Alumunum Rods In A Street Engine ?

[olddog]

Originally Posted by Paul Kane

This may be the case for electrical lugs for home power, but it is a poor and unfair comparison (and not even an analogy) for con rods. It's pretty safe to say that aluminum electrical lugs are not made of 7075 aluminum. Nor would the aluminum lugs be heat treated to T6 hardness. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Yes Paul, you are absolutely correct. Aluminum wire is a poor comparison to the higher grades of aluminum available. I only used this to illustrate what creep is. I should have pointed out that rods would be made of a much better grade. My bad.

However even the best grades of aluminum will not hold up in an engine, like steel does.

You did make an interesting point. If you put aluminum rods in a street engine that made little power and let grandma drive it nice and easy, they would last the life of the engine. No doubt in my mind that if you stay under some rpm (stress level) they will last forever.

I only knew of one person to run aluminum rods in a small block chevy on the street. That was 30 yrs ago. I think he got about 10,000 miles out of them. I cannot remember which end failed. I'm thinking it was the wrist pin knocking, but I just do not remember for sure. This memory thing bums me out.