Help understanding nitro engines
 

Dear all,

I am new to the rc nitro hobby and I am trying to learn whatever I can about nitro engines before I buy one. I will get the ney XB808 2010 and will race at my local track so its best for me to start learning stuff. I learned a bit from youtube watching explanatory videos on how an engine works and how to tune it but I dont know what to look for when choosing one.

What sould I look for in a .21 engine for a buggy? All I know is too much power is always bad! :)

Thanks for your input!

The first engine with no experience will not have a long life. OK, it is hard to tell but you will never know if you are on the leane side and so shortening its life.

It is wise to choose a simple but effective engine for a reasonable price. The RB Killer-9, Picco P3 Basic, Novarossi N21B2002, Go, Alpha or even a simple Force will do the job within the 100 to 200 dollar range to get more experienced in driving and adjusting the engine.
When you think the engine has ended its life or you are sure to take a next step you can take a look to a more powerfull and competive engine.

+1 what Roel said.

Pick up a relatively inexpensive "starter engine", the ones he recommended are all good choices. You'll get the hang of tuning & adjusting for performance without blowing a hole in your wallet if it dies while you're learning. After a while, you'll have a much better idea of what kind of engine fits your driving style and needs (low end grunt, mid torque, top end speed, etc) and can start looking at upgrading.

i agree with what everyone else said.

with the wieght and drive train of the 808 you will have plenty of power nomader what engine you get.

The first thing I would do is read "the tuning bible" thread started by Houston at the top of the Nitro thread page:
http://www.rctech.net/forum/nitro-of...ing-bible.html

I have printed this info out to help through the basic stuff that is most often overlooked!

Also check out this video:
http://vimeo.com/7595905

What do ports mean in an engine?

Don't pay attention to that right now, and don't worry about buying a high dollar engine like the guys have said. Get a good budget engine.

The ports are simply the transfer ports in the sleeve, and more ports give you more top end usually

hello Jaap,

agree 100% with what the guys said, IMHO, i would buy the Novarossi S21P5XLT as a first engine, 250 dollars, great engine with lots of power, nova engines are easy to tune, and hold good their tune.

also dont forget the breakin-in of your engines, its THE most important thing to have a good performing engine that lasts long, you will find many methods and most of them are correct:
i used the method giving by Murnan Modified Motors owner (Grinder)
he says:

''1.) Warm the engine with a heat gun until it is (around 170F).

2.) Start the engine. Then establish a rich idle ( around 7,000 r.p.m.)and let the engine run for 150cc of fuel, then let the engine cool to ambient temperature. Running temperatures during this stage will be between 160-190 degrees F.

3.) Next, with a fully engaged clutch, run the car at a very rich setting for about 750cc of fuel. Make sure the car is very slow at full throttle, and lots of smoke at this stage. If the car wants to go fast at this stage richen the main needle until the car makes lots of smoke, but does not move fast. Maximum R.P.M should be about 15,000 at this point. Let the engine cool again. Running temperatures during this stage will be between 150-170 degrees F.

4.) Over the next 750cc of fuel you can gradually lean the high speed needle. A good method to keep in mind is to go one hour leaner per tank of fuel to be safe. The engine will need to be run at a race setting in order to become fully broken in. Each engine will break in at a different time, and with a different amount of fuel due to differences in manufacturing materials, tolerances, etc… You can know that the engine has fully broken in when you are running the engine at 90-95% of it’s potential, and you can run at this pace without the engine going rich. An engine that is not fully broken in will continue to richen itself on the racetrack.
An engine that is properly and fully broken in will reward you with cooler temperatures, more power, and long engine life''

hope this helps

cheers

Ali

I will order from this website so if someone can point me to an engine that will suite a beginer please?

http://www.rc-mushroom.com/

I would get the dynamite mach 2 engine. Its only a 130.00 and I hear they are nice engines.

just get a werks b5. 200 dollar turbo race engine:D

I know when i 1st started many moons ago, someone at our local track took me "under his wing". But mostly i would ask him rather then have him do it for me. I am forever grateful to him, we have been friends ever since.

I just wish i found this site before i started running my engine last year.I may be in the same boat half way through our season ,which will start in about 3 weeks.It seems good so far,I did heat it to 180 before starting.Then let two full tanks idle through it at a rich setting before driving it at all.Which wasn't easy for a guy to do with his first nitro car, trust me.After that i ran it slowley with it being rich for a tank.All the while bothering the guy at the hobbie shop,who was very helpful.Then i learned how different nitro was,and started to let it rip.Guys in your opinion did i do the right thing or should i get an engine now and use the other one as a backup.It's the 350 that came with 2.0RTR losi,it seems to have alot of power so far just wish it had more run time.It gets almost 8min before i have to pit give or take a little based on the variables.
Thanks in advance

Get a cheap one............. no matter how many articles you read, or how many videos you see, there is no lesson like hands on...... So grab a cheap engine and learn from there. The one tip i will give is ------- 1/8 turns or one hour. When your tuning, only turn needles in 1 hour increments only.

Good Luck

Where are you located? I might be able to point you in the direction of someone who could help get you on the right track not only with your engine but with your buggy as well.

PM me.