Hangar 9 Jackal Help - Need for Speed
 

Hello everyone :) I was hoping i could get some advice. I currently have a Hangar 9 Jackal which I love and would like to get some more speed out of it. I am running the stock system Evolution 60nx with Jett pipe and getting about 120mph with a 10x8 prop. I also tried the 10x7 and a 10x9. The 10x7 did not perform as good as the 10x8 and the 10x9 was too much prop. I have two questions.

What is the best prop for this combo? I was thinking of trying a 9x9 next. I am hoping to get about another 10mph out of this baby.

Second question - does anyone know how the Jett .60LX perform compared to the Evolution 60nx?

Thanks advance for your help!

Hi Roly..!
You are already getting very good performance, so further gains from "prop work" will be more difficult to notice...but "prop work" is a fun part of the hobby. You have to be cautious about trying combos with low static thrust that give wobbly take off speed. OTOH, modern engines can handle much higher than advertised rpm, so not too much to worry about there.
The performance mufflers have their advertised rpm range that they work best at, so at some point they become a limiting factor after you have explored all the boost they can give you.
A 9x9 prop sounds like a good choice to try.
APC has a pretty extensive list of "in between" sized props that don't show up in retail catalogs, so it is worth a trip to look around at their website.
The most significant thing you could do to make your plane faster is to build a thinner wing for it using the fiberglass over balsa and styrofoam technique. Imagine being able to see a 20-25 mph difference in top speed right there at the field with a simple wing swap..!

Did you install retracts on it too? Retracts will give you a noticeble speed boost by reducing a lot of drag on the plane.
I would suggest that you try different 10x8 propellers out. Different designs or brands. I was thinking that you might be at or near its optimum speed but I was mistaken.
Hangar 9 was suggesting a 10x7 or 11x7 for the plane, but I think that your 10x8 prop is probably at or near optimum.

But then someone stated they got 135-140 mph out of their Jackal using the same engine though. So maybe one can eek out some more speed. You tube video below of that one.
Then the electric guys are pushing 180mph with their Jackals too. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1434071

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLfLXI4ixoY

If it had retracts I'd say it may benefit from the higher pitch speed of a 9-9 or you might find joy in a 9-8. The 9-8 has proven itself to be a very fast prop for many .40 case size higher performance engines - which this is - in medium fast airframes. Not sure which that pipe is better suited to. I'm actually about to try out exactly the same engine in my original Screamin Demon, weather permitting this weekend. Match made in heaven. I'll start with a 10-7 - it pulled my Phoenix 7 vertical from take off and at a pretty respectable top speed, so I reckon on a 3.5 pound airplane it ought to pull okay from a hand launch. Then I intend to try out 9-8, 9-9, and 9-10. My results won't help because the airplanes are too different.

I picked up a couple of 9-9 and 9-8 today at the LHS. They were out of 9-10's and if they're smart they won't restock them. I probably bought all 3-4 of them over the years, can't imagine who around here would use them. I nicked the tips of my last one on a bench dum-dum. Anyhow, the point is next chance I get to go out fly I will tach them both. I'm curious how this motor/tuned muffler combo will crank them. The weekend forecast was crappy, and today we had a nasty front come though with high winds and 3/8" - 1/2" hail. Today the message was clear outside - winter's comin'! Point being tomorrow don't look too good. If no flying, might be able to ground run back of the house, tempted to anyways and my son is home to help (and get slimy arms).