Thanks Steve. I think I just got confused. Sorry.

I know it was said before but it sounds a lot like the Traxxas way of doing it. My maxx is still going strong so I think I will try this way.

Going to be breaking in my Losi 350 this weekend. I'll be using this method.

I have 3/4 gallon of Traxxas 33% that I don't want going to waste. I'm in Denver and the 33% will help compensate for the loss of power at my altitude.

Can someone knowledgeable tell me that this fuel is ok to use in the Losi 350? Or that I shouldn't use it at all? I'm getting varied answers to this and would like to put the question to rest.

Thanks,
Evvy

I used this method and my go tech 5 port feels very good. tons and tons of power with great smoke trail. love it!

if you are going to run the traxxas fuel, than use it to break it in. but if you are going to use something different (Nitrotane is very popular in denver), than use the traxxas fuel as a powerfull weed killer.

as for needing the higher nitro to compensate for the 5280 ft, don't worry about it. when i lived there i was able to use one less head shim and no pre-detonation issue. Look at Matty, Dustin, Lars, Kody, i'm sure the are all using 30% with no issue.

Should I change the rod on my v spec after 1gal.... 1/2 gal.... ?????? i am theorizing that forcing the piston to wear in through the pinch area is very stressfull on the rod bearing. I believe that after you get the enginr through this very stressful time that there will not be any where near as much stress on that hard working part of the engine. So someone told me that the crank pin is actually the part that material is being removed from.... not the brass bearing/ bushing in the con rod.I also theorize that when the rod gets some tolerance is when you start having tuning difficulties and maybe because ignition timing is changing?????? I know there are some experts out there....Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the info. I went with Odonells 30% and no shim. So far so good.

Using this method, can i drive it at race speeds for the 2-3 min intervals? or at least put around on the track?

You'll want to start out slow and drive it at a moderate pace for at least the first 3-5 tanks. Then gradually lean the main needle with each tank until you burn ten tanks. It's a little time consuming but your engine will wear in properly and you'll get better life out of it. Don't run it at race speed until after 10 tanks.

pond ( stevep ) is no dummy , listen to what he says


get it to at least 10 tanks before you race tune it , i wouldnt run it anywhere near 100% until close to the gallon mark

the engine will " drop its nuts" and tell you its ready when it is ready

Should i pre- heat the engine with this method too or is the whole point of it to start the engine cold?

If you have convenient power and you can get a heat gun on the engine prior to starting it during the initial ten tanks, I prefer to preheat the engine so it takes less time for the engine to get up to running temperature. It's less important in hot weather, but essential in moderate to cold conditions. Sometimes the engine is so tight out of the box that you almost have to heat it up to get it started without too much trouble. The guys with big deep grooves cut into the rubber wheel of their starter box can probably tell you what it's like to start a fresh, cold engine. ;-)

Don't get crazy with the heat gun. If you dial it up to high you can start to melt rubber and plastic stuff around the engine. You don't have to get it up to running temp with the heat gun, just enough to give it a head start.

hello!
can someone please tell me one reason to heat cycle my engine?
i don't quite get it! I mean, i have a fairly good understanding of nitro engines and i have been around them for about ten years. But i don't get the idea. Well fine, less stress on bearings and connecting rod and all that but wouldn't it be better to start the engine once, tune it until it stays at around 100celcius
(around 200 Fahrenheit) and then run the engine for ten tanks straight, constantly checking temps?
Wouldn't that cause less stress on the rod and bearing that shutting the engine of, letting it cool down and the kick it back up again?

Or am i missing something vital here?

/Martin

If you pre heat a new cylinder it will expan a little, so there will be more space for the piston. If you don't pre heat, the pistion will be worn more, until the cylinder expan on it's own.

Heat cycle also bennifits the metal, that "get used" cold and warm.

Hard to explain for a dude from Denmark

ok, so the i shouldn't pre-heat the engine at all... or just a little at the start...
Was a little confused cuz a friend of mine told me to heat the engine every time i started it and then i didn't see the point of shutting it of at all.

Thanks
/Martin

Btw, nice to see someone from Scandinavia! I'm from Sweden myself

One of the processes of heated aluminium is that it will expand due some changes on atomic level. Every time you heat it up to a higher temp this proces will go on.
A heat cycle run-in proces will tackle this working while running in and should give a better fitting piston at the end of the run-in proces, otherwise it can take some liters before the piston gets realy loose.
It is not to tell which engine needs this, depening on the alloy it has this effect.