There’s a lot of “voodoo” with engine modification because A) the mod guys won’t share their secrets (for obvious reasons) and B) because it’s so easy to screw something up. The guys that fang the ports in the liner don’t know crap. Those “eye candy” mods are just that and that only. That said, there are gains to be had by doing modifications to an engine, but one must know what does what in order to know what to do and where. Sometimes all that’s needed is minor changes to the crankshaft alone to see some changes in power. In reality, for best results, most often the entire engine needs to be modified to get the most benefit.

Nitro isn’t completely dead; the guys still running nitro are the guys that know a thing or two. The guys running electric - in general - aren’t nitro savvy... Which seems to be the majority of RC bashers these days.