I see that the 04's are going to have forged everything... Is this new?

 

It is my understanding all are forged and use a process that leaves a stiff carbon outer surface.

 

Yes, F20C has forged Al rods and pistons, forged steel crank. Block and head are cast Al. Sleeves are "fiber reinforced", not 100% sure what that means.

 

yeah the sleeves are made of FRM(fiber reinforced material), same thing used in the b18c5 of the ITR.

 

Thanks...

 

The con rods are forged steel, not AL. According to Honda, the rods are carburized and heat treated to increase hardness and fatigue resistance. I don't think there such thing as AL connecting rod; I could be wrong. The NSX con rods are made of titanium for lightness and strength.

 

there are billet aluminum rods, that are available for racing use.. you wouldn't want to use them on a street car because of stretch of the aluminum over time, but for the limited time between rebuilds, they work fine for racing...

http://www.rrconnectingrods.com/rods.htm

 

Carbon fiber materials are mixed in a ceramic material substrate - like the insulators on sprak plugs. Very high heat and wear capability.

 

I know everything I have read regarding engine specs say the pistons are forged, but when I look at the top of the pistons I can see number formed in them as if they were cast. I asked the local shop and they said no way are they forged. Can anyone confirm that the pistons are actually forged and does that mean I could be wasting my money on buying a set of Aries aluminum pistons?

 

"The massively high speeds sustained by a valve train designed for an engine running beyond 9,000 rpm led to the adoption of lightweight valve springs using materials derived from Honda's CART ChampCar racing programme. Other components that use competition materials and construction techniques include the pistons and connecting rods. Forged pistons are seen for the first time in a Honda road engine, as are the specially heat-treated steel con rods. Another feature is the use of chain-driven (instead of belt-driven) camshafts for greater reliability at the higher potential speeds of the Honda S2000 engine. "