A longer rod has many benefits engine builders have argued for years which is better long rod and short rod motors both have there benefits.. But I like long rod and here is why a longer rod dwells on TDC AND BDC for a longer duration compared to a short rod which allows for a better combustion and slows the piston speed down and takes alot of side load off of the piston and cylinder wall and are great for hp not torque...A short rod engines has a faster piston speed which is why they love a head with big flow numbers (faster piston speed means a faster intake and exhaust stroke suck and blow harder which is a benefit of a short rod). But they also put more stress on piston skirts and cylinder walls and limit RPM ofcousre cam profile and valvetrain affect rpms as well but there is more to it than that but im tired of typing hope this is useful lol.. Oh by the way JE makes a custom piston so that u dont need more deck height...