- Location
- Floridapunk
Can someone explain the difference in performance/ maintenance of a light weight crank vs. forged. The forged cranks are sold by Dasa for the engines, yet many builders are going to light weight cranks.
Super Jet Light weight billet vs forged crankshaft
- Thread starter SuperDrifter
- Start date
- Location
- St.Pete, Fl. - Daytona, Fl.
Billet is just another word for raw material - usually aluminum. Billet is just machined to size from the stock material. Forged is hammered over and over and "pushed" into shape. Forged components are heavier than billet as the hammering makes the material for the crank more dense.
For example, a lot of tools like open end or box end wrenches are forged, and therefore have more strength than just billet or raw material. So forged tools and such do not break as easily as tools that are just machined or cast. Billet is just raw material machined to size. Billet is lighter, so it will spin up faster than forged, but can break easier. Forged is heavier and takes more energy to turn, but it will take more abuse and possibly last longer.
So it depends on what you really want in this case faster spin up time on the motor with billet at the expense of durability, or more durability with the forged at the expense of faster spin up times. I believe stock cranks are forged for longevity.
At least this is how I understand it, but please correct me if I am wrong.
For example, a lot of tools like open end or box end wrenches are forged, and therefore have more strength than just billet or raw material. So forged tools and such do not break as easily as tools that are just machined or cast. Billet is just raw material machined to size. Billet is lighter, so it will spin up faster than forged, but can break easier. Forged is heavier and takes more energy to turn, but it will take more abuse and possibly last longer.
So it depends on what you really want in this case faster spin up time on the motor with billet at the expense of durability, or more durability with the forged at the expense of faster spin up times. I believe stock cranks are forged for longevity.
At least this is how I understand it, but please correct me if I am wrong.
- Location
- Floridapunk
- Location
- Marion, Ohio
Forging a material does not make it more dense; the strength improvements are due to improved grain structure/flow. A forged part can actually be made lighter than it's billet equivalent...
It's much easier to just machine a part out of a piece of billet than it is to forge it into shape, then finish machine it. This is why forged parts are more expensive.
It's much easier to just machine a part out of a piece of billet than it is to forge it into shape, then finish machine it. This is why forged parts are more expensive.
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