This article was written in March 1999 by
Larry. It gives some background info on why we are making the rods
and how they will be the best rods ever produced for the money.
ROD IS RODS, OR ARE THEY?
As most of you import racing enthusiasts know, ENDYN has been working for quite a while
on making some really high quality hard parts available at prices that are
"friendly." These components include rods, pistons, camshafts, valve train
related pieces, and induction systems.
Having raced FORDS and paid outrageous prices for parts back in the days of little or
no aftermarket support, we learned long ago about the importance of making parts
"available." The simple fact is that if good parts are not available at
reasonable prices, the entire market suffers. That market is comprised of the individual
enthusiasts and the component manufacturers.
When I first became involved with HONDA cars, I was shocked at the price for anything
that was aftermarket sourced. Headers, pistons, rods, reground cams, you name it…all
several hundred percent over true market pricing for the equivalent "domestic"
components.
We have attempted to push the right buttons and cause the enthusiast's to realize that
there are "better ways" and "other services" available. At the same
time, many of ideas put forth in our discussions have also caused almost every aftermarket
source to spend more time engineering components and selling them at prices which are
better for everyone. We are not taking credit for anything that's happened, but it is
pretty safe to say that "competition" has improved the overall market. That's a
positive reaction in our estimation.
Enough on that and on to the subject at hand…connecting rods. We have actively
been working on making high quality connecting rods available to the HONDA marketplace for
about 3 years now. The goal was and is to see the right components manufactured which
would be priced "affordably". This was necessary because we wanted to allow
people to do engine builds with "drop-in" components, which would provide a
bullet-proof bottom end capable of supporting boosted engines, despite any
"punishment" the owners could inflict.
Over the years, we have made our own rods for many programs and we also have a great
deal of experience with all the major con-rod manufacturers as well as their design
criteria.
We have worked with numerous companies to "inspire" them, as well as
"help" them with their engineering and manufacturing methods. It's safe to say
that there will be several domestic manufacturers making good pieces shortly. Several
people have asked about "conflict of interests" regarding working with several
companies. My answer is that not only is competition good for the manufacturers, but with
several "brands" on the market, the customer will win big. If the customer ends
up with a great deal, we've done our job well.
Back to rods again. The two most common "types" of connecting rod designs are
the I beam and H beam configurations. The I and H refer to the shape of the beam of the
rod when viewed from the end. The beam is the portion which connects the crank end (big
end) to the rod end (small end). Each configuration has some unique qualities, however
when each is designed and manufactured properly, the differences in strength are minimal.
The I beam configuration is slightly better than the H beam when it comes to
compression strength. So, under load the I beam can handle slightly more pressure before
bending. The H beam rods are stronger in the unloaded cycles and are therefore a better
choice for high rpm applications, as they don't easily break on the overlap stroke.
The weights are pretty much the same for each, so the only real differences would be
slight and application driven. It's also easy to "modify" each configuration to
minimize the undesirable characteristics, and once again you're back at a toss-up on the
(type) to use.
Manufacturing is another area that must be addressed, and I believe that the H beam is
somewhat less costly to machine than the I beam rods, so there is a slight cost advantage
in this respect for the H beams.
Now, we need to look at the actual ways that the rods are manufactured. There are two
basic ways to manufacture rods…billet and forging.
The
billet rods are machined from a block of steel to the final configuration. There is
considerable machine work and scrap left over when manufacturing in this manner, so the
time involved sends the price pretty high.
The forged rods are frequently made from the same materials, but the actual process is
far less labor and machine time intensive. The forging dies are engineered to produce a
rod, which is very close to the finished rod size and shape, so there is relatively little
additional material removed.
Let's look a little deeper at both manufacturing processes. First we know that the
additional machine time for the billet rods is where the "high" prices come
from. On the other hand the forging require less machine time and should be less costly,
but…. The forging dies cost a bundle and to maintain the same prices, the tooling
will need to produce a (lot) of rods with the additional expense included in the pricing.
We may be in that toss-up on the rods again, however, the inherent quality of billets and
forging has yet to be discussed.
Most folks are unaware that all metal has a grain flow just like a piece of wood. If
you make something from wood, maintaining the integrity of the grain is mandatory if
strength is a requirement. The same is true with metal components.
If you imagine that a block of billet has a grain flow from one end to the other and
you "carve" a connecting rod from it, you now have a tremendous abundance of
open ended grain, and that's not desirable for maximum strength. On the other hand, the
forging process imparts a grain flow that is continuous from end to end and the machining
process removes minimal material, so the grain is largely uninterrupted for the length of
the rod. The preservation of the grain provides considerably more strength.
This is the rational that has lead to the use of the forging process for the
manufacture of the HONDA rods. The market is also growing and, as we feel that, if treated
correctly, the market will continue to grow and allow us to offer the rods at prices,
which are easier to swallow. In fact our actual goal is to see a rod and piston package
available at around $5-600.00.
Now we need to address the actual strengths of the components (rods). In all our
comparison testing, the three rods (Crower, Carillo, and Eagle) performed almost
identically in compression, stress, and fatigue. We did note when testing the Eagle
components, that the rod could be made better yet, if some material were added to the rod
flank (the blending of the big end to the beam) and some material could also be removed in
another area without sacrificing strength. Eagle has been most receptive to our
suggestions and they are modifying the forging dies to produce the rods as we requested.
Although the production rods are within design specs, we feel that if we can make it
better from the get-go, that's the way to do it.
The result is a short wait while the changes are incorporated in the tooling for the
new production units. We do not want early buyers to feel that they bought inferior
components, despite the fact that the first rods are every bit as good as
"competition".
We still will see the D series first, followed by the B series, with H and F following.
It's a safe assumption that each rod type will go through the same type testing and, if we
feel it's necessary, there may be some slight modifications on each as needed.
I'd like to address another associated matter here and now, and that's the pricing. If
a component is produced at a "good-guy" price, is that a reflection on the
component quality? In many cases the less something costs, the lower the quality. I think
that enough of you have toured the Jeg's and Summit catalogs to have seen the prices on
domestic "hard parts". Perhaps you've also noticed that often you can buy
components for domestic V-8's at about the same prices you are currently paying for only
"half" the amount for the HONDAS. Are the V-8 parts of lower quality…no.
Right now, the attitude is still "make it while you can" and most import
manufacturers have been and still are operating in that manner. That's all going to be a
thing of the past, due to credible domestic engineering and manufacturing processes. The
ease of purchase is also right around the corner and there will no longer situations where
long waits for "custom parts" will be necessary at all. The only waiting will be
for UPS the next morning!
So the rods and pistons are not inferior because the prices are lower, the reason the
prices are lower is because this is the first time that some domestic powerhouses have
decided to take the plunge, produce quantities instead of one-off's, and price according
to domestic applications.
Once again this is an exciting time for this import market because more people will be
able to afford to play.
- The Old One 3/29/99
