The early B230s also have a crappy, undersized thrust bearing on the crank.
I thought that the improved version came out in late 1989??
Based on what I have read, you can make skinny rods survive ok if you detune the crap out of the engine in the midrange (low boost, minimal ignition timing). My highly competent tuner is highly sceptical of this claim but there was no shortage of people making the claim on TB.
For the few hundred dollarydoos that good rods will cost, I figured that it would be worth it for the peace of mind AND the added performance across the rev range.