Ive searched, because I definately thought this would of been covered but couldnt find anythiny so I'm going to ask.

Whats the real difference between them? Im building a JRSC DD and hoping for around 240whp at 10-11psi. Want a reliable shortblock that I can put some miles. And in no way do I want this to turn into a oem vs. ACL vs. king vs. blah blah blah bearing arguement.


ps. H-T's new search engine sucks ball bag

 

Have you read up on how to use the search engine? I just found quite a few threads on the subject. From what I glanced at, seems like tri-metal (OE B18C1 bearings) are better suited for higher engine speeds as compared to bi-metal (OE B18B1 bearings).

Type "bi-metal" or "tri-metal" (including the quotes) in the search box and you'll get tons of results.

 

"bi-metal" = 96 threads that dont directly anser my question other that go with oem or that tri-metal is just better.

"tri-metal" = 142 thread that still didnt answer my question.

So far I have learned that I should of used oem or trimetal, and the best explanation I've read is that tri-metal resists surface fatigue better than bi-metal. But that wasn't even too great becuase the picture that was on the thread of the damaged bearing looked like a case of heavy oil contamination and some extreme heat.

I would like to know:

What makes the tri-metal's alloy composition better?

I'm on a budget and got a set of bi-metal bearings for cheap cheap and if the all spec in I was wondering if they would work out well in my JRCS'd D.D. GSR?

Also would like to know which bearing compostion is softer and more forgiving to contamination in the oil?

 

I'm no expert I don't think I would want to go with "lesser" bearings on an engine that supposedly came stock with tri-metal, especially when forced induction is involved.

Perhaps you should ask in the forced induction forum?

 

post in the all motor forum and ask for links to do research. the clearances are what really really matter. many of the higher performance builds run the rods toward the larger end of spec. .0018 to .0020 is common with the mains except #3 being slightly tighter. go post your specs in the all motor forum and see what they say. donf and endyn even post in there which are two very smart honda engine builders.

 

Now there is an answer that help, thanks alot man. I'm going to be doing some measurements this week and I'll post them up. I figured that the clearances are the really important factor and the bearing composition comes more into play when proper maintenance isnt kept up and for extreme longetivity. I know that the build prolly wont have the same lifetime as a oem build. But honestly I'm looking for this engine to last me in the 30 - 50k mile range, as long as I dont beat on it everyday. I want a decently quick, reliable DD, not a true race/track car. I'll post up my specs when I get my measurements done. Thanks again and any other input would be great.