The two objectives of this study were, first, to determine the optimal friction welding process parameters using finite element simulations and, second, to evaluate the mechanical properties of the friction welded zone for large piston rods in marine diesel engines. Since the diameters of the rod and its connecting part are very different, the manufacturing costs using friction welding are reduced compared to those using the forging process of a single piece. Modeling is a generally accepted method to significantly reduce the number of experimental trials needed when determining the optimal parameters. Therefore, because friction welding depends on many process parameters such as axial force, initial rotational speed and energy, amount of upset and working time, finite element simulations were performed. Then, friction welding experiments were carried out with the optimal process parameter conditions resulting from the simulations. The base material used in this investigation was AISI 4140 with a rod outer diameter of 280 mm and an inner diameter of 160 mm. In this study, various investigation methods, including microstructure characterization, hardness measurements and tensile and fatigue testing, were conducted in order to evaluate the mechanical properties of the friction welded zone.