Cold Weather Running
 

Running in temperatures of 40/45 degrees and colder, does anyone wrap the engine head? I use an engine heater for startup, but how about while running on the track?

Get an onroad head, it will give a better temperature in the engine. Pre-heating is a must to keek the lifespan of your engine.

some people i know run aluminum foil around their heads during racing to keep the temps up. or go with a higher % of oil to bring the heat up in the fuel

I posted a thread last week asking the same question and ppl told me to wrap the engine in foil. Im on tank ten through my new rb engine in my mbx6 and took pals advice to wrap my engine in foil and I drove it in about 40 degree weather and the engine was in the mid 240 degree fairenheit.

My question is, is that okay?

I thought that 240 was too high for my new engine so I took the foil off and it was running around 190 degrees ferenheit. What's better, having my engine at 190 degrees not wrapped in tin foil or 240 degrees wrapped in foil? Or should I just wait for higher temps?

yes thats fine. just keep it in the 200's. if your wondered about it just richen the highend needle a lil. you should be fine. is the temp at the head or crankcase?

Thanks for the replys.

For various reasons, a onroad head is not an option.

Advice on engine break in. Ask 10 people and get 8 different opinions (at least). I figure the colder an engine runs, the tighter the pinch because of the sleeve constriction. The higher the degree of pinch, the more the rod wears. I would rather run at 240 than 190 degrees. I think engine damage during break can be caused running at too low a temp and unloaded.

Temps at the head. Im lucky enough to live next to the infimous Houston and he helped me set up my engine and it runs like a dreAm so I don't want to mess with the needles. But I know running too low is bad and running too high is bad also

if your running at 240 degrees at the head then the crankcase should be cooler so your in the right range i wouldnt touch the needles. as long as there is plenty smoke coming out of the exhaust you are good

I like to wrap the top of the head in a outer airfilter foam to keep an ok temp in the engine. If an engine runs at 115ºC in the summer, it will run perfect at approx. 100ºC in 5ºC temps etc.etc. I've seen several guys running without isolation on the head. "Then I can run it leaner at the same temo as you"... Right, with the result, that your P/S are worn out, and the engine can't run when the outdoor temps gets higher.

And run a hotter plug than you normally do. With a too cold plug, you'll lean it too much to get an ok engine performance.