Other NHRA racers who've chosen BME are: in Top Fuel: Rod Fuller, Brandon Bernstein, Antron Brown, Cory McClenathan and Morgan Lucas and, in Funny Car: Robert Hight, Ron Capps, Jack Beckman, Mike Ashley, John Force, Jim Head, Del Worsham, Ashley Force-Hood, Jeff Arend, 2007 FC Champ Tony Pedregon, and Tommy Johnson Jr.

The situation was the same in the International Hot Rod Association's two nitro classes. Both 2008 champions, Spencer Massey, Top Fuel, and Terry Haddock, Funny Car, had Bill Miller Engineering Rods in their engines. BME Rods were in the top three cars in points for both IHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car.

Obviously, Bill Miller runs his own parts in the BME/Okuma/Red Line Oil Top Fuel car he fields for Troy Buff. In two of the last three seasons, the BME Team had the highest-finish of any NHRA Top Fuel team running a partial schedule.

One of the more successful drivers in Top Fuel is Cory MacClenethan. One reason he does well in the Fram Dragster is the BME Rods in its engine.  Cory Mac used BME to finish second in Top Fuel for 2008. Image: Don Schumacher Racing.

One of the greatest blown-fuel drag racers in the history of the sport is Kenny Bernstein. Both as a driver, and now as a car owner with son, Brandon, behind the wheel, Kenny has used BME Forged Aluminum Rods. Image: Goodyear/Aaron Vandersommers.

Forged for Ultimate Strength

          Following extrusion, BME’s die-forging process shapes the aluminum and compresses its grain structure by heating it to 700°F then applying pressure of 2200 tons. Compared to rods which are cut out of ordinary flat stock, BME’s forging process: 1) significantly enhances grain flow and increases grain density. 2) forces the grain of the extrusion into the connecting rod shape and, more importantly, aligns that part of the grain which makes up the rod's tapered beam with the direction of highest stress the rod will sustain in a running engine and, 3) forces the grain around the rod bearing bore, creating a "hoop stress" phenomenon that provides maximum strength for the limited cross-section available at the rod’s big end.

During the early 1990s research into the strength of connecting rod materials which resulted in Bill Miller Engineering's switch to a different type of aluminum, Alcoa conducted fatigue life comparison tests which showed failures are caused chiefly by stress resulting from severed grains and improper gain direction. With a connecting rod machined from a plate, any machining severs grain ends. If this machining is done to critical sections of the rod, such as the beam or the big end, severed grain ends weaken the rod. If remaining uncut grains are not aligned in the proper direction, the rod will be further weakened.

A BME Rod’s taper, because it comes from the forging process rather than machining, does not expose grain ends. In a conventional aluminum rod, cut from flat-stock, grain length is cut by the rod bearing bore, again, exposing the grain ends. In contrast, the forging process used by Bill Miller Engineering forces the grain around that bore. Better grain flow, higher density, grain aligned with the direction of most stress, tapering which does not cut the grain and big end grain formed around the rod bearing bore are just a few reasons for a BME Rod’s exceptionally long fatigue life.

BME Rods are available in a variety of styles to fit the following engines: Chrysler 426 Hemi, 440 Wedge and 340 A-Block, Small- and Big-Block Chevrolets and Big-Block Pontiac. Also, some Ford rods are available by special order. For more information, see our rod prices page or call BME.

The Only Streetable Aluminum Rod Urban legends abound in the gearhead community. One is: aluminum connecting rods don't work in street engines. Prior to the mid-'70s, that might have been true, however, introduction of the Bill Miller Engineering Forged Aluminum Connecting Rod in 1975 provided an exception to that myth. The BME Rod has good durability in high-end, high-power, street/strip or hot street engines because it is die-forged, rather than cut out of an aluminum plate. Bill Miller Engineering's unique, high-strength, aluminum alloy further enhances fatigue strength such that the potential durability of BME Rod rivals that of many forged steel rods and exceeds that of a few.

About 20 years ago, a few resourceful engine builders, led by H-O Racing's, Ken Crocie, began using BME Rods in very-high-performance street engines. Crocie, a racing and street/strip Pontiac V8 specialist, faced with a shortage of acceptable steel rods for Pontiacs, began to use BME Aluminum Rods. While a few other engine builders have followed Crocie's lead, admittedly, use of the Bill MIller Engineering Rod in street engines has not been widespread, but that's only because of its higher cost and the stubborn belief that any aluminum rod is unsuitable for street use.

"In a street application, using the aluminum rod is a no brainer," BME President, Bill Miller recently said in an interview with an automotive magazine. "I don't know exactly how the myth that aluminum rods can't be used on the street got started, but I'll guess that early manufacturers of aluminum rods, back in the 60s and early-70s, weren't making them using the forging process we're using. With the material we've got and they way we manufacture the connecting rods, they'll live a couple hundred thousand miles on the street because a street application is, for the most part, low load. You gotta understand, our basic Aluminum Rod is made for 10,000 rpm and 800-hp. The design criteria for the connecting rod is way overkill for what it's gonna see on the street. We been running aluminum rods on the street for 20 years."

          Why build a street engine with BME Rods? One reason is the "cool factor." Bill Miller Engineering Rods are unique, high-end racing parts and there always will be people who spend extra money to have the same rods in their engine as Tony Schumacher or John Force puts in his. More importantly, there are practical reasons for using BME Rods—the same reasons racers use them: less reciprocating and rotating mass due to their comparative lightness. That allows the engine to accelerate quicker and make more power as it does so. Lighter rods also improve throttle response and allow the engine to run reliably at a higher rpm than it could with steel rods.

Standard BME Forged Aluminum Connecting Rods for most production Chevrolet, Chrysler and Pontiac V8s are reliable replacements for steel rods in engines of up to 800 horsepower. Aluminum Rods for some Ford V8s of similar power output are available on special order. A Big-Block Chevrolet style, Pro Stock rod, good to 1200-hp, is, also, available. If the application is a Chrysler 426 Hemi or big-block "wedge", BME's blown-alcohol rods can be used at levels well over 2000-hp and have outstanding reliability/durability.

And What About Bolts?

          In keeping with BME's relentless pursuit of quality, Bill Miller installs nothing but the finest cap screw type rod bolts in his Connecting Rods. These bolts are manufactured to BME's specifications by fastener manufacturer, Automotive Racing Products (ARP).

BME/ARP Rod Bolts come in two varieties. The bolts in most BME Rods are made of 8740 chromium-molybdenum (chrome-moly) steel, a quenched and tempered steel with a tensile strength of between 180,000 and 210,000 psi. The bolts used in rods Bill Miller sells for supercharged drag race applications are made of a special hybrid alloy called "ARP2000" which has a tensile strength of 215,000-220,000 psi. BME's bolts made of this ARP-exclusive material receive a special, proprietary heat-treating process designed by BME specifically for rod bolts used in blown-fuel drag race engines.

ARP 2000 steel, rolled threads and a special, BME-designed heat-treating process makes the bolts in a BME Aluminum Rod the strongest in the industry.

          Both types of BME/ARP Rod Bolts are CNC-machined. They are heat-treated in vertical racks which ensures complete, 360-deg. penetration. These bolts have rolled threads but the thread rolling is done after heat-treating which provides up to 10-times more fatigue life than bolts with threads rolled before heat-treating. Needless to say, when you buy a BME Aluminum Rod, the last thing you need to worry about are rod bolts.
 

BME Rods:  The finest money can buy.

Since 1975, Bill Miller Engineering has been dedicated to designing, developing, and manufacturing the finest aluminum connecting rods in the industry. Our commitment to the racer is total. We conduct continuous research and development to increase the performance of our Rods. We strive to produce the lightest and strongest aluminum rods on the market. You can be assured, when you buy BME Forged Aluminum Connecting Rods; you get the finest rods modern technology can produce. Bill Miller stands behind his company's rods, both literally and figuratively. The BME Forged Aluminum Connecting Rod was Bill Miller's first product and remains the core of his business.

One of the best things about BME products is the hands-on involvement of Company President, Bill Miller, shown here at left, talking with one of the BME Team members. In 1975, Bill began BME with the Forged Aluminum Rod as its first product and was the company's only employee. Today, 30 years later, Miller is still closely involved with the manufacturing and quality control processes and deals with many customers personally