Con Rods; Made in China

[spitfire6]

Hi I recently ordered some precision forged 4340 EN24 aircraft chrome moly quality steel H-beam connecting rods for my TR5 engine. They are advertised as good to 10K RPM with correct bolts and 9K with supplied bolts. Also, 1000HP...

 

They cost about 55 quid each.

 

After purchasing of E-Bay, I find that they are made in the people's republic of China. :-/

 

I haven't included their address as I do not want to advertise, but can post a link I guess.

 

My questions are:

Anybody used Chinese con rods before?

Should I be concerned? :-/

 

Cheers,

Iain.

 

[spitfire6]

Picture of Rods from website:

 

[James]

All depends who designed and spec'ed them - Chinese do what they are told and can make anything - if they break it's not because they are Chinese

 

55 quid sounds good

 

Could buy a few and stress test them

[Nick Jones]

Will be interesting to see what you get!  If the dimensions are right you could also get a PMI test done to prove the alloy.  Are they intended for the standard shells?  Is there a weight stated?

 

As James says, being Chinese is not the issue - they are more than capable of making excellent products - it's whether they are actually trying to make an excellent product!

 

Nick

[mattius]

Those of you who have been on this forum a while might remember we discussed these before, cant seem to find the thread now, but someone was in touch with the company and they sent him a test rod. I seem to remember the dimensions are slightly off, although i could be wrong it was a few years ago. They used to sell them on ebay.

 

 

edit:

 

found it.

 

http://www.sideways-technologies.co.uk/forum/Blah.pl?m-1229556898/s-0/

[motov8id]

`Buyer beware! The Chinese only make copies of products designed and engineer elsewhere minus the quality of material and workmanship. They never try to reverse engineer someone's idea and make it better they just copy.  What the alloy is and what the hardness is can not be assured because they advertise it as an important feature. There is no honesty or integrity. They have the ability but not the desire to make products of a high standard.

[spitfire6]

 

 

`Buyer beware!

 

Hi,

     Next week when they arrive I shall weigh them. If they all weigh the same and look pretty then I will get someone to install in my engine.

 

If they go bang then I have excuse to buy steel crank and a new block with bearing for camshaft with stronger pistons. Will reuse my rods as they are lightened standard rods. Head should be ok if rods go bang?

 

And if they are crap then everybody knows not to waste their money! ;D

 

Cheers,

Iain.

 

 

 

[rlubikey]

QUALITY CONTROL !!!!

 

The moment the customer walks out the door, Chinese quality control goes out the window - unless they've really nailed the quality control system to the wall.

 

Richard

 

PS: Yes, they do try and reverse-engineer things - my Gweilo colleague spoke fluent Cantonese and reported back some very interesting conversations he overheard!

[GHR630]

Err, you are going to invest in these in preference to investing in cam bearings (at least initially)?????. Sorry, I don't get that!

[spitfire6]

Err, you are going to invest in these in preference to investing in cam bearings (at least initially)?????. Sorry, I don't get that!

 

Hi,

     Engine is already built without cam bearings as was told I did not need them. I've now decided I do want them so next time engine is out of car I will insist on cam bearings and a different cam.

 

Cheers,

Iain.

 

[lordleonusa]

Fit the Cam bearings, you know it makes sense!

 

L

[DaveNotSoSideways]

Chinese can make anything, top spec, they make to the spec what they are told.

 

I no longer slag off chinese stuff cause I brought a 2£ something and expected it to last/work like a 10£ german one.  It was only £2 to CREATE its own market, let me expand.

 

Blame the supplier/sourcing company not the chinese companies. They can make anything as well or better than the propoganda suggests, you know, "buy US/UK cause..........(insert generalisations/dogmatic nonsense here).....

 

Your Chinese made thing died cause some bloke in a UK office went to a middle man, a man who sorts stuff in China, middle man finds X company to make X stuff for UK man, company makes stuff and it arrives @ UK mans depot, that's about it often, they went to China to make the cheapest possible load of complete shit assed crap and see how many moronic comsumers will buy something that was only spec'ed to be "so cheap you can't afford not to buy one" often.

 

On that note, think VERY hard about how to make EASY money from learned dependants/blind consumers. Simply make a piece of shit assed crap that's no use for anything @ 0.20p£ a UNIT. This item usually sells for 5£ for a "brand" label, sell it next to brand labels as your own brand for 1.50£, they will FLY off the shelves, the quality of the product wasn't important, neither it's durability, next week another shit assed crap product with the best mark up in the shop.

 

The important factor is just finding loads of dumb cunnets who can't turn down anything cheap, buy purely on price, they will SUCK UP cheap shit assed crap like a two buck whore sucks on man pipe. You can make a whole business empire selling shit assed crap to muppets. I'm looking into exploiting stupid people as a viable business for printing easy money selling dogshit to them and laughing all the way to the bank, now I've seen it in action in just about every shop......

[DaveNotSoSideways]

^^ I give u the automated handwash pump from Dettol, I saw this on TV, I laughed so hard I nearly fell over from lack of oxygen.

 

Lets break this down and really understand where we are as a soceity....where China fits in.

 

Bacteria are GOOD, kids should be forced to eat other kids bacteria, mud, and all manner of horrid nasties, play in the field drink river water, sea water, kiss cows, this builds BIG STRONG immune systems and kids without ALLERGIES. Like they used to be (no use to medical companies as strong kids don't need healthcare/pills do they? Call dettol the legarm of the pharm industry? Destroy peoples health instantly as they are born they need more pills later? )

 

In the last 5 years or more BACTERIA is a spin word for DETTOL and Domestos etc, (learned dependant) people have been socialised/brainwashed by TV to fear any bacteria, some smart mother chucker (like me) saw this ridicious growing of bacteria fear and saw the opportunity to design the most fking stupid product they possibly could to sell to dumb cunnets who don't have a brain.

 

I give you the automatic hand wash pump, LETS THINK NOW, BRAINS ON. A pump to stop getting bacteria on your hands from the soap dispenser, the same FAMILY BACTERIA ALL OVER YOUR DINNER, bacteria on your hands from touching a soap dispenser BEFORE WASHING YOUR HANDS.

 

This is the world we live in, I walk around the supermarker in constant unending disappointment that what was an intelligent species (or had potential) has been reduced to puppet consumers without even the ability to realise their obsession with bacteria has lead them to buy this laughable product, and also why they kids are weak snivvelin ill ass-matic feabilites..........

 

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

 

A good example of "advanced dumb cunnut exploitation".

 

China made this possible via cheap production, and the generation "dumb" born of the £10 DVD player, caused by China.

[DaveNotSoSideways]

P.S. My point missed. We are the problem, we who buy the stuff. The answer to stamping out cheap ass crap is to educate the buyers Thats not easy when people who think like me work in marketng departments. (they need psychology degrees now, not marketing ones?)

 

My image of a marketing arm is of one long laughing session 8hrs a day, 5 days a week, brain storming about sections of society and how to engage their pre-fears, underlying, developing or developed fears, praying on people to sell products, the government did the ground work to with its total depedancy policies of socialistic shite and stoking the environment of anthropophobicism/fear of everything outside your own home (and the bacteria inside it), so the time has never been better...to manipulate the mindset of fear to sell products.

 

8hrs a day/5days a week laughing about how they have access to millions of really stupid people they can basically just extract money from, legalised robbery.

 

You, the Consumer are the problem, you can't turn down cheap ass shit, lap it up, that was the idea....................it was cheap, I couldnt help myself.......go up 3 posts and start again......

[Gerard]

Still angry Dave?  ;D

[willcolumbine]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one that laughed at that stupid soap dispenser advert! Not only does it prey on idiots fear of bacteria but the whole thing is fundamentally flawed. If you have dirty hands the first thing you touch is the tap. You then get the soap, use it and the last thing you touch is the tap! That's why operating theatres have taps you turn off with your elbow. I'm thinking now I should go into business selling motion sensing taps? Lets get every last penny out of these idiots!

 

The one that really gets me though is those stupid 'probiotic' drinks. A textbook example of creating a market and exploiting it? All the hallmarks of a scam are there - pseudoscience, z list celebrity endorsement, images of healthy people etc etc. I guess the people who buy it could really do with some fruit, veg and excersise but I'm sure they think that by drinking this they're doing something healthy. Absolutely mental!

[AJ.Lintern]

You already get those motion sensing taps in some public toilets, all great until you have to 'reinfect' yourself by pulling on the bacterially infested door handle on your way out :X Then the banister on the stairs or the hand rails on the bus or... surprised everyone isn't dead by now! ;D

[bearmtnmartin]

I'm pretty sure Scat and Crower rods are made in China, probably by that same company. They move some of the drag and circle track V8s at over 9000 RPM........Best thing is to metal test them, check the tolerances and report back to us!

[knackerjack]

I am totally shocked by you lot we are all going to die because of a dirty tap, I yrge you Dettol it now!

However the Chinese do what they are bid but like a child need someone standing over them or they will make it out of butter metal.

Here is a good old BLMC crank from my Sprint that err died recently.

 

 

 

[motov8id]

a friend is an engineer on the construction of the new(under construction for 2years in planing much longer) Bay Bridge from San Francisco to Oakland. It's a vital link from the suburbs to the city. China was awarded the contract to build the center steel cable support for the bridge for $2B. only about 1.5B pounds. After constant trips to observe construct and insist they adhere to the contract specification my friend is living in China to daily inspect and demand to no avail they build the product to agreed upon specification. They don't produce quality products for export under any circumstance. Crower is located a short distance from me. They do not sell Chinese made products they may be machined in Mexico since there HQ is at the boarder but the material is US made. Check their web site.

[Nick Jones]

Jon, you hooligan    .  Impressive failure that!  Bit difficult to be sure from the pics but looks like it could have been a fillet radius issue that started that - depressingly common on reground cranks and looks a bit like the failure I had on a Herald crank....

 

Has the block and main cap survived? I can see some attrition but can't decide if it's all on the shells.......

 

Nick

[DaveNotSoSideways]

Angry, no. Enlightened, totally disinterested, yes.  

 

Don't get me started on some other bullshit I've had my fill today, I watched the ITV news.

[DaveNotSoSideways]

Will, anyone buying products endorsed by Martina Muck-Chuck-son or whatever her name is needs public floggin, don't get me started on Aidos Slimming "aid" pills.

GET SOME EXCERCISE YOU LAZY..............

 

Oh god.......

 

Pill Culture......another day...

[knackerjack]

Will, anyone buying products endorsed by Martina Muck-Chuck-son or whatever her name is needs public floggin, don't get me started on Aidos Slimming "aid" pills.

GET SOME EXCERCISE YOU LAZY..............

 

Oh god.......

 

Pill Culture......another day...

 

Now listen here young man, to someone who is older but possibly a lot less wise than you.

Record commercial tv programes so you can skip through ads. Never read a daily paper, or your gonna end up a grumpy old man

Or possibly go mad............whoops maybe too late

 

 

[knackerjack]

Jon, you hooligan    .  Impressive failure that!  Bit difficult to be sure from the pics but looks like it could have been a fillet radius issue that started that - depressingly common on reground cranks and looks a bit like the failure I had on a Herald crank....

 

Has the block and main cap survived? I can see some attrition but can't decide if it's all on the shells.......

 

Nick

 

Yes amazingly lucky that the damage was confined to the crank and bearing, however the drive pin on the jackshaft sheared but that is nothing, maybe 7000 was too much revs ;D

The crank has been trackdaying since 1997 and has literally done thousands of miles at the rev limit, tish poo I have another.