Aluminum Rods - When are they right for you? Jay's Tech Tips

So when does an aluminum rod become the right call for your build? Jay explains it all in this week's Jay's Tech Tip.

[@rayjay6769]

One of the most explanatory engine part videos I've ever seen! Thank you for taking the time to post this video.

[@DjRjSolarStar]

Thanks for the info. Never thought of aluminum rods as a vibration dampener before.

[@JosephArata]

Yeah they shorten or bend easier with high cylinder pressure. Don't let these people fool you into buying aluminum rods for a racing application that doesn't warrant their use. If you are replacing all engine parts after 4-5 dragstrip runs, yeah these rods are fine. But you don't need them on most 6,500-8,000K RPM street/strip daily driven race engines.

[@avro549B]

Solid data, delivered without any embellishment. Good stuff!

[@Gentlemen_london_]

Really interesting! I never would have thought that aluminium rods could be on the cards but they clearly have some favorable benefits over steel. Thanks 👍

[@EdwardAlcala]

Finally I've been waiting for another Jay video!

[@jerrodjohn2274]

Wow! I'm glad i watched your video; more involved than i previously thought

[@frank09busa]

will consider this in my 2JZ single turbo Jeep build, and thank you for great info.

[@elesjuan]

Are aluminum rods a good streetable choice? Will they handle things like engine braking without fatigue?

[@santiagom7576]

Wish I had the knowledge & know how that Jay has preferably on the 2j so I could build my own, the man is a genius concerning this engine and many others! Thanks or the Cams Jay!

[@gsppuffer]

Trail and error gives you knowledge

[@marcusssc8493]

+gsppuffer trial

[@silkysixx]

I remember the first time I edited a video. The second time, I watched it before rendering.

[@aumetalmental8403]

Very useful indeed as I am considering aluminum rods in my next build, thnx.✌️😎

[@PoorManMods]

great info, thanks

[@EdwardAlcala]

Ayyyyyy lmao

[@PoorManMods]

yoooo!

[@PoorManMods]

+Zahier Mahoob Heyooo!

[@dielauwen]

They would be great in a sport bike like a r1 . Lawnmowers use them and I never snapped one. An advantage of lighter rods is it takes less power to spin them and make less friction.Take out the bearing shell also. Then when it is rebuild time chuck the rods and pistons in the scrap bin , machine the crank if needed and put in new rods and pistons. I heard 70k miles on a street racer is average life for the aluminum rod.

[@builtforspeed5274]

I wish you guys would make series like this on a coyote motor so more people get informed since most of the guys who wanna do something on their engine is always on the internet and says I see this on this site on this forum but nothing that really works in their engine purpose

[@Only1English]

If I can ask you. I'm getting in the process of building a LS motor that I'm going to tell the charge for my vette. What is your suggestion on the aluminum rods do you actually think they'd be better than running steel? I was planning on going with the wiseco boostline rods. However if running a set of aluminum rods would be better than I would definitely go that route. I like the part where you said how they absorb a lot of the harmonic shocks and vibrations. I'm interested to know your professional opinion aluminum or a nice set of steel rods. Thank you

[@Lockedinstreetracing]

I usually run mgp rods but I had to get grp last time both are great rods no issues.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Alloy rods are supercharged drag race components. you will never see an alloy rod in a oval track, road race as they have a very short life as you said. I have seen one break, it seemed to make more of a mess than what a steel rod will do with a broken piston. this on a 9000rpm n/a drag racing Chev. He saved one head! The bloody things are so big and bulky they scarcely fit

[@santiagom7576]

Wish Jay could build all my engines .. Tech savvy with the experience!

[@DoogieLabs]

Have you ever noticed any stretching of the wristpin hole? I've always wondered about this being an issue on a motor that sustains 10,000rpm with aluminum rods. Even an 8000RPM motor that's stroked a little more aggressively. EDIT: My follow up question would be have you ever noticed the wristpin hole stretch on a motor that has sustained significant detonation / pre ignition?

[@joeymilani4418]

Nice so my stock civic needs these for sure then is what you're saying right? Then it'll be 1800hp?

[@DJDiggityDubstep]

pretty much

[@joeymilani4418]

+Eternity thx, now could I hook up a blow off valve with these also, I wanna make cool sounds you know

[@OrganicWheat]

short throw dip stick

[@SofaKingTouge]

just go for titanium valve cover bolts and you will get the same power.

[@omaralghamdi9035]

I only put 3 aluminum rods in my accord and got 450 hp more on the left rear tire

[@groomlake51]

Very good explanation !!! He is spot on

[@bigblockrc]

Do titanium rods next please.

[@jickdawmonelason7239]

Samuel Mason not at all. aluminum & titanium are very different metals.

[@jickdawmonelason7239]

Samuel Mason i wasn't comparing titanium to steel was I?0

[@jickdawmonelason7239]

Samuel Mason oh my god, chill the fuck out bro. aluminum & titanium are very similar in terms of their ability to work harden. I was just trying to be a troll. why? because who the fuck really needs titanium rods? are you making money hand over fist with your titanium rods? I dont win much of anything because I'm not a professional moto racer. & because of that fact, some Oliver billet steel rods rated at 1,400 hp will do me fine, you too more than likely..

[@jickdawmonelason7239]

Samuel Mason those Oliver Max series rods along with some -8cc forged slugs from wiseco for roughly 2,500. I set out to build a ''budget'' ls 6.0(ly6), but the budget aspect has gone astray... what are you working on?

[@jickdawmonelason7239]

Samuel Mason I just jotted down ''Bill Miller'' on my to do list. Thanks for the insight man.

[@MikeValencia]

You the man jay! I can't wait to go aluminum Rod!

[@alphafort]

a whole lotta info in a short vid. great stuff! Others have mentioned titanium (and the disadvantages) - but is there any super exotic alloy (forgetting cost) that all the good stuff?

[@bobjoejoe204]

Man these videos are informative. Make more!

[@groomlake51]

Turbo chargers help bearing wear by the drive pressure on the exhaust over lap💪🏼😎

[@darbymcbride41]

I found your video helpful. Thanks

[@nobody46820]

Would you do before and after tests on an engine? HP, torque, noise, vibration, fuel efficiency, etc?

[@Montblanc1986]

more tips from Jay please!

[@andrewromero3305]

Jays a genius

[@TheCamaro5]

what about titanium?I guess you can use that if you are willing to pay for it.

[@jimmyiscool1239]

i want to have a video about just that

[@JosephArata]

Titanium doesn't make sense for a normal 10K RPM engine. Titanium is used in motorcycle engines and F1 engines that spin 20,000 RPM for race application.

[@fixitup686]

Joseph Arata Honda nsx ?

[@Drake5153]

@@JosephArata c30a, c32b, lf4, ls7, ls9, the list goes on lol

[@GTRGTR32]

Love the videos keep it up

[@LGS_Inc]

That's some food for thought, but I still only trust Manley rods on my EVO

[@LucaCarMods]

Really interesting information 👌

[@ryanbarbolt3691]

Doesn't a good steel rod have more strength potential at the higher end?

[@TracingLoL]

Good info for later, thankyou.

[@Kirakat]

Gotta learn to edit the video better man, Your audio/video sync is way off.. It's just a "Slider" in the editing to fix that.

[@LtdJorge]

It is synced for me lol

[@LtdJorge]

+MCdevilkiller oh, I see. It is at half the video

[@ThatRacingChannel]

Sorry about that, looks like a small portion of the video was corrupted during upload as our original is in sync. Thanks for the heads up. :-)

[@_Bonez12]

This guy... "Trust me, I know how to edit. I have 2 subscribers."

[@Kirakat]

Well considering I have a 1080p 60hz laptop running at 1080p 60hz The problem is theirs, Just like everyone else said and just like you can Clearly see at about 3 minute mark, Don't quite remember, Haven't watched the video in a long time.

[@cobrar5161]

very informative but still I have a question exactly for how many miles aluminum rods are gonna last and like the guy said when they heat up their length is increased a little bit meaning contact with the head .isn't it risky for valves to get damage by the pistons so how to set the gap between them so when they heat up they don't make contact . please tell me that.thanks

[@TomsChevelle]

Good explanation! Thanks.

[@timleonard86]

So would you be able to run them in a street rod show car?

[@mauricioalfredo83]

Nice info to change then if you want high RPMs on your engine and keep engine parts wheight low

[@GarageSupra]

Need more workshops like Real St in Australia

[@MafiaboysWorld]

So true dude. Compare Real St to what GAS Motorsports charge, it would be cheaper to ship your whole car to Florida and back and get a 1200hp build than it would be with the GAS crew.

[@mochinsaniimamutomo6195]

indonesia too ._.

[@adriancortez2000]

Pro Gtr Motorsport, CV Performance and Powertune I've heard are some of the best.

[@jacktorrance7847]

There are some very capable workshops in oz, but they are all members of the elusive secret squirrel racing club, theres no way they would ever share info like real st or these other workshops do... and the peformance scene in oz is absolutely worse off for it. Not to mention you would have no chance of getting them to build you an as capable motor as real for the price they charge. Workshops and the majority of car communities in australia need to move towards sharing more info, the more we share, the more we know, the more we know the faster we all go. Go look at yellow bullet forums, evolutionm, honda-tech, for example see how many workshops are actively involved in and supporting people who arent even customers, then compared that to ford forums, performance forums, or any other forum for that matter. One exception that comes to mind is skylines australia.

[@GarageSupra]

Man ain't that the 100% truth.

[@djiimpact428]

lovin' the tips! 👍

[@jlo13800]

Dammit how much are those 7507 T5 cnc thingy split roller beasrings for my 8v92 detroit 2 stroke? My small block v8 2 stroke is got the steel ones.

[@Davidlau6371]

Is rifle drilled on Rod better ? If didn't have it anything will happen? If keep using old but no damage Rod bearing, it is fine ?

[@shanedrake2]

What type of Aluminum Rods should I use in my Rotary?

[@LAVAROCK100]

good one.... how big of a cam are you running in that Rotary ?? lol

[@JohnDoe-rs5ro]

Shane Drake lmao

[@MrBlindbird]

Just make sure those rods are made out of the same aluminium as the waterpump of a Original 60' VW beetle :-)

[@alycestapleton]

Shane Drake your a fuckwit so stfu you muppet

[@alycestapleton]

Peter Pan what does that have to do with anything another fuckwit

[@jlozinsk]

At 75 HP per hole will an aluminum rod last long on a street car? V6 2GR-FE in MR2

[@jessev9686]

the 300hp/cyl isn't taking into account the per cylinder volume is it? what about smaller motors like honda's 4 cyl 1.5-6's? what's the 'off the cuff' power/cyl for one of them? personally, i have an l15 if that helps.

[@charliespann3967]

Very interesting, Thanks

[@cartermackenzie1135]

very dumb question, but do you think an aluminum rod could be used in a street car in a low power application reliably?

[@shawnboyd96]

How do you measure horsepower per cylinder? Is it like if I had a turbo b18 with 400hp is that 100hp per cylinder?

[@LtdJorge]

Just power/cylinders, yep

[@kingclutchxyt]

Can I daily drive with aluminum rods? I keep hearing you cant. I found a ls vette ith r & r aluminum rods making 700whp. Don't know why they went with aluminum at that power level but I'm curious your thoughts

[@joshuamcdougal8207]

I have a small block 23 degree headed sbc about 13.1 what amount of cylinder pressure do you think in need with a 40 jet on my nitrous

[@johnfraser1115]

Are aluminum rods generally lighter than steel rods? If yes, can adding aluminum rods help you increase rpms?

[@IaintTrynaGoOutLikeBIGnPAC]

John Fraser Any thing that makes the rotating assembly lighter, yea you can increase rpm significantly.

[@403patriot3]

so basically... reduce rotating mass/weight, reduce vibration. would that make you hit your redline faster as well?

[@jickdawmonelason7239]

Pan tera shutup kid...

[@403patriot3]

'kid' funny guy. if this were in person you'd be a might bit quieter

[@jickdawmonelason7239]

Pan tera bull shit bitch, I got my last split eyebrow last Saturday. Whats up kid? Do you know why I am labeling you as a child? because your main question here was if an engine with aluminum rods ''redlines'' faster... HOW FUCK-ING RELEVENT......

[@403patriot3]

Ted Dow oh i get it... you're a wee man trying to get noticed. and you are in fact a child, mentally at the very least. because in my mind, lower rotating mass would allow an engine to rev up faster and/or more freely because of the lighter weight gear attached for the crank, but of course you already knew that. but thank you for mentioning your split eyebrow, at least you're man enough to admit you got beat the fuck up- HOW FUCK-ING RELEVENT

[@jickdawmonelason7239]

Pan tera Good thing I'm not though eh.. & god damnit, I'm trying to tell you that IN MY OPINION, rotating & reciprocating mass in differentiation of 8 or 900 extra grams amongst 8 rods in a 1,200 hp v8 really dosn't make a big difference. In fact, as long as everything is balanced, its F.U.C.K.I.N.G NEGLEGABLE.......

[@blown572hemi]

what about heat cycles in a street motor that doesn't see full power all the time? I'm not building a monster but because the aluminum is lighter it will accelerate faster in a n/a engine. I've heard that the aluminum will get brittle and break.

[@VynzBrah]

what are rods used for?

[@rotax636nut5]

Wow, ally rods give you variable compression ratio!

[@SavageBunny1]

Titanium rods from Pauter are about 1k each rod, how much are Aluminum Rods?

[@TopDonBarrow]

I'm a noob when it comes to this stuff. But just a question. If the Steel rod is strong and holds itself up to the power but more power results in accelerated bearing wear or spun bearings, why not make aluminum rod bearings that have the same characteristics of the aluminum rod in the vid? Just asking, correct any misinformation.

[@jermdavillain4746]

im wondering how much power that would make for a stock toyota starlet 4AGE 1800 turbo engine

[@GBodyJames]

love your videos man]

[@markgoulette5056]

I know for a fact they are running steel rods in engines up to and some over 3500 hp without any bearing or crank issues. Yes, there is maint involved, but it's more tune up related than rod material.....

[@mr.sennin7923]

thank you for the video and would it be a waste of money to go with a aluminum rod in 700hp application

[@lsx_moe]

yes

[@IntegraDIY]

Like he mentioned in the video. It also all depends on what you are using the vehicle for.. Are you pounding on the rev limiter? Are you doing street pulls and that's it? Are you racing your car on a circuit for a while at a time? If you are just using it for a daily and doing highway pulls you do not need them. If you beat on the engine to beat your time than yes you will

[@leanderelfrink10]

depends what engine you have too, like he said in the video its all about output per cylinder and if youre going to beat the shit out of it or not. if you're running a 4 cylinder that gives you 175hp output per cylinder. you make the call

[@mr.sennin7923]

Yes I'll be beating the living crap out of the engine of the rev limiter and I was also thinking it would allow the engine to rev faster cuz less mass

[@leanderelfrink10]

+Mr. Sennin i don't think you'll notice it, i dont build engines so i can't tell you that haha. steel is more dense than aluminium though, hence why the rods are weaker. the alu rods are bulkier but steel is like 3 times more dense iirc. in theory it would rev faster? anyone who built engines that can confirm? jay? 😂

[@davidmcclelland8090]

I'm one of those guys who's just happy with my steel rod.

[@jlo13800]

Me too in both my small block v8 2 stroke and detroit 8v92 silver 2 stroke. im using BRB XD-100 oil in both.

[@peterphilipse8792]

what about titanium rods Jay?

[@GRCHADSTI]

god i love these vids! thanks for the info!

[@LAVAROCK100]

how much side clearance between each rod ??

[@kchanguito]

Is this guy a car God with all this knowledge

[@Razor_400R]

great info btw.

[@Razor_400R]

got any tips for an rb26?

[@the_visionvry6244]

would this be an unnecessary upgrade for a daily driver?

[@MirrorSlaps]

Alan Arroyo yes, completely unnecessary.

[@ronroberts585]

BUT CAN I USE Aluminum ON STREET?

[@michaeljarvis6377]

what is it lick in a everyday used engine

[@drivewaymarvels311]

thank you

[@snaaail]

Anyone know the name of the intro song? I'd love to know

[@marcusssc8493]

Same

[@3rdGenGuy]

Aluminum Rods are a race only thing. that's just common knowledge.

[@jickdawmonelason7239]

Not An Argument. exactly.

[@eddiepiecart6030]

Yeah right and they will never replace horses with cars. Mate they use similar grades of aluminium in the spars on jumbo jets and fighter jets. I have used aluminium rods in many serious engines since the 1980's. I was skeptical in the beggining, but we ended up getting 5 years out of a set of Manley rods that were caned mercilessly. One 351C we did with a .330" stroke was running 14:1 CR and pulled 11,000 RPM at the end of the 1/4 mile. A fantastic motor. We did pull it down after each meeting to see how the rods went, and bearing damage was minimal to non existent for entire seasons. Aluminum rods are not a race only thing. I guess that depends on what you define as as race.

[@jlo13800]

Can i use 7507 T6 billet aluminum made on a CNC thingy for a Tesla electric induction magnetic 2 stroke motor?

[@kidzero1943]

do u only build 2JZs or do u work on other engines?

[@kbdadriftking]

He originally started on mustangs I think

[@GarageSupra]

also whats the song from 0:22 to 0:26?

[@boosted2v749]

simple answer whenever youre running high amounts of boost/high CR

[@slapster2275]

high output/cylinder smartass

[@boosted2v749]

Amer Muratovic which usually comes from running high boost/ high CR

[@jickdawmonelason7239]

Fire Squad I'll keep my billet steel Oliver ls max series rods......

[@raceon3productions278]

good info. so basically u wanna move to an aluminium rod at around 1200+ whp.thats the point where the steel rod would cause too.much abuse on the bearings. i noticed u didnt cover revs. i would think how high ur reving would also be a major consideration.

[@mrcompatable]

1:23 of the vid

[@raceon3productions278]

+Michael Awesome gotcha didnt catch that. im reving my car a 2012 coyote to 7.5k-8k

[@ryanbarbolt3691]

everything you are saying is essentially correct, HOWEVER, you can make 2k hp with steel rods.

[@gmax876]

wow, sounds like a lot of work

[@charliespann3967]

What about TI rods?

[@GLMtr]

How about titanium rods?

[@bentleyparish1226]

Why did you not include titanium rods in your evaluation?

[@jlo13800]

Do the 7507 T6 rods come with 7507 T6 split aluminum needle roller bearings?

[@nikolaishriver7922]

So if aluminum rods are better for longevity on big number engines, shouldn't they technically be better for longevity for the everyday man? Are they more expensive? From what you just told me it seems ideal that ANYbody who is going to go through the trouble of opening up their engine and dropping parts in, would want aluminum rods. I am considering trying to source/make some aluminum rods for my TL1000 (vtwin) and trying to machine the crank to accept Buell roller bearings on the crank. Thrashed TL's have a pretty short life for the crankshaft bearings in general, and once you start using big bore kits or spraying or using forced induction, and get past 160-200hp(its an old bike and a twin, don't hate the small numbers) they become ticking time bombs. I had never considered an aluminum rod as an option before.

[@themiddlechild1988]

Nikolai Shriver they have to be replaced where steel rods have a very long life. if your beating on the car every month than like every 10k miles you have to change rods

[@jlo13800]

Can we get billet 7507 aluminum roller bearings?

[@brianheiden6623]

What was up with that dyno test spewing water out the water pump. Alluminium rods are not a good idea,there designed for short life builds.

[@starionslider2116]

Im assuming you personally had a aluminum rod failure then? Or are you just sayin you "heard" this from a bunch of guys online? I personally built a aluminum rod 4cyl motor that was a daily driver for over 4yrs and never once had a issue with them. On the street the car made 540/600tq and got beat daily. If i never told the next owner it was aluminum rods he would have never known and never had a problem. People gotta stop repeating the "hype" on stuff like this. They work fine. Everything wears out or breaks eventually but there is no prob with good aluminum rods. I run GRP's personally.

[@jickdawmonelason7239]

Starion Slider aluminum ''work hardens'', after a time, they become brittle & fail...

[@starionslider2116]

Ted Dow ok but its not like its gonna happen overnight. I personally ran my last aluminum rod motor daily. 4yrs no issues and that same motor is still together. Was put together in 2009. I agree they are not as long term as a steel rod but 99% of the time they are fine. Some people just get scared. I dont.

[@brianheiden6623]

I actually talked to my machine shop and my tuner which is a drag racing Grand master. He said no way been there done that on a high powered motor like mine they will go real quick. They are bad ass though very cool parts.

[@jickdawmonelason7239]

Starion Slider what kind of powee are you making & out of what?

[@Ndog888]

Rod innuendos inbound!!!

[@cptinsano43]

My rod grows quite a bit once it's warmed up

[@cptinsano43]

Random question; What helmet was that at 2:15 ?

[@Sebastian-yl7nq]

Darude Sandstorm

[@kevink400]

Not sure of the exact model, but Simpson is the brand --> simpsonraceproducts.com/index.php?p=home

[@jacktorrance7847]

its a simspon bandit

[@JayDee-bz2ge]

Aluminum rods are a (shock / load absorber). Nitro MUST use aluminum rods to save the other parts, Replace rods, make the crank live....

[@Darren.G]

F**k a bookshelf, THIS is knowledge!

[@jickdawmonelason7239]

Darren G. what are you like 15? this guy is NOT a mover OR a shaker in the race industry......

[@Darren.G]

Cool story....shame we cant all be cool as you, Ted.

[@nobodyhere4860]

When is an aluminium rods rite for you? When you have the skills and knowledge to justify using them

[@Luistorres-wm4kb]

awesome

[@tanner3801]

I'd like to know where the idea came from, that aluminum acts as a dampener. If the rods are not significantly heating up at high load, they they are not dampening. My bet is that their weight results in less wear... Unless someone has some proof or knows of studies done, which drew this conclusion... I don't think dampening makes as much sense as lighter weight resulting in less 'sloshing' back and forth.

[@Breazeh]

I have a question, why does only one 1000+ hp Camry exist?

[@adriancortez2000]

Probably not many people want a 1000hp Camry and most likely the engine block isn't strong enough to be reliable.

[@santiagom7576]

Oops for the Cams! lol

[@mclarpet]

I'd like to run titanium alloy rods - lower elastic modulus and density than steel and stronger than aluminum.

[@LAVAROCK100]

yeah but not cheap

[@mclarpet]

To be sure, to be sure.

[@strifefaction]

Bad for a road racing application?

[@builtforspeed5274]

And also so we dont pay 25k30k for a freaking long block at that point it's just about the name that we're buying but most of the people dont want that we want our own experience and pride that we built it ourselves and most is the knowledge so we know what could be wrong what part could we put in danger on doing this and that

[@screwloose455]

Can't tell if vodka or if voice isn't matching with mouth.

[@bowsertownes]

Alum rod also should never be pulled on. Example no engine braking or you will tear a rod apart