Carrillo Rods History and Evolution

 

REVEALING UNPRECEDENTED CONNECTING ROD MANUFACTURING ACHIEVEMENT

Carrillo Connecting rods were founded by Fred Carrillo in 1963. Fred approached the challenges of manufacturing with the idea of no compromise. He knew the never ending quest for speed would require the same desire in component manufacturing. This Carrillo philosophy is as evident today as it was at Carrillo’s conception in 1963.

We have dedicated our resources to manufacturing excellent connecting rods. This dedication has created one of the most impressive success records of any automotive aftermarket parts supplier. Our long lasting relationship with high-end race teams ranging from NASCAR, IndyCar, American Lemans, GrandAM and championship motocross teams have enabled us to continually develop and push the envelope. Through these relationships, we constantly introduce a wide range of catalog items showcasing the latest advancements in connecting rod technology.

We contribute our long lasting and envied success in the Motorsports industry to our quest to advance quality in all aspects of our products and business; but we credit our growth and success entirely to you, and your confident use of our products. We thank you for your loyalty as we pledge to offer the highest quality products and services that you have come to expect from CP-Carrillo.

PERPETUAL  INNOVATION

BEAM SELECTION

Since 1963, Carrillo is recognized as the preeminent custom connecting rod manufacturer in the world. Carrillo has provided custom and prototype connecting rods to virtually every major automotive and motorcycle venue, most notably to the high performance and speed equipment industry. Whether it is a development engine or a modified existing engine, when nothing but the finest, most accurate, proven part is needed, Carrillo has earned the reputation of simply being the best.

Carrillo has been working to improve the availability of our products to the entire motorsports industry. In an effort to allow more access to Carrillo’s unsurpassed attention to detail,exceptional processing, and proprietary materials, we increased our standard stocking inventory of parts.

In addition to our well known H beam connecting rod, we offer an A beam configuration as well. The A beam configuration is available in Pro-A, Pro-A-Ltd and Pro-Super A (SA). Typically, the Pro-A beam configuration is well suited for less demanding, more economical, high-performance, aftermarket applications. Pro-A-Ltd connecting rods are designed for limited and restricted motor applications. And the Carrillo Pro-Super-A (SA) bridges the gap between the Pro-H and Pro-A applications.

All versions of Pro-H and A are stocking parts, which are limited to the more popular dimensions and part numbers. In addition to ourstandard designs we can also manufacture I-Beam rods. To decide which beam type is best suited for your application, please call our Technical Sales staff. Together we can build a rod that is best suited for your application and needs.

About Connecting Rod Horsepower Rating

Carrillo is often asked about general horsepower ratings for the various designs of its connecting rods. Unfortunately, this cannot be answered in a simple way.

The most relevant rod design parameters are Inertia forces (a function of engine speed, crank train geometry and assembly weights) and cylinder firing pressure (tuning, fuel, boost, etc.). Through increased engine speed, displacement, firing pressure or a combination thereof, horsepower is gained. However, through the various changes in the cycle, the demand on the rods varies greatly. Moreover, extreme dynamic loads on the drive train such as intermittently free spinning wheels or propellers (Hill Climb races, Off-Shore boat races) should be considered when making the right choice of rod.

CARRILLO RODS MANUFACTURING

Obsession With Perfection

Quality and pride go hand-in-hand at Carrillo Industries. Manufacturing a Carrillo rod is much more than cutting a forging, meeting production goals and shipping deadlines. The design of connecting rods has evolved to a collaboration of skilled specialists. Every connecting rod is a symphony of precision: material specialist, forging precision, production craftsman, design engineers and engine specialists each contribute know-how and artistry.

Feedback from our customers helps us continuously improve our products. We find that the close relationship between customer, engineering and manufacturing yields the most effective rod design while improving accuracy and service an added value you’ll discover during your engine build. Carrillo’s dimensional integrity is comparable to none.

Carrillo engineers continually refine our connecting rod designs to obtain that elusive goal – perfection in performance.

Quality Assurance

Throughout the manufacturing process and before leaving our facility, Carrillo rods are under the control of a rigorous Quality Assurance system. Each rod is subjected to a variety of inline quality checks, to ensure dimensions meet our stringent tolerance requirements. We employ a variety of testing equipment to accurately assess these tolerances, including a CMM, Air and Height-Gages,to name just a few.

The initial quality assurance starts with our selection of steel, followed by a strict forging and heat treating process. As a rod moves through manufacturing, quality assurance follows every step of the process; testing integrity and quality, providing a paper trail of certification through out the entire manufacturing and shipping process. Thus enabling us to become ISO 9001:2008 certified.

Every rod leaves our facility with a specification card. This spec card displays a part number, critical dimensions, weights, job number and bolt installation chart; all for ease of identification and tracking.

At Carrillo, we not only build high performance connecting rods, we provide service, knowledge and support. Our high-tech design, engineering and manufacturing operation is backed by a world-class service department. Our full staff of dedicated technicians, engineers and customer service is prepared to help with all of your design, application and service needs.

When you buy a Carrillo connecting rod we strive to put you in the winner’s circle; you get our commitment to quality and performance, before, during and after the sale!

Carrillo Leads The Way In High Performance Design and Connecting Rod Technology

Here are some of Carrillo’s popular features for the rod designs and definitions of various connecting rod terms.

ANNULAR GROOVES
A radial groove in the pin end bushing.

TAPERED PIN END
To reduce reciprocating mass or accommodate piston design, the pin end width could be tapered.

PE AND/OR BE LAPPED FINISH
Instead of a standard finish, the pin end and big end thrust face are lapped to obtain a finer finish.

SUPER HONE FINISH
A mirror finish with less than 4 RA on the wristpin bore.

LIPPED CAP AND LIPPED CAP RELIEF
When tension loads on connecting rods reach the higher limits of today’s automotive engines we have seen an improvement in the big-end integrity by slightly increasing the contact area between the cap and the connecting rod itself. Carrillo’s Lipped-Cap design achieves this goal with minimal additional weight. Because tension weight is a product of stroke, piston weight and RPM, this feature is great for very extreme applications.

GROOVES IN THRUST FACE
For weight reduction, grooves are machined on the big end thrust faces.

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS
Computer generated stress analysis of con rods

BUSHINGS AND SPLIT BUSHING
Carrillo’s bushings are generally manufactured from Aluminum/ Silicon/ Bronze. As a custom connecting rod manufacturer we also offer a variety of other material such as Nickel/Tin/Copper and Beryllium Copper. In special and limited applications Carrillo offers the option to run rods without bushings. This option requires the use of a special coated pin. Please consult our technical sales engineers for application information.

FPO
Force Feed Oiling, or Forced Pin Oiling (FPO), in actuality does not offer forced or pressurized oiling. However, by installing a slot behind the bearing and a hole through the center of the rod we have established a reservoir that supplies oil underneath the wrist pin when the connecting rod is pulling mass down the cylinder. It is most effectual on one of the four strokes of the engine cycle and certainly contributes to the longevity.

BOLTS
Carrillo offers a variety of fasteners, in various sizes, including metric and materials such as H-11 steel (WMC) and multiphase (CARR).

DOUBLE LOCKS
To provide flexibility for a rod with different bearing configurations or for rods that require double bearings.

OIL SHED COATING
Carrillo offers a highly efficient, durable oil shed treatment on the outside of the connecting rods per customer request. This coating reduces the reciprocating mass by repelling oil from internal moving parts.

ASF TREADED RODS
Besides the obvious shine, the ASF smoothes the surface reducing the possibility of crack initiation points and also aids in shedding oil.

CUSTOM LASER MARK/ SERIALIZATION
Carrillo offers custom laser marking such as serialization, barcodes, text, including any TrueType font, alphanumeric serial numbers, date codes, logos, part numbers, graphics, and data matrix codes.

EXOTIC CON ROD MATERIALS
In addition to our standard proprietary blend of steel, Carrilloloy, Carrillo offers other exotic connecting rod materials, such as Gen4. We constantly research and test potential materials: to improve product offerings.

ARC GROOVES
The arc grooves guides oil from the 10&2 oil holes towards the 6 o'clock position of the PE. Since the grooves are running out before reaching the 5 & 7 o'clock position, the full bearing surface under compression load is effective.

BE OIL SQUIRTER
This oil hole in the Big End neck allows pressure fed oil to squirt up to the piston and rod Pin End for additional cooling and improved lubrication. This option can be considered for engines without oil squirters.

DOWEL PIN
The dowel pin is the alternative option to ring dowels for locating the rod cap. It allows the bolts to be positioned closer to the big end bore for improved big end stability.

OIL RESERVOIR ON PE
A larger "funnel" at the top oil hole gives a better chance to collect oil for the PE lubrication. It is often combined with a PE bump out.

PE RADIUS
All Carrillo non-bushed rods are manufactured with a 0.020" radius as a standard. This option gives the opportunity to increase the radius if required for reduced edge loading.

RADIAL GROOVE
This feature creates an oil reservoir within the PE ID and distributes the oil towards the areas of high contact pressure.

RIBBED PE
This feature has the H-Beam design extended around the PE-strap for increased stiffness / minimum PE distortion under inertia
load. An option that is used for high engine speed applications.

RADIUS SLOT
The radius slot represents the well-known and durable standard Carrillo H-Beam Rod design.

SQUARE SLOT
A reduced radius in the H-beam slot allows for additional weight saving with minimal compromise of rod rigidity. Ideal for applications that are critical on meeting a low target weight.

TAPERED H-BEAM
The strong H-beam configuration can handle extreme engine loads. The tapered beam allows for some weight saving on the reciprocation end and gives increased clearance for fully boxed pistons.

STRAIGHT H-BEAM
The stoutest beam configuration available. It is capable to handle the most abusive forces in an engine.

A-BEAM
A light weight rod design for high engine speeds and limited cylinder pressures.

SUPER A-BEAM
With an increased beam thickness, the Super A-Beam design has a higher load capacity than the regular A-beam design.

 

All Carrillo Rod information on this page is provided by CP CARRILLO and is contained in their master automotive catalog. We have provided it here as we often get questions about many of the terms presented here, as well as related Carrillo rod technology.