Alphas, or Novas?
#32
Tech Regular
It depend's what you want. Results around shows that in the right hands you can win against anything so clearly it shows the performance is there. The Alphas do not lack anything against the +4 other than in box stock form +4 gets slightly better fuel economy but for most of the drivers the difference is neglible. Again this is mostly down to tuning of the engine and with small adjustments (pipe, shimming, plug, properly matching clutch to your driving) you can run +10min basically on every track. Also saying Novas have better bearings is crap as Alpha uses SKF like does Nova so there is no difference.
I'd say if you want Nova you should get Nova and you'll get an excellent engine. If you are not sure I can comfortably say get Alpha, you can be sure you get great performance with a 6-10gallon (race coditions) longevity and you pay less. Also I'd suggest to use OS plugs. We run P3 on beak-in process and cold conditions and P5-P6 on hotter conditions. All with the thin shimm removed on 25% fuel. This does not hurt the top end and with 7mm restrictor it gives significant improvement on tank times. We prefer the Alpha 2081 pipe and use the M2C clutch. Extremely reliable combination and +10min tank times.
I'd say if you want Nova you should get Nova and you'll get an excellent engine. If you are not sure I can comfortably say get Alpha, you can be sure you get great performance with a 6-10gallon (race coditions) longevity and you pay less. Also I'd suggest to use OS plugs. We run P3 on beak-in process and cold conditions and P5-P6 on hotter conditions. All with the thin shimm removed on 25% fuel. This does not hurt the top end and with 7mm restrictor it gives significant improvement on tank times. We prefer the Alpha 2081 pipe and use the M2C clutch. Extremely reliable combination and +10min tank times.
#34
you will not be dissapointed alpha is the best engine ive ever owned will be an alpha man for life
#35
Tech Elite
iTrader: (14)
first: I don't know the alphas so i won't comment on them.
Now - a chart from a semi-world-class level race doesn't mean jack when it comes to help picking a milll... These guys get hand-picked and modded engines as such tables are unique opportunities to influence Joe Schmoe's purchase decision - "win on sunday, sell on monday". The stuff you'll end up running will bear the same badge but will be different, if only because yours will be "off the shelf" whereas theirs has hand-picked piston/sleeves/crank/cases that pair perfectly.
All this says here is that the Alpha guys can do A mill that works just as well as the other, bigger brands. Talk to racers at your track, see what they run, see what brands your LHS carries, and make your decision on that, not on a stoopid race results table.
Paul
#36
Tech Regular
first: I don't know the alphas so i won't comment on them.
Now - a chart from a semi-world-class level race doesn't mean jack when it comes to help picking a milll... These guys get hand-picked and modded engines as such tables are unique opportunities to influence Joe Schmoe's purchase decision - "win on sunday, sell on monday". The stuff you'll end up running will bear the same badge but will be different, if only because yours will be "off the shelf" whereas theirs has hand-picked piston/sleeves/crank/cases that pair perfectly.
Paul
Now - a chart from a semi-world-class level race doesn't mean jack when it comes to help picking a milll... These guys get hand-picked and modded engines as such tables are unique opportunities to influence Joe Schmoe's purchase decision - "win on sunday, sell on monday". The stuff you'll end up running will bear the same badge but will be different, if only because yours will be "off the shelf" whereas theirs has hand-picked piston/sleeves/crank/cases that pair perfectly.
Paul
#37
Want a Nova but want Alpha pricing....Werks B6!
#38
Tech Elite
iTrader: (14)
BUT - the taiwan steel you'll buy from your LHS is very unlikely similar to the one that won that race. Again, all this means is that Alpha can hand-assemble a mill that can beat novas in the right driver's hands. Doesn't mean Alpha is better than nova, or the other way around to be frank.
Slightly off topic: who cares about a mill's performance anyway for "average" racers like us, who can't get their engine broken in and tuned properly anyways. I'm the first one to admit I prolly only reach 80% of my mills' efficiency due to poor breaking-in/tuning skills. Most club racers I've met aren't any better than me. People want more power but they can't set a car symmetrically or pick the right tires for racing anyways and a good chunk of those who can have such heavy throttle-fingers that it's just pathetic how much gas they're wasting in wheelspin then... The last mill I picked is less than $150 (N21BF) and that's gonna be plenty enough for me.
Paul
#39
So an Alpha won a HUGE race, but "that dont matter" Of course it does.That say that the Alpha can run with the best engines in the world and thats a BIG deal. Bottom line is that people buy whats the pros "deemed as good." When Drake went back to Nova, their sales tripled. When Ryan and Ryan ran that Reedy engine, the sales tripled. Drake and Truhe are two of the best drivers in the world and Drake has won the big races where it matters, do you not think that, that dont play apart in Losi being the most popular 1/8 in the United States and soon to be UK. Regardless, most people buys what the pros win with. And for the person that say its not the engine, I say BS. Engine plays a big part of how you drive and how fast you go.
Alpha and Nova are really not similar at all, in no way shape or form.
Alpha and Nova are really not similar at all, in no way shape or form.
#40
Tech Elite
iTrader: (14)
Engines play a big part of how GOOD DRIVERS drive and how fast GOOD DRIVERS go. For the others (the biggest chunk), they'd better focus on first making sure they maintain and setup their cars/mills properly, next on driving clean lines and keeping their rides on all fours for more than 30s in a row, and THEN they can start about buying this or that engine because it supposedly is better than the rest. a good 90% of the RC "racers" I know spend way too much money on engines which they can't master anyway (be it tuning- or performance-wise)
And, again - I dunno about alphas, i have no clue. They might be the next best thing to happen to RC since proportional radios, I wouldn't know.
Paul
And, again - I dunno about alphas, i have no clue. They might be the next best thing to happen to RC since proportional radios, I wouldn't know.
Paul
#41
not saying there isn't one. Orion, grp, rb, werks, p5 or plus 4 will not pull a ninja. I have yet to see a fms, torro, jpx, alpha or any of the js racing though. and from what i understand those are killer motors. the crank pin on my ninja has at least 6 gallons with no signs of wear. Bearings rod and pinch and it's new again. I just think its funny that when people consider top motors most of the time they fail to mention the jx. it is without a doubt one of the best on the market
Last edited by dreaux; 06-18-2010 at 06:59 AM.
#42
#43
with a re10 pipe and a 8 or 9mm restrictor it would be really hard to do better power and speed wise for a stock motor. Both my ninja spec and jx are flat out retarded (ninja spec is in the shop right now) Put the 7mm insert and a re11 and the bottom is unreal. i have yet to see a stock motor with better performance.
not saying there isn't one. Orion, grp, rb, werks, p5 or plus 4 will not pull a ninja. I have yet to see a fms, torro, jpx, alpha or any of the js racing though. and from what i understand those are killer motors. the crank pin on my ninja has at least 6 gallons with no signs of wear. Bearings rod and pinch and it's new again. I just think its funny that when people consider top motors most of the time they fail to mention the jx. it is without a doubt one of the best on the market
not saying there isn't one. Orion, grp, rb, werks, p5 or plus 4 will not pull a ninja. I have yet to see a fms, torro, jpx, alpha or any of the js racing though. and from what i understand those are killer motors. the crank pin on my ninja has at least 6 gallons with no signs of wear. Bearings rod and pinch and it's new again. I just think its funny that when people consider top motors most of the time they fail to mention the jx. it is without a doubt one of the best on the market
JPX would be the only one I would worry about passing a stock Ninja..... from a dead stop drag the JPX usually wins, from a roll on a track they go neck and neck....
#44
Tech Elite
iTrader: (118)
It's hard to go wrong with any race engine these days. They all make great power, albeit different from one another. I currently have a few race engines....Alpha Orange Head in my Truggy, Alpha Green Head in my Buggy, and a Go Tech (Rex Welsh Modded) B21 as a spare....all 3 engines RIP very well for MY driving style.
That's really the kicker with any engine you select. Will it work for YOU. Not will it work for the fastest guy at your track....or can Adam Drake make it go really really fast...can YOU make it go really really fast is the real question. We have a few locals that LOVE the RB WS7 III engine.....I bought one for my Truggy, and while it runs AWESOME...the power does not suit my style very well in a Truggy. It has little to no bottom end....and it SCREAMS on the top end. So I can drive it, but I struggle to make certain jumps since my corner speed is not up where it needs to be to drive this engine correctly.
That doesn't mean the engine sucks....it has GREAT power, just not where *I* want it....
So if you are teetering back and forth....drive one. Find a local that has the engine you are debating...and take it for some laps to see how it feels. I love my Alpha Orange Head in my Truggy, but others have tried it and it's too explosive on the bottom for them. I find it perfect for me....and with 4 gallons on it now...it still has a TON of pinch left to it. I easily expect another 4 gallons from this little inexpensive engine, and the internals do NOT look "cheap" to me.
Anyway...just my .02 cents.
That's really the kicker with any engine you select. Will it work for YOU. Not will it work for the fastest guy at your track....or can Adam Drake make it go really really fast...can YOU make it go really really fast is the real question. We have a few locals that LOVE the RB WS7 III engine.....I bought one for my Truggy, and while it runs AWESOME...the power does not suit my style very well in a Truggy. It has little to no bottom end....and it SCREAMS on the top end. So I can drive it, but I struggle to make certain jumps since my corner speed is not up where it needs to be to drive this engine correctly.
That doesn't mean the engine sucks....it has GREAT power, just not where *I* want it....
So if you are teetering back and forth....drive one. Find a local that has the engine you are debating...and take it for some laps to see how it feels. I love my Alpha Orange Head in my Truggy, but others have tried it and it's too explosive on the bottom for them. I find it perfect for me....and with 4 gallons on it now...it still has a TON of pinch left to it. I easily expect another 4 gallons from this little inexpensive engine, and the internals do NOT look "cheap" to me.
Anyway...just my .02 cents.