Rod bearing time

[SamOye]

Just quick reminder what bearings and bolts are you guys using

[Battle]

Be arp

[BryanCO]

Just had mine done two weeks ago. BE bearings and OEM rod bolts.

[rjsiciliano]

Originally Posted by BryanCO

Just had mine done two weeks ago. BE bearings and OEM rod bolts.

People use oem bolts on BE bearings? Thought ARP was the standard

[BryanCO]

Originally Posted by rjsiciliano

People use oem bolts on BE bearings? Thought ARP was the standard

Discussed this in another thread but the shop I used builds engines as their core business and recommended the OEM bolts. There is no issue with the OEM bolts and they are about 30% less expensive. They do have a different torque process that could be a reason for a DIY to opt for the ARP bolt (no concern to my shop) and the ARP bolts are reusable (which will not apply to me).

[DrFerry]

BE rod bearings and ARP (BE) bolts are the S65 gold standard. They are a true engineering solution to the clearance problem rather than just replacement parts of OEM spec. Lots of information out there on this topic on The Official Rod Bearing thread.

[tdott]

Originally Posted by BryanCO

They do have a different torque process that could be a reason for a DIY to opt for the ARP bolt (no concern to my shop) and the ARP bolts are reusable (which will not apply to me).

Some shops charge additional labor to use OEM rod bolts. So in the end and since the OEM rod bolt price increase. It's usually cheaper to use ARP plus they are reusable if you ever do need to change the bearings again.

[BryanCO]

Originally Posted by tdott

Some shops charge additional labor to use OEM rod bolts. So in the end and since the OEM rod bolt price increase. It's usually cheaper to use ARP plus they are reusable if you ever do need to change the bearings again.

Some shops…sure, ask your shop…

[pbonsalb]

Installing stock bolts takes about three times as long as installing ARPs so a shop charging by the hour would charge more. But stock bolts are fine — there are no reports of stock rod bolt failures even on supercharged cars.

I used them when I did my bearings in 2014. And the next year I helped a friend do his bearings with VAC ARP bolts and they were so much easier to install. 176 movements versus 48, and whichever way you go, you should be patient and careful so there definitely is noticeable added time involved, not that an extra 30-60 minutes in a roughly 8 hour job is huge.

You don’t have to buy BE. VAC, EuroPower and others sell ARP 2000 bolts to fit. BE and VAC were the first to cut ARPs for a Nissan motor down to fit. BE later got ARP to just make them for BE in that length. The ones I would be inclined not to use are the ones ARP sells that are ARP NewAge 625 spec. BE has some great research on how they may distort the bearing. Maybe altering the torque would work — I have not followed the latest news. Lang Racing has another brand bolt that it uses, but I don’t think they are any cheaper.

Most important thing is to change the bearings as preventative maintenance if they have not been done before, unless you want to play the S65 lottery and risk an expensive engine failure. Various rod bearing options as well — BE, VAC, Lang, ACL. BE are the most expensive and you can’t go wrong using them, but motors have done just fine with others.

[Zeus69]

BE Bearings-ARP Connecting Rod Bolts

Getting this done in July. Preventative - car will have 70K miles.

[egebhardt]

ARP BE Bolts (cheaper and easier) (no brainer)
ACL Race Standard Bearings (working great so far) (i think these are better than people give them credit for)

[PACarGuy]

BE/ARP for me in 2018 with 58K miles. At 71.5K now.

[DirtyThreeSix]

Went with BE bearings and ARP bolts