Originally Posted by
Davidka
Shrouded fan cooling (think Briggs and Stratton). This might have to be gear driven since a tiny fan spinning @ 30,000rpm would probably cost lots of power but this would do away with the need for a cooling head completely.
Lay-down engines are a novel idea but where would they lay down to? The durrent drivetrain layout is in the way and dictates most choices.
The Hyper 9e's layout seems to have nitro possibilities, put the Diff in the back where the spur gear is out of the way and the cars can get lots narrower.
If electrics get to the point where 1/2 hour mains are reliably possible, nitro will be hurting. Not gone but seriously hurting.
The old OS .12LD in a .21 version should be do-able with little modifications to
the chassis by the chassis companies. The original .12LD was intended for 1/10 scale nitro on-road to lower the center of gravity to rival that of the on-
road electric car. On an off-road 1/8 scale .21 version all's you'll have to do
is to rotate the engine to the right instead of the left like the old .12LD.
By rotating it right the head would be on the left side so it would not interfere with the drive-train. I think this could be done with out a real weight gain.
Just an idea.