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We often forget just how hard we make our engines work for us, but these motors don’t just get spun by some magical, mystical force. Every component in an engine needs to be powered before we can see even a modicum of horsepower. Spinning those heavy connecting rods at a few-thousand RPM’s can suck up a whole lot of horsepower.
That’s why there are aluminum connecting rods. GRP Connected Rods [2] makes custom billet aluminum connecting rods for just about every application available, from HEMIs to the Hupmobile. Yes, you heard right. The Hupmobile.
There are plenty of advantages to aluminum connecting rods, the primary one being weight. Each average V8 aluminum connecting rod can weigh between 250 and 300 grams less than a comparable steel rod. Multiply that by eight, and you’re talking about saving upwards of 2,000 grams (about 4.5 pounds) of rotating mass. When you’re spinning your engine at 6,000 RPM, that frees up a lot of horsepower while at the same time allowing your engine to run through the RPM range faster.
Aluminum rods are also have more “give” and flexibility, so if, by chance, your engine starts to detonate, all that shock doesn’t get transferred directly to the rod bearings as the rod itself absorbs some. These aluminum rods are a great way to free up some of that hidden horsepower siphoned off by too much rotating mass.
- Lightweight billet aluminum connecting rods from GRP
- Can save between 250 and 300 rams of weight per connecting rod
- Lighter rods allow for more horsepower and quicker acceleration through RPM range