
Originally Posted by
Steve Boyd
Sounds simple but the crankcase and cylinder head also expand so you've got to get the rod+piston crown height to expand by 0.4 mm more than the expansion of the crankcase+head. The problem here is that aluminium alloys, typically used in crankcases expand by roughly twice as much as the steels typically used in conrods for the same temperature rise. It might actually be easier to use an alloy steel for the crankcase and reduce that expansion rather than try to increase the expansion of the rod+piston.
So on this rally there are cars stopping because the mud is getting in. On the last rally we had cars stopping because the snow was getting in. I think that tells me it isn't the mud or the snow...
[WRC] Safari Rally Kenya 2026