I found the duotape link above to be the cheapest source for the tape. The cost of Variac's is variable on ebay and they can be pretty heavy so shipping can be expensive. There are cheaper low current versions that will work with the tape that are a lot lighter. 10 amps is overkill by about 8 amps. If you need to track this stuff down in the future I can help you, I buy this stuff all the time for work.

Or you could just buy the comp heater and be done with it.

I like the more thorough heating. Competition heat is just a replacement for a heat gun, this is different. If the stuff is sourced carefully it can be a lot cheaper. Variac's are useful for so many things, too.

have you owned a Comp heater to know how it performs ?

No, but I don't see it heating the block. It just heats the head. If you don't have direct heat on the block it can only get heat from the head via diffusion. There is no guarantee how far the heat penetrates downward and it has to be on a gradient when its delivered that way.

I am not saying its not a good product.

Before I put my setup together it always bothered me that I was heating the top of the engine only. It didn't seem like the optimal way to do it. Things expand unevenly as heat travels through the engine then and it seems like a better idea to do it homogeneously. Its a small additional thing I am considering here and like I said above, it can just be theoretical.

In the racing world where every minute detail seems to be dire, I figured this helps people with the 'take no chances' philosophy.

The only way to find out is to break in several engines both ways and test them side to side. I don't have time or funds for that.

I will explain my paranoia about uneven heating. I work with ultra low pressure vacuum systems (10^-11 atmospheres). These systems are three inches thick stainless steel and take several days to pump down with massive pumps. The tolerances of these systems are incredibly high to achieve this and the thermal expansion of the materials is chosen to minimize how much things 'move' when heated. If they are heated unevenly the system leaks because of the movement of heat and consequently the materials unevenly changes the tolerances.

I don't know if this is a problem with nitro engines but wonder if heat going in and out unevenly would 'wiggle' things a little more.

I've got a comp heater. Not too impressed with it. Kinda disappointed that I paid $100 for it. It works alright, but nothing spectacular to me. For half the price, I'd be happy. I won't complain too much though because it does work. Maybe I will be more impressed with it when it starts getting cold outside here.

Hi guys, I have just rebuilt my rear diff and followed the instructions as per the manual. I haven't put the rear back on yet as it doesn't seem to be running freely. I have all new everything but I don't think it is quite right and I don't want to run it like it is. What do I need to do? Any help would be appreciated. By the way, I haven't had any issues previously with my rear diff during races.

Wow you guys what a tough crowd. I have a comp heater and I absoutly love it. It not only heats the head it heats the block and the chassis. Idk what soy guys are talking about but it's the best thig to heat your engine completely. A heat gun does not do as good of a job, it's too fast. The comp heater does take 15-20 mins but once it's done your engine is hot. Works great for me.

Does anyone have any insight on a good pipe for a ninja .21 bo1a that has been modded by AB MODS i'am using a os 2050. it just feels like the motor is being restricted,would an os 2060 be a better choice,and if so could i still use the header off the 2050.the motor runs really well,i just think more could be brought out of it.ihad a stock ninja last year on my 8t 2.0 with the 2050 and it sounded right,this modded motor is faster by far,just want to get the best performance i can out of it.

I ran the same motor for 2 years but stock. The 2060 with the round header worked great, Great run times . I had more power out of the 053 with the round header, But lower run times. I would say run the 2060 ,or try the losi re10.

Yes the os 2060 or Mugen 2042 (same pipe) works great. 053 will cut the top off too.

For the money, the Losi RE10, is compatible to the OS 2060, but almost half the cost, the Losi RE 11, is compatible to the OS 2050.

Theonly pipe that is the exact same as the 2060 is the Mugen 2042. The losi pipe is close but not annexact copy.

Yea, OS makes the pipe foe Mugen, but for most of us, we are not pros, that can actually tell that much of a difference between the pipes.