max hp on "stock" ka rods

[giant killer]

a co-worker just bought a busted 13 hatch and wants me to build him a race car.. he drives a saturn now so i am thinking 350ish hp would be really fast to him.. i think stock rods with arp studs, shot peened, and balanced when assembled would be safe to that power level. yay nay?

thanks in advance, bennyb

and dont tell me to search, just tell me if i am right or wrong..

[wootwoot]

i researched building a KA for a goodbit. for that level stock rods will be fine but i would do an engine rebuild thats just me. the weak point of a ka seems to be mostly the pistons, and headgasket. i have found high performance rebuild kits for 1600 online with performance rods, and pistons. just search around. 350whp seems to be asking for trouble on everything stock. it can be done but a couple oopsies like detonation and you might be waiting for AAA

[orion::S14]

300rwhp will get him into the low-13s or even high-12s, and can be done safely on a stock block.

T3/T4 + ~13-14psi = low 13 timeslips, 107-109mph trap speeds.

Is that extra 50rwhp worth the cost?

Now, this is tuning dependant...for a conservative tune, like a JWT ECU, this is a no-brainer.

If you're trying E-Manage or some other "standalone/piggyback"...build a block, b/c you'll get too aggressive with the timing someday and pay the price.

- Brian