Don,
I know people that run at the salt and swear by aluminum rods. Aluminum
rods absorb the engine firing impulses better than steel is the argument
put forth. That may be so, but in my opinion, there are far more negatives
to aluminum rods. As Keith says, they take up more room...usually the
block has to be relieved for clearance. They have to be replaced
periodically to be safe. As Neil has said, there is not much advantage to
have the lighter rods anyway, since quick revs are not that important in
LSR.
Several years ago I had a bad experience with aluminum rods. The engine
was on the dyno...we made a pull at 7500 rpm and then went for a pull to
7700 rpm. A new Bill Miller Rod ended up on the floor. My engine guy
(Terry El ledge) was a NASCAR Motor builder and normally used steel rods.
It seems that he did not give enough deck clearance to accommodate the
aluminum rod growth. All the pistons were hitting the heads. Fortunately
for us, Speedweek was called because it was under water(1982) so I was not
left out of the competition.
After that experience, I bought a set of used Carrillo Rods. Twenty plus
years later, I am still running them. The rod bolts should be replaced
occasionally, but otherwise they are pretty much "bullet-proof".
I would certainly go with the steel rods. There are several steel rod
builders out there and so far as I know most are dependable. I also have a
set of Oliver rods that I run.
Tom, Redding CA - #216 D/FCC
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