connecting rod confusion

[armandodiaz]

I'm rebuilding my 87na and getting overly confused on which are the best connecting rods to use. This resulted in now being the proud ower of three sets of connecting rods.

First I heard the 83s were the best.
Then I heard the 951s are the best.
Now, I'm hearing 83 are the best.

Which is it!!!

One thing I do know, the original 87s are last on the list.

[Eldorado]

83s? do you mean an S model? or just plural? because there was no S model in 83.

[armandodiaz]

83sssss plural.

If I'm correct:
944s = 8valve
944S = 16 valve

[944 boy]

From what I heard.......... 83's are like 951's in that they are forged. Other diffrences are beyond me.

[Slam]

Yup.

[armandodiaz]

That's what I thought but then someone showed me a 951 and they look completely different. Honestly, the only difference I saw between my 87 and 83 rods was the location of the part #. Right now I only have the 83 and 951 to compare until I ripp my motor apart:

83 on the left:



The 951 is definately more beefier but it seems to weigh more. I talked to the guy at Stratton Motorsports in Orlando, FL. They claim their engines rev at 8500 all day and they only use 83sss.

comments please.....

[onZedge]

Weigh them. Lighter = less parasitic loss.

[Slam]

i do seem to recall having read on this website that the 83 rods were the way to go - unless you wanna go aftermarket.

[armandodiaz]

Update:
After reading through my notes I realized, when my 944 first spun the rod bearing, I was planning on just doing a stock repair so I purchased a set of 924S rod/pistons. Later I decided I was going to track the car so I was told to purchase the 951 rods. For some reason I was under the impression I had bought a set of 83s. My Bad.
So here's the next question. In this situtation, I guess the 951 rods are the way to go?
Or, should I dare ask if anyone has 83 rods and grow my collection to 4 sets.