Connecting Rods Which Are The Best?

Well i never rest,Im start my reseach before i take my engine to the next level,so Im looking for opinions on which is the best connecting rods for porsche? I was told,Porsche Titanium but at $1,000 a piece is a little out of the budget,Any comments...
Regards Juan

Depending on the level you want to go to, I think the best compromise is to get a stock set reconditioned, crack tested and shot peened, and use the best quality fasteners you can get. This is valid if your planning on keeping within 50% of stock power (or more?). The fasteners are the weak link and I think that most later porsche rods are pretty strong. Quality fasteners will allow a higher red line also without inducing fatigue in the bolts. Better spending the money for 'race' rods elsewhere, unless of course your goal is the ultimate motor without cost restraint.

BEETOS,Thats what i was thinking,now i have a question,when we use ''RECONDITION'' in a connecting rod, well i have never see a recondition Rod,like a recondition pump,head,ect,when we recondition rods on our big engines they are send back to the manufacture they add some iron and re-cut them,same with the crankshaft,so how is a crack check and spot peened make this a recondition rod? I just wonder.

Hi Juan,
By reconditioning the rods, they are referring to magnafluxing them (checking for cracks) Then installing new rod bolts/studs and hopefully matching the rods to the crank journal in which they will be riding. I would tend to avoid titanium conn rods for a street motor because they tend to mushroom bearings quicker anyways. Check into titanium wrist pins however, these will lighten your reciprocating mass significantly. While you are dealing with y rods, check into getting them polished so they shed oil quicker.

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Dante Oliverio
86 Turbo-Look Cab

Juan - for your application rods are not as important an item as rod bolts and head studs. When you get into high boost situations the head pressure becomes an issue, and with the RPMs you are turning the rod bolts are paramount. Your stock units are probably good past 350HP, maybe more. I bought ARP hardware for my motor, Raceware is also good.

Very true.
It should be remembered that during the power stroke, the rods are in compression and the rod bolts are not under significant tension....a good situation.

Power output (to a point) is less significant than engine speed when considering rod bolt failure.

During the exhaust stroke the 'cushion' of exhaust gas and the fact the piston is being pushed up the bore keeps the rod in compression and the rod bolts 'as is'...also a good situation.

Enter the inlet stroke....now we have a situation where the piston is being turned around and yanked back down the bore against its own inertia. This places the rod and more importantly the rod bolts under tremendous tension. There are factors that have a direct effect on the magnitude of these stresses, one is the weight on the repciprocating mass (pistons, wrist pins, rods) and one is the speed of the engine. To combat this mode of failure we can put in stronger bolts for a higher red line and reduce the reciprocating mass using lightweigh components. The week point is the rod bolts. This is why it is critical not to over do RPMs with stock rod bolts. It is for this reason I don't like the higher 6900rpm red line the chip gives my 3.2. I do not intentionally rev it over 6300 rpms

The best combination I have found for an absolute bulletproof, yet still high rpm setup are Carillo rods, raceware bolts, and Ti wrist pins. Just my $.02

-EJ