225 long rod stroker, HELP

I can see the possible benefit of the longer piston dwell near the top of the compression stroke. But this is an area where only testing can show a real result. You cannot get any benefit of higher combustion pressures without piston motion too.... so less motion fights that in a way. It is all in how the pressure profile works with the piston motion to transfer energy into the crank. Simply saying it will give better results is just a theoretical idea. (And there are similar concepts of maximizing energy transfer in communications filters, believe it or not....) The new gasoline direct injection systems out offer a better potential to do this, as now the combustion pressure profile versus piston position can be optimized a lot better than with a simple 'put-all the-the fuel-at-the-beginning' system. (Which is what we do now in standard spark initiated combustion.)

And like so many things if you gain in one place, you lose in another. The piston velocity in the middle of the stroke is higher with a longer rod. And if you think about the vacuum pulled in the cylinder in the intake stroke, it is going to be delayed in building up, and will end earlier with a longer rod. That means the time for pulling in most of the intake charge will be shorter, and that means if you want the same cylinder fill, then the peak and average port velocities will be higher. Guess what? You just pushed the ports closer to choking off (going turbulent). And you'll may have to increase the cam duration a bit to compensate, so there may be detriments to that at the low end. So the long rod is gonna fight you at higher RPM's..... which is standard engine wisdom, where an undersquare engine does better at lower RPM's. Think of looong rod tractor engines. Ditto for strokers with a given head.... they don't rev as high. The flow velocities reach a terminal limit at a lower RPM.

So, if you are going for the low RPM torque, it may be the way to go. With a stock head and its flow limits, it kinda makes sense. If you are going to open up the heads for more flow and to try to go to higher RPMs, then it seems pretty clear that the long rod gonna fight that effort to some extent.

Now if you instead increase compression ratio with the standard methods of milling, that does not effect head flow velocities, etc. That CR increase is effective at all RPM ranges, and does not particularly favor high or low RPM. It also promotes better cylinder clearing at all RPM's too. It just seems like a no-brainer here....And, yes, the pushrod change is relatively trifling.

IMHO, the long rod here is a marginal help in certain circumstances, and to me would be a last thing to do if searching for the last little bit at the low end after having done a lot of other things first.

PS: OP, we were writing posts at the same time. So, I am not trying to counter your ideas, just provide the - to go with the +. I agree on seeking better CR, and the forged pistons being of benefit. Realize that forged pistons require large piston-to-bore clearances, to allow for their greater expansion. That can lower piston/bore life some, but how much is hard to say without knowing other things.