about 9500 rpm.

Cheers!

At this point it would be good to also upgrade the wrist pins since you are approaching 700hp if you have not already.

Edit: Dur...weights on the box...

it is nice that someone did a simple explanation of the differences in the connecting rods.

Cheers

I have not upgraded wrist pins yet. Are these available in stock size just with a stronger material?

Thanks

Yes and PM sent.