30Tooth

iTrader: (1)

Good point actually.So right now this an high quality engine and nothing more.That reason will suffice for some I'm sure.

evolution03

iTrader: (8)

if im not mistaken he said this has been 6 years in the making. They have released these videos so lets see some motors running. You would think they would have some for sale by now

nitrokiller123

iTrader: (19)

Im just looking for someone to explain to me how investing (what Im assuming to be) several million dollars (or Euro equivalent), into a business where you sell an engine for, say, $500 (knowing everything Xray, Hudy-Related is very expensive).... The number of engines you would have to sell is incredible for you to make up that kinda loss... then you're still paying operators, a couple of engineers, quality checks, packaging, marketing, administrative costs, etc etc while trying to catch up to breaking even.

Unless the thing can run 15 minute tanks and last 15 gallons, I don't see how it will compete with ~$300 Novas in the marketplace.

And before you go flaming me (especially the fanboys),,, realize that I come with a neutral position, just asking the questions anyone would ask when starting a venture of this magnitude to an already saturated market. No bashing here

merdith6

iTrader: (3)

I think he did it because he could and he wanted to. it is nice to see someone else besides Asia countries and Italy make an engine. it's like the United States giving up on manufacturing. it's kind of sad really. going against the odds is awesome in my opinion. Most of the greatest minds went against the odds. I don't know Mr. Hudy, but he is certainly an interesting guy. More power to him.

30Tooth

iTrader: (1)

I agree with you,if it doesn't stand out performance wise it will be a hard sell for many.
He didn't claimed that the CNC machines were expensive,maybe second-hand?Maybe he bought the ones from GRP Engines?Or TechnoPower?
That's where major savings can be had.

wingracer

iTrader: (24)

I don't think the market really is saturated overall. Yes there is a glut of good offroad motors but 80% of them came from the same four manufacturers.

Then there is onroad where there is Nova, Picco, and no one really cares about anything else. In fact, we only care about Picco about half the time. For this reason, Nova sells a bloody ass load of motors at ridiculously high prices. There is money to be made there for someone that can do it right.

As for the investment, this is a LONG term investment. He will not see a return on this kind of investment for 15 years or more.

And what is to stop him from making plane and boat motors in the future? Once you already have the equipment, personnel and knowledge to make car motors, expanding into these areas is a trivial additional expense.

One thing he is doing right is starting with offroad motors. There are a whole lot of reasons for this that I don't care to get into since it will just start an argument. Bottom line is that he can cut his teeth in the thriving offroad market, figure out what he's doing while still selling a bunch of motors and then break into other markets where profit potential is even higher. If they were releasing onroad .12s and .21s at the same time, my prediction would be disaster.

wingracer

iTrader: (24)

I should also point out that he has already done this once. The investment to make car kits is just as huge, the market is just as flooded and yet he has thrived. So why can't he do it again?

MikaR

Yeah why not, Skoda sells very well, too.
Depends on the value (price vs features).

nitrokiller123

iTrader: (19)

I certainly don't believe that he can't or won't, in fact, for his sake and for those who buy the engines, I hope they are a success. My only worry is that he may have to raise the prices of the engines. The XRAY buggy itself is priced very close to the rest of the buggies, so it doesn't really have any issues there.... BUT... if this engine costs 500-550 dollars (like some people are expecting) and it doesnt outperform engines that cost less, why would you or I buy it? If I buy a Bonito, it's because it's a complete badass engine that has everything I could want in buggy or truggy... if this thing doesnt outperform it, why would I spend the extra $$$?

The buggy goes for 630 on Amain.... comparable to Losi, Mugen, etc. If it were priced as a Kyosho, would it sell as well as a Kyosho? Why would I pay $900 for an XRAY when I can but a Kyosho? do you see my point? this is just an example with the buggies.

wingracer

iTrader: (24)

I seriously doubt it will be 550 for an offroad engine. 400 tops and probably less than that.

30Tooth

iTrader: (1)

Don't forget there's the FX tuned pipe designed specifically for this engine

sschultz

iTrader: (15)

For the same reason people buy hudy tools..
Guys get caught in in "name brand" stuff, it's instinct for most of us. 20 plus years ago I started buying snap on tools, even tho some where triple the price of the competitors. I'd do it again in a heart beat.

nitrokiller123

iTrader: (19)

I'll admit it myself, I bought a Hudy 2 mm hex attachment because of the "reputation" Hudy tools had.

Turned out to be worse than my Dynamite 2 mm tip. It wore down rather quickly.

And even worse, I was trying to remove a screw that apparently had been lock-tight-ed from hell trying to help a buddy and the whole hex attachment broke from TORSION force. I don't know if it was too thin (the shaft) or what, but it just snapped.

I grabbed my Dulled out dynamite 2.00 mm driver and removed the screw

That's the day I learned: Don't pay $13 for a "Hudy Special Spring Steel" hex driver. The $6.99 dynamite is that much better.

again, the power of good advertising.

OleC

I am the pit guy guilty of making it a close call in that race I clocked him at 10.30 in the qualifiers, and so he decided to make 10 minute pitstop. I hurried too much with the fuel bottle, so it was foam on top and not 100% full when i let it go. You can say I was a bit nervous at that last lap. Espescially when it started bogging on entry on the main straight on the last lap...
Should have filmed it, because the engine actually stopped on the last jump and the car rolled over the finish line. Talk about nailbiter!

Too bad the throttle servo died halfway into the final, he was at a good pace. Both the XB9 `13 and FX engine was working very well!

First, I agree with you that the advertisements are a bit over the top. It is beyond doubt that Hudy is proud of his products, but someone need to tell him to tone down the ads a bit I think. (I am also a mechanical engineer )

Secondly, this engine is not groundbreaking in any particular way as far as I can tell, yet (too soon to tell on durability). It has been very easy to run in, tune and race (still a bit on the rich side). It runs strong, with a smooth powerband. It has been very stable so far, and no surprises coming from the O.S. Speed engines we have been running for years now.
And that might just be the magic. This engine does what you expect it to do, nothing more and nothing less. You might even say the engine looks a bit booring. But when you start looking at the details, there are some really high quality bits there.
I am very much looking forward to have some more track time with this engine. I got mine last week, and will start running in this weekend I hope.

Thirdly, why do some people think that this engine will be so expensive??? My guess is that this engine will have a street price of around USD 350. And yes it has a specific pipe designed for it, but so does all other engines. Might be that another pipe will work just fine too, just like on most other engines...

I dont know what the delay is, but FX engines are hopefully available everywhere very soon...

wombat

iTrader: (31)

If they're going to be anything like the VOX engine line where the exhaust outlets are angled downwards so you really don't have any choice but to purchase a VOX matching exhaust so it fits well...I think this will limit their market.

Good luck to them, no doubt it will be decent product, but hope the release pricing of their engines will be as competitive as the other established/proven marques. They'll have a battle on their hands if its priced anything over the $400 range, given the super-nice mills available between the $250 to mid-upper $300's price range.