Carbon Fiber Motors is a recently formed company whose goal is to manufacture connecting rods for small block Chevrolet LS motors. Reducing the weight of the rods will require a corresponding amount of material being removed from the crankshaft counterweights. Our rods will weigh about 400 grams less than a typical steel rod which will lighten the rotating assembly by as much as 6 kilograms or 13 pounds. This decrease in weight will allow the engine to accelerate to its optimal power range in less time and will require less energy to do so.
Lightening the rotating mass for this purpose is a concept that has long ago been accepted and as such there are many companies offering rods that are lighter than steel, specifically titanium and aluminum. Carbon fiber weighs 77% less than steel, 60% less than titanium and 33% less than aluminum. Not only will our parts be considerably lighter than today’s current leaders they will be stronger. Whereas the aforementioned metals may be stretched or elongated this is not the case with carbon fiber due to its extremely high tensile strength and as such these rods will last indefinitely when properly installed and used for their intended application.
In a recent press release Lamborghini has revealed their plans to offer carbon fiber connecting rods as an option in their cars. These parts are now being made and tested with the goal of going to production by the year 2020. The method being used is referred to as forged composites and entails “loading chopped, randomly oriented carbon fibers impregnated with resin into a two-piece steel mold…apply heat and 12000 to 15000 psi of pressure.” What this means is that none of the fibers will be any longer than a corn flake, literally. There will be no continuous fibers going around the part of the rod most likely to fail, the piston end hole. This is where our rod will excel: superior fiber placement and directionality assuring that this area is bulletproof. Each unit will be hand made and backed by the manufacturing know how and experience of 20+ years in the composite industry within the marine, aerospace and biomedical spheres.
As of March 28 2018 there has been a patent pending to protect this particular method of manufacturing and installing these rods and the composite engineering firm that has chosen to join me in this enterprise has begun preliminary R&D. Instead of Crowd Funding or Kick Starting this project I am seeking a partnership with an established company that is willing to explore new possibilities and is eager to provide its customers with the best products available.