340-360 vs 408-414

A good rod to stroke ratio is important in anything. chebbie just happens to have some of the worst. lol It's not that "we" are going towards the 400 rod to stroke ratio. That's only the by product. Those that choose to build strokers are going toward more cubic inches. The inferior rod to stroke ratio happens to be something you overlook in order to get the bigger cubes. It's not like you're going to have a failure, as lots of engines run ratios in the 1.5s or less.

The advantages of a high rod to stroke ratio are, the piston speed is slowed, allowing more "dwell time" at top dead center thereby receiving a bigger push from the combustion. I think it is a very sound theory.

Also, as the rod to stroke ratio goes up, the angle at which the connecting rod pushes against the piston decreases. This leads to less stress on the piston skirts and cylinder walls in the thrust areas. Hell, the STOCK rod to stroke ratio in a Chrysler 383 and 400 is 1.88 right from the factory. The chebbie boys would kill each other for that. lol

It really boils down to what you are gonna do and what you want to do. 1.88 is certainly a better ratio than 1.55. Would you ever feel the difference in a street engine? Probably not. You'd have to see it on a dyno sheet. But I firmly believe there would be a difference.