Pushrod Strength Questions.
Pushrod Strength Questions. Are all aftermarket chromoly 5/16 pushrods created equal? like are the comp cams, trickflow, TSP pushrods all the same? they are all made from heat treated one peice chromoly so what makes other brands better than their competition?
For the most part any of the 5/16 pushrods you listed are equal. Most of them are made by the same manufacturer anyways (Trend mainly, some Manton and Smith Bro's). Wall thickness and overall diameter are the two main specs on a pushrod that determine how "good" it is. 90% of the pushrods the LSx parts slingers sell are .080" wall 5/16" dia. which is the pushrod equivalent of spaghetti. The minimum I'd prefer to use even on a mild cam deal with relatively low spring pressures are 11/32" .135" wall, 3/8" preferred.
Last edited by JS01; Sep 28, 2011 at 07:45 PM.
For the most part any of the 5/16 pushrods you listed are equal. Most of them are made by the same manufacturer anyways (Trend mainly, some Manton and Smith Bro's). Wall thickness and overall diameter are the two main specs on a pushrod that determine how "good" it is. 90% of the pushrods the LSx parts slingers sell are .080" wall 5/16" dia. which is the pushrod equivalent of spaghetti.
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Joined: Jul 2011
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Chew on this for awhile ... especially page 2. 
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...ness-spec.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...ness-spec.html
I looked into this when I upgraded my pushrods to 3/8" double taper. In the end, the hp curve above 6,200 climbed with the stiffer pushrods. From a hp standpoint, I gained about 6 but that was not the reason for the pushrod swap. The fact that there was a change at all indicates the pushrods were flexing and causing instability in the valve train at these RPM's so that the longevity of the setup should have increased with the stiffer pushrods as well.
Pushrod Stiffness Comparison
Pushrod Stiffness Comparison
