I may be showing my ignorance....but....
The length of the rod to me doesn't increase any leverage. You get leverage on the crankshaft from its stroke. Think of leverage with a wrench situation....the longer the wrench the more torque on the bolt....it doesn't matter how long your arm is that's pushing down on the wrench....just how long the wrench is.
What do you mean by piston speed? The speed of the piston is determined by how fast the crank is turning...
Do you mean piston travel distance? If so, the distance is gonna be the same with any length rod...The piston travel is determined by the stroke....
I also disagree with the sideloading. A longer rod is gonna cause more of a sideload. Think of the piston at the bottom of the stroke. A longer rod is gonna be at more of a greater angle to the cylinder skirt...that greater angle is gonna put a greater sideload on the piston.
Scottj....I've never thought of it that way. I've seen many stroker kits....and most of them use the shorter rods...I think of it as a reciprocating mass sort of deal. The less mass you're spinning, the less inertia to overcome with a crank rotation. Since rods are made of steel (generally in street cars), it would seem to me that a shorter rod would decrease mass more than a little aluminum piston.
I've got some pondering to do.....
