Forged connecting rods Dodge - 2.4L 16V Turbo - EDV for forged pistons

The Dodge EDV engine

The Chrysler EDV (2.4L 16-valve turbo) is the four-cylinder that powers the Dodge Neon SRT-4 and several Chrysler models. With 2,429 cc (87.5 mm bore, 101 mm stroke) and a turbocharger, it produced over 230 hp in SRT-4 form, built from 2003 to 2005.

With its sturdy cast-iron block and strong crankshaft, the weak point in tuning remains the rotating assembly once boost pressure climbs. Beyond stock output the standard rods reach their limit; forged 4340 steel connecting rods secure the bottom end and open the door to high-power builds.

Forged connecting rods

Forged then machined from high-strength 4340 steel, these rods give the EDV bottom end the margin the production part never had. Moving to forged pistons, raising the rev limit, increasing boost pressure or gaining displacement: in each of these cases the standard rod runs out of reserve, and it is the first component to let go. The two Manley profiles offered here, H at 595 g and I-HD at 695 g for a 151 mm centre-to-centre and a 22 mm pin, each answer a different level of load.

Sized for modified engines, whether turbocharged or supercharged, they cover the whole range of disciplines: rally, drift, drag, circuit and trackdays, hillclimb, time attack. They follow Stage 2, Stage 3 and Stage 4+ builds, right up to a block fully dedicated to competition. Their steel and the grade of their bolts set the real limit of the build.

Technical specifications of the EDV forged connecting rods

Torque and bolt stretch

On strip-down, badly executed tightening always shows: hammering marks on the back of the shell, a shiny parting face, a marked thread. That is the signature of a lack of tension, when bolt preload drops below the force trying to separate cap from rod at every revolution; the cap knocks, the shell is intermittently crushed, it loses its running clearance and the bearing eventually seizes. Over-tightening leaves other marks: a permanently stretched bolt, an oval big end, a distorted bearing bore, a shell back bearing more in the middle than at the edges. On this 2.4 turbo, often used in hard acceleration, tolerance is therefore nil in both directions. The two Manley rods offered here do not take the same ARP 2000 bolt length: each row of the table below carries the fastener manufacturer's own values, to be applied as they stand. Stretch measured with a dial gauge remains the reference checking method; assemble with ARP lubricant, the kit instructions taking priority.

Technical guide

4340 forged steel: what is it?

Connecting rod profiles

	I-HD profile (Pro Series Turbo Tuff). Manley's reinforced version of the I-beam: a robust section, larger-diameter bolts and generous material to handle very high boost pressures while keeping weight in check.
	H-Beam profile. The H-beam rod, two flat faces joined by a central web, offers maximum bending rigidity and excellent resistance to high loads. It is the reference profile for heavily stressed turbo engines.

How to choose your rod bolts?

What sets a competition rod bolt apart from an ordinary one lies in its metallurgy and its process: selected alloy, clean steel, controlled quench and temper, then threads rolled after heat treatment, which work-hardens the thread root, the exact place where fatigue starts. Then comes manufacturing consistency, the only thing that allows the same preload to be reached on every bolt. On this EDV, ARP 2000 hardware comes in 3/8"-38 mm with the Manley H profile and in 3/8"-41 mm with the Manley I-HD; in both cases, check the stretch rather than torque alone.

ARP 2000 is a low-alloy steel, wrought and treated through the whole section, with tensile strength around 220,000 psi, i.e. ~1,517 MPa. Its threads, rolled after heat treatment, give high cyclic fatigue endurance, and its chemistry makes it indifferent to normal storage conditions. The grade is rated up to 200 hp per cylinder in 3/8" and up to 8,500 rpm: it is the most common in circuit racing, trackdays, drift, rally, drag and hillclimb. Here it is offered in 3/8"-38 mm and in 3/8"-41 mm depending on the Manley rod chosen.

Measuring bolt stretch

Buy the ARP stretch gauge →

The brands offered

Manley Performance, a leading US manufacturer of high-performance forged connecting rods. For this engine the range includes the H-Beam and the I-HD (Pro Series Turbo Tuff) profiles, both with ARP 2000 bolts, for the most demanding turbo builds.

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 for the Dodge EDV engine

These forged connecting rods are compatible with vehicles fitted with the Chrysler / Dodge EDV engine (2.4L 16V Turbo):

OEM reference:

Why it’s the most cost-effective solution?

On a standard bottom end, a broken rod is never an isolated failure: the rods AND the pistons, damaged in the same movement, have to be replaced, and the crankshaft often needs regrinding. The cost of a simple return to factory condition quickly exceeds what had been budgeted.

For an equivalent or even lower budget, 4340 forged rods combined with forged pistons put the engine in another class of reliability, with a clear safety margin and real room to raise power. This is the route European engine builders have followed for more than fifteen years, and it applies to this American turbo four-cylinder too.

For the same budget: more reliability, more potential, more longevity for the whole bottom end.