titamium is not brittle until it gets hot.. and the temps needed will never be seen in a small block engine in a car if titanium can handle aircraft usage, such as the SR-71 and space shuttle, i think it can handle a car application.
Ti has a very high strength to weight ratio, high tensile strength (144 KSI) and a high melting point (3272 deg F), which makes it excellent for many applications, but it will fail at a certain bending moment. My first realization of this was using Ti foot pegs on my dirt bike, maybe not too scientific, but I snapped them none the less. The pegs supposedly made from aircraft 6al4v, which would most likely be the grade used on the SR-71. I think this is the reason 4340 (180-200 KSI) has been the material of choice for aircraft motor mounts.
I can't deny your logic Sir! The thought of greasing the tires at over a buck twenty is what caused me to write this in the first place. To answer your question, no I can't afford buy the car again, but I can afford an engine to run the number I need to run reliably. And I think that's what I will do before next season starts. Thank you and everyone else for the input!
That's kinda what I was thinking. I just don't have the tech knowledge to argue the point. I do know that they make all the parts I listed, and then some. The parts are made by big name companys too. Nascar and other forms of racing use Ti parts where they can. Ti valvetrain parts are very common. All this leads me to believe that cost is a bigger factor than strength. Especially with companys like Brodix, Manley, Comp Cams, Carrillo, and others staking their names on the parts.
I have one simple question. For someone running a car as costly as a full tube chassis setup with nitrous and is committed to running a full season............. ......why are you even asking this question? Put a set of Eagle rods in the damn thing and be done. And anyone who thinks they can break a titanium pin in a carbureted engine (even with nitrous) is showing their ignorance on the subjects of the stresses of an internal combustion engine and hot rodding/racing in general.
It's very little of you to turn this discussion into a personal shot at me, the other posters had the good class to make their points without doing that. Are you the same Shadowmaster who posts on the BBF forum? Let ask you something regarding Ti rotating parts, are you telling me you beleive Ti wrist pins and rods will have the same service life as steel?
First....that was not a "shot" at you but more of a wake up call. If you think titanium is too brittle for racing engine use then perhaps you should study a bit more. As far as service life goes, yes, I believe the titanium rod/wrist pin will live just as long as a steel rod/wrist pin. The problem with titanium is....who the hell can afford it? If you took my post as an offense...it was not meant that way. However, my question still remains. With the amount of money and dedication you have tied up in your program why would you even bother with a stock connecting rod for your application?
