Textanker

Howdy all. I am looking for a good solid 40 size engine to start racing at my club with. We are trying to get a local racing league in Houston and we are trying to get some equipment standards set. I have heard good things about the Tower Hobbies engines, as well as the Thunder Tigers as well. Please share your thoughts.

Thanks!

skull1971

Thunder Tiger Pro 40, most of us already have them. we have a Club 40 race at Texas City on Sept 18.

BarryReade

My Feedback: (1)

What Skull said!! 

The TT PRO 40 is pretty much the standard around the country.

Textanker

Awesome, gents. I will be at the race. Can someone send me some details?

dnrocc

My Feedback: (3)

Tex,

Attached is the flier for the Texas City Race on September 18 and there is also a thread under the Club 40 started for the race as well. I can give you additional details on how to get to the field. or any other information you may need. You said that you are trying to get a local racing league in Houston. What type of racing are you referring to? Where is your Club? If it's Club 40 Racing, I will be happy to help in any way in getting your club or others started. We have a several local Clubs that are putting on Club 40 racing in the area.

I will agree that the Thunder Tiger Pro .40 is the current best choice for .40 size racing engines if you are limited by the class you race and budget. They are very durable and under $100. I have also seen some GMS .40 engines raced with good results, but there are not many being utilized. If you are not limited by class or budget, there are some more expensive racing engines available such as Jett's and Nelson's.

My contact information is in the flier.

Don Roccaforte

mdwpylonracer42h

Don, if you don't mind let me add to this.

Textanker,

See www.rcpro.org rules for club 40. We use stock LA Racers and Sky Raider Mach II airframes from Airbourne Models. Both designs are competitive, with somewhat a small emphasis on the Sky Raider. As Don said, Thundertiger Pro 40 engines is the choice, but the GMS 40 has been compeititive as well. What it all comes down to is flying style, choice of props, and radio trim and throws. Throw into the mix, glow plug choice. Also thrown in is fuel tank choice and placement within the fuse.

What is restricted is that you can not modify is the two airframes from stock for aero advantage, nor can you "soup" up the engine, TT40 or GMS 40 beyond their stock capabilities. Normally, we bolt on a TT40 to a LA Racer, or SRMII and fly the hell out of them, taking full advantage of the new computer radio set ups available. You cannot lower the heads on any engine for compression gain, nor can you take out the baffle of the stock TT40 muffler. The GMS muffler has no baffle, so that is its advantage.

We already have a pretty big following between Houston and the Cen Tex area. You are welcome to put your club into the mix. We race around two poles at 400 ft. using the same ROG rules as AMA 428 and 422. The biggest difference is we race two poles instead of the three poles. The RCPro.org rules show the offset of the 2 pylons from the pilot stations for safety.

Mike W.

mdwpylonracer42h

PS, another way to get started is build the planes stock, use TT40 engines, use stock fuel tanks and placement, and get used to flying it. Build them on the money in weight 4 lbs, 8 ozs. Use all standard servos, preferably digital for aileron and elevator, and get as tail heavy as you can stand it. Use 5 cell NiMh at least at 500 Mah to 750 Mah for batter power. Use throws about half to two thirds of what is recommended throws for the planes in the manuals and you will be somewhat close to trim pylon racing. When test flying, go to a 45 degree vertical climb and invert it. Does it fall almost immediately? Then it needs more weight to the tail. Does it climb? Then it needs more nose weight. Experiment with that and throws. Basically you want to turn the plane perpendicular with aileron and pull back full on elevator for your optimum turn radius.

Mike W

Textanker

Gents,

First of all, thanks so much for all of your help. I just got back from a year deployment in Iraq and am ready to start flying again. I have been flying off and on for about twenty years, but I have a lot of holes in my experience.

My initial idea is this: A Mini Reno Air Race. With the introduction of 25 size warbirds from Great Planes, I have been interested in using these models as a class for racing. Two of my friends have been messing around at Scobee with the Spitfire, Mustang and P40. We have been having a great time and I was thinking that it would be a great way to get some other flyers involved for a pretty small initial cost.

skull1971

BUT,,, you already have about 30-40 guys around the state that are willing to travel to a race, and about 20+ of us who are hardcore, go to most every event, in Club 40. Would those same guys be willing to purchase another full race set up? I'd bet not, and I know I will not. My suggestion would be to come to Texas City, and check out what we're doing, and see if you want to join us, or still start your own racing group. For the record, a TTpro 40 cost less than an OS 25, and the Great Planes aircraft you spoke of cost more too, than the SRMII, or the LA Racer from World.

mdwpylonracer42h

Sounds cool, but Skully is right.

Textanker

Excellent points. I will be on my way to Texas city.

A6TEXAN

Mike, if you dont mind i would like to add to the "no engine mods" section.


the "low" side jet can not be backed out all the way and glued in place. the engine must be capable of "idling".

i dont know if the rules would allow for the carb spring to be removed or not. but i definitely experienced the spring getting sucked into the engine. you could hear it immediately and it detroyed a fairly new TT .40. it cost me less to replace engine than to fix all the damage.

skull1971

The current rules do allow the idle needle can be glued in place, and it is OK to pull the spring. Now I do agree that the engine should have to idle, unassisted, like before.

A6TEXAN

so you say some fellas are gluing their idle jets in place without unscrewing them all the way

skull1971

NO, Some of the guys are setting them up just like 424 engines, except keeping the baffle. MOST of us do have them idle, the SRMII is a fun sport plane and fly then as that when were not racing.

BarryReade

My Feedback: (1)

If you remove the spring you need to replace it with a small piece of fuel tubing to prevent the carb barrel from ocilating.  If you don't you will be losing rpm.  Cut the one side of the tubing flat and the other end at an angle to hold the barrel in place like the spring was suppose to.  It is in the 424 mod article that was on the NMPRA site.

Ken Erickson

Gents,

The rules do require idling!!!

The rules posted before are quite old. There is one page of rules about what goes up in the air, not a page and a page of modifications. That page can be found on rcpro.org.

The procedures (comparable to sections 1-4 of AMA rules) can be found in the forum section of rcpro.org, as can the Addendum: Course workwrs and there duties.

Ken Erickson