Forged connecting rods Ford - 2.0L 16V Turbo - Cosworth YB for forged pistons

The Ford Cosworth YB engine (2.0 16v Turbo)

Designed by Cosworth from the Ford « Pinto » block, the YB (internal code YB / N5B) is a 2.0-litre inline-four (1,993 cm³) topped by an aluminium twin-cam 16-valve head and fed by a Garrett turbocharger. With a 90.8 mm bore and a 77 mm stroke, it is a short, sturdy and highly responsive block, built from roughly 1985 to 1996.

This is the engine that built the legend of the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth and then the Escort RS Cosworth, on the road and in rallying alike. As soon as boost pressure, engine speed or load exceed factory values, the stock connecting rods become the weak link of the rotating assembly. Replacing them with forged rods is the decisive step to make a tuned YB reliable for the long term.

The forged connecting rods

Our forged rods for the Cosworth YB are machined from wrought EN24T steel, the benchmark alloy in motorsport. They suit every discipline (circuit, rally, drift, drag, time attack and hillclimb) and are equally at home on a strong road build or an engine pushed to Stage 2, Stage 3 and beyond. Supplied as a weight-matched set of 4, they retain the 24 mm piston pin and the 133.5 mm centre-to-centre length.

Compared with an original rod designed above all for mass-production cost, a forged EN24T rod offers a far greater mechanical reserve: forging aligns the metal fibres with the load paths and closes internal porosity. It is this margin that lets a boosted YB withstand cylinder-pressure peaks and inertia loads without failure. The entire range offered here is made from this same forged EN24T steel.

Technical specifications of the forged Cosworth YB rods (24 mm pin, 133.5 mm centre-to-centre)

Torque and bolt stretch

Torque and stretch figures refer to the ARP bolts supplied with the kit; please refer to the accompanying data sheet. Checking with a stretch gauge remains the most reliable method to guarantee preload.

Technical guide

Forged EN24T steel: what is it?

The rod profile offered

The I profile (ZRP), recognisable by its I-shaped section, concentrates material where compression loads build up. Machined from EN24T steel, it favours a controlled rotating assembly (545 g) and high reliability, ideal for a boosted YB; supplied with ARP bolts in 3/8".

How to choose your rod bolts?

	ARP 2000: the versatile benchmark alloy, resisting up to about 220,000 psi. Offered here in 3/8" diameter suited to the YB, it covers the vast majority of builds. It is the default choice to make the bottom end reliable for the long term (torque 61 N·m).
	ARP L19: a higher-strength steel (up to about 260,000 psi), intended for the most extreme builds in boost pressure and rpm. Reserve it for the most heavily stressed engines (torque 67.8 N·m). L19 is prone to corrosion: oil it after fitting.

Measuring bolt stretch

See the ARP stretch gauge

The brand offered

This Cosworth YB range is made by ZRP, a manufacturer of high-performance forged competition rods. It is offered in the I profile, machined from EN24T steel and supplied with ARP bolts in 3/8" (ARP 2000 or ARP L19 grades). Each reference ships as a complete weight-matched set of 4, with its dedicated ARP bolts.

Glossary

1) Small end 2) Small-end diameter 3) Rod beam 4) Rod bolt 5) Big end 6) Rod nut / bolt 7) Rod cap 8) Big-end diameter 9) Center-to-center

Vehicle compatibility of the Ford Cosworth YB engine

These forged rods fit Fords powered by the 2.0 L 16v turbo Cosworth YB, with a 24 mm piston pin and 133.5 mm centre-to-centre: