Performance Trends Engine Push Rod

Performance Trends Engine Push Rods: Race-Proven Valvetrain Precision

When engine builders and race teams demand absolute reliability from their valvetrain, Performance Trends push rods have consistently earned a place on the build sheet. Manufactured entirely in-house in Warren, Michigan, engine push rods from Performance Trends are the product of deep motorsports engineering experience — the kind forged on oval tracks, drag strips, and dyno cells running at the limits of what internal combustion can deliver.

Built from 4130 Chrome Moly Steel

Every Performance Trends push rod starts with 4130 chrome molybdenum steel, a material chosen for its exceptional strength-to-weight ratio and resistance to deflection under high spring pressures. The tubes are pre-formed and then centerless-ground — a manufacturing process that ensures a consistent outer diameter from end to end, critical for maintaining accurate valvetrain geometry at high RPM. Available profiles include straight, double taper, full taper, and half taper designs, giving engine builders the flexibility to match the pushrod geometry to the specific demands of their application.

Product Lines Spanning Street to All-Out Race

Performance Trends offers several distinct push rod series designed for different performance tiers. The Shelf Stock series targets today's high-rpm, high spring pressure environments and is offered in popular diameters including 7/16" x .165" wall and a heavy-duty 1/2" x .200" wall, available in both straight and double-taper configurations. Length options are finely stepped — the 7/16" pushrods are available in .025" increments from 7" to 11.5" — so builders can dial in exact valvetrain geometry without compromise.

At the top of the lineup sits the Precision Series, built from 4130 chromoly thick-wall tubing and machined to tolerances of +/- .0005" — among the tightest in the industry. Every pushrod in this series is individually inspected, polished, cleaned with a special brush and solvent to remove heat-treat scale, and packaged in individual sleeves. It's a standard of quality that has made the Precision Series a choice of NASCAR Cup teams running engines to nearly 10,000 rpm for hundreds of laps. For extreme applications like Mountain Motors, Pro Mod, Pro Nitrous, Top Sportsman, and NHRA Pro Stock, Performance Trends also offers Bronze-Insert (BZ) one-piece pushrods engineered to withstand the punishment of large-displacement, high-nitrous engine builds.

Diesel and Specialty Applications

Performance Trends push rods aren't limited to gasoline racing engines. The brand produces shelf-stock push rod series for high-performance diesel platforms including Cummins, Ford Power Stroke (6.0L, 6.4L, and 7.3L), and GM Duramax engines — covering everything from sled pulling to dyno competition. These diesel-specific rods feature forged cup ends and wall thicknesses scaled to the high cylinder pressures and spring loads unique to performance diesel builds.

The Engineering Behind the Product

The development of Performance Trends push rods traces back to research conducted on the SpinTron machine, a valvetrain analysis tool invented by the company's founder. That foundation of data-driven engineering shapes every design decision — from ball-end radius geometry (210° radius for extra clearance) to the choice of wall thickness for a given application. The result is a push rod line that doesn't just meet the spec sheet — it's validated under real race conditions.