Can I run 30% or 33%??
 

In my nitro star 3.0? ( Its the HPI fire storm )

i would say 20% just to be safe. its not too nessesary to get the 30 or 33%. plus you may need to shim your head more with the 30 or 33%. plus it costs less.

Thats what i thought, I had no plan on running 30% now, But if i choose to would i need a head shim? So does anybody out there with a firestorm run 30%?

Since the Firestorm is not a race competitive vehicle I'll assume you're not a racer at this point. That stated, %20 is cheaper and will provide you with what you need at this point. It will also be a little easier to tune.

i have never found 20% easier to tune...i run 30% in every engine i own, even my lil OS .12TG with no head reshimming...

So lets say I got some 30% and tryed to run it. how will i know if its to much? will it not start? or just blow up my motor.

just tune the engine for it and watch the temps and you will be fine...:nod::nod::nod:

look at the motors you run though Jason. Not trying to flame here, just trying to help.

your motors are all purpouse built RACE motors that are built knowing that they will most likley be used with 30%.

That being said, phenixx is running a RTR motor that is built for just that.

sure you can run 30% in that motor and it may be fine. but it is hard, without taking the motor apart and looking, to tell if the motor is detonating. detonating is caused by not having enough piston to button clearance. to cure this you add a shim between the button and sleeve.

I run 33% in my motor with no head shimming, its no problem to tune. A temp gage is all you need plus a little common sense I guess. That said if you are simply bashing, you don't NEED 33%. 20% will be easier on you engine and truck components. Many people have said lower nitro content is easier to tune but from 20% to 33% I didn't notice any difference.:tire:

i run 33% in all my nitros, and always will. i have never had to or have shimmed my engines, and i do not think the majority of people will notice any difference by not running an extra shim or two. any engine can be run on any percentage of nitro, as long as you do not change your nitro contents a lot. however, you want to break in your engine on the fuel that it will run on the most. one summer when my LHS was low on car fuel, i actually ran my truck with 15% airplane fuel for a few days and frankly it was fine. sure i was not racing, but for bashing it worked.

and the reason why people use higher percent nitro fuels is because it does offer a considerable increase in performance at the expense of slighly decreased engine life. however i use Traxxas 33% fuel because it has a higher oil content which will protect your engine from the higher percent nitro. yes, 30 and 33 percent does cost a little more, but being a racer i will take any advantage possible. average joe racer/basher will be better off sticking with 20% because of its wide availability, price, and reasonable performance. also, companies such as Dynamite offer race and sport blends of the same percent nitro to further suit your needs.

Thanx for all the info. The firestorm should be pulling wheelies but i havent got it to do so. Thats why i was thinking about going to 30%

have you guys ever taken apart a nitro motor and been able to see if it was detonating????

sorry not trying to flame here just trying to give some advice. the average person running these cars will not beable to tell if the motor is detonating or not. even if they take it apart.

there is a big difference jumping up to 30 from 20. most will not be able to tell when driving, but the life of their motor will decrease significantly, and in some cases the motor will be hard to tune and keep a tune.

yes we are all entitled to our opinion. and i have inspected two engines, one run on 20% and another on 30%, and frankly i did not notice any difference. the engine run on 30% was not shimmed any more than the other, and they were both from the same manufacturer and racer. most people can't tell the difference between fuels, but that's what is great about our hobby: all the different choices we have to "fuel" our passion.:lol::nod: