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Connecting rods for gen 2

4K views 9 replies 2 participants last post by  Ramirez 
#1 ·
Anyone knows another make for rods in a gen 2. Heard of crower and carrillo, can anyone do a review on both.

Also found these maxspeedingrods product, the owner claims to be exactly the same ironcraft than carrillo. Any thoughts?
 
#2 ·
I would avoid the "MaxSpeed" rods unless you plan on changing the bolts and having them re-sized after you do. When you price that, they usually end up being more expensive than Crower/Carrillo.

As far as those two brands go, I have had both in my hand at some point for a Gen 2, and my next set will be Crower's. Surprisingly, they are usually a bit less expensive, but they are a much more robust rod. They weigh a few % more each over the Carrillo's, but you also get bushed little end compared to the hard chromed end on the Carrillo... On the two sets I had I also found the clearances to be a little better on the Crower's, especially on the little end.

Regardless of which brand you choose, get the best rod bolts you can afford.... In my experience rod bolts are over 99% of non-oiling or sizing related failures.
 
#3 ·
Any other brand than crower or carrillo? I am really looking forward to the crower but I am not convinced by the design, maybe if the ironcraft is the same or better than the carillo maybe the design does not have anything to do with the rod being a great rod
 
#4 ·
The Crower I-beam rod is actually a superior design for strength compared to the 'H' beam. There is a lot of misconception about the whole 'H-beam' rod design. Don't get me wrong, the Carrillo/CP rod is a good piece of hardware and will likely never give you a spot of trouble if they are sized/oiled correctly, but I have had it side-by-side with a Crower and I personally will buy Crower next time around. But they both will work for your application, most likely.

There are no other brands of rod I can recommend for a zx10r, because I have not used any other. I would advise that you try to save money elsewhere if that is your primary motivation for variety. It doesn't take much to get rod sizing wrong, and it it doesn't take much wrong to destroy a motor. Regardless of what you pick, make absolutely sure an automotive machinist verifies the tolerances in the bottom end.
 
#6 ·
Correct. You are given 3 choices of bearings from the OEM for the 2nd gen, and the rods you get will have to be matched to the appropriate set. You can trust the data card from Crower/Carrillo, or you can do the smart thing and measure when you get them... even the best make mistakes. The same should be done on the crank.

The metallurgy & design on both the mentioned pieces are adequate for 99%. Honestly, a stock rod is fine up to a respectable level of power. The strength of the rod itself is usually not the problem: Rod bolts fail first, and oiling issues are the second leading cause of death. actually breaking or bending the rod itself without detonation or over-rpm'ing and engine is very rare in my experience.
 
#9 ·
Definitely need rods. I plan on going a little more than 10, maybe 12. But I am trying to cover any weak points in the engine, since turbo always gets away with the weakest link, I'm waiting on some other parts to get here. But my last will be the rods, just gather any more info on the crower
 
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