I came across my old 2000 model year Honda Prelude brochure yesterday and started leafing through it. What I would call "page 9" is a page titled "Energy" that describes some of the technology that was used in the 2000 Prelude. Near the bottom of the page, something caught my eye. The following is a verbatim excerpt (italics added by me for emphasis):

"... A robust forged-steel crankshaft and connecting rods, plus fiber-reinforced metal (FRM) cylinder liners, add excellent durability."

The forged rods thing would certainaly jive with schwett's discovery that his 2000 TypeSH had thinner, less beefy looking rods than other H22As. Also, he was the first person I've heard report about the much larger crank journals in his 2000 H22A.

Now I've been reading Prelude message boards for about the last 6 years, and I can't ever remember anyone ever suggesting that any H22A had a forged crank or rods from the factory... Is this something that is just 2000+? Did any other H22As come with either forged rods or crank?

Thoughts?

Andrew

 

Interesting find Andrew... I wonder if it's a mistake on their part, because I would be amazed to know that they are forged rods. Maybe only the crank is forged, and honda's editor just grouped in the rods with it, possiblly by mistake. If schwett confirmed the rods and journals are unique, then it may just be a part sizing change, not a manufacturing process. I'm playing devils advocate here though.

 

The crank has always been forged.

Don't know about the rods - that's the first I've heard of it. I have a feeling it was a mistake on the part of the writer.

 

Thanks, I did not know that.

Andrew

 

Heh...I remember seeing this in the '01 brochure when I bought my prelude. They may be forged but they definitely aren't very beefy. I think I have an older h22 rod...lemme try to dig it up and get a side-by-side comparison. In the meantime here's a "forged" h22 rod vs. a Pauter rod:



--Ian

 

I justed pulled out my '01 brochure and found the same thing....

"A tough forged-steel crankshaft and connecting rods ensure durability."

This could be interesting.

 

i'm pretty sure all h22a cranks are forged. that's what i've always been told. i'm sure it's the same with the b series too.

as for the rods, they may be forged also.

size really doesn't mean anything. thin or not, they're designed to handle the application.

 

Looks may be deceiving. Just because they don't look "beefy" does not mean that they are not as strong as a thicker cast steel OEM H22A rod.

By virtue of the rod being forged steel, they can retain at least the same tensile, compressional, and flexural (sp?) strength as a beefier-looking cast rod and offer less weight in a part of equal strength. Lighter rods = less reciprocating mass = less power lost to turning engine bits = more power at the crank and a quicker revving motor.

Did you happen to weigh any of the rods when your motor was apart?

Andrew


[Modified by aklucsarits, 8:51 PM 10/28/2002]

 

what year h22 rods are those, heres the ones off my jdm h22, when i took em out to replace with Eagle rods, notice that they are a bit thicker and 'beefier looking





[Modified by DarkJedi, 9:52 PM 10/28/2002]

 

They're from my '01 so it would make sense if they're forged/smaller.

--Ian

 

i've got my 97 rod lying around, i'll take pics of them too, just for comparison

 

I realize this...my argument wasn't that they weren't as strong as a stock cast rod, I was saying they weren't beefy in relation to an aftermarket forged piece. I don't doubt that honda went to the forgings for the weight and size advantage...I was looking at it more from our point of view that even though they're forged they might not be the best choice for high power apps. The pauter's are definitely a higher quality metal and better forging. If I hadn't read that they were forged I wouldn't have suspected it...they almost look like a cast piece.

--Ian

 

If someone can take a picture of the side of the rod, you should be able to tell. A thin and sharp line denotes a cast part (space between upper and lower mold), a thick and flat line indicates the part was forged into shape.