20V Blacktop ConRods

[86Pilot]

So the 20V BT original conrods seem extremely flimsy and weak.



I guess they will do ok on a stock engine but because I'm in the process of assembling mine from scratch, it seems a good idea to make sure that I have a solid connection between crank and piston.

What conrods have you guys been using in your blacktops?

I'm considering the Brian Crower ones
(42mm and 20mm pins)

Center to Center Length -- 4.803"

Big End Bore -- 1.772"

Big End Width -- 0.859"

Pin Bore -- 0.787"

Pin Width -- 0.859"

Weight -- 415 Grams



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brian-Crower-S...1919wt_822

As for the pistons, I guess the OEM ones will have do. And I can only find TODA pistons for the BT (apparently different form the Silvertop) which are extremely expensive.

The idea is a bit more compression as I will have to skim the head and maybe later go for more lift and a bit more duration on the cams.

[Project D]

BC work with CP piston and JE, they can make pistons with your own specs
http://www.briancrower.com/makes/toyota/...tons.shtml

Arias also make pistons for blackop.

[86Pilot]

Good one on the Arias. :wink:
Kept looking for Wiseco and completely forgot about Arias. Thanks!

About the BC conrods, did anyone tried them?

[Project D]

BC make good product so I believe you can buy them with confidence
BTW blacktop conrods aren't weak at all, most guys use them 'cause they are very light and can support 190hp+ :wink:

[Uzelac]

Wossner ?

[Uzelac]

Ops, forgot about 20V part.
Wossner makes only 16V. Sry

[4000GT]

I went with Tomei rods. But why do you need uprated ones? Boosted application?

[totta Crolla]

I can't believe Toyota did not do their homework on the 20v rods.
Is the material spec. on the blacktop rods different to the others ?
Any evidence of blacktop rods breaking on a n/a engine other than the bearings letting go ?

[Project D]

totta Crolla Wrote:I can't believe Toyota did not do their homework on the 20v rods.
Is the material spec. on the blacktop rods different to the others ?

In 10 years, knowledges on material (alloy / process) have significantly evolved.
Maybe the material is the same (far as I know, no one have ever analyse them) but by changing only few things on the process it can change radically the stiffness.

totta Crolla Wrote:Any evidence of blacktop rods breaking on a n/a engine other than the bearings letting go ?

Personally I never heard about blacktop rods breaking for no reason.

[86Pilot]

Most of the rebuilds I've seen over the years do contemplate a conrod upgrade, usually to silvertop rods.

As I said above, I guess the OEM ones will do just fine for a stock engine.

As I don't want to reopen the bottom end any time soon, I want some peace of mind when it comes to con rods, not just due to compression but primary due to piston speed. I guess the more likely scenario for a connection rod failure in a NA setup would be a traction load and not compression.

I'm not yet sure where future head modifications will take this engine to, but if the case presents where I need more rpm (or more compression) to make a setup perform correctly, I don't want to be worrying about rods.

So that is the main reason why I think it is a wise decision to invest in stiffer (and lighter actually!) connection rods.