shaggy48

Well I had my first dead stick last weekend flying my Yak 54 and Saito 100, and spent the week repairing the landing gear in my yak. My own fault really because I ran out of Powermaster 20/20 which I've been using with great results. However on my first tank of Wildcat, I had a dead stick. Too far away to get back to the runway and had to put it down blind, behind a hill and just managed to keep it level before the eventual thud!. Lucky I didn't do more damage. She's all repaired and ready to fly again. But I found that the Wildcat fuel runs way different than the Powermaster I had been using. I had to completely re-tune the saito 100 for the change in fuel. Flew it again yesterday but its just wasn't the same. Can't go flying today so I spent some of this morning re-tuning. I do think I've got it tuned in right at the moment. But I'm just amazed at the difference.
I also tried the Wilcat 20/20 in my Saito 56 and same thing but was much easier to re-tune just a few clicks. I know you have to re-tune for different fuels but didn't realize it was such a big difference. Anyone else run into this? Not saying there's anything wrong with the Wildcat fuel, and had I been using it all along I probably wouldn't have had this problem. (Or was smart enough to re-tune before now). I'm just curious what other's experience has been from one brand fuel to another? Big difference? Or is it usually easy to re-tune?


Thanks
Shaggy

P-40 DRIVER

Powermaster is out of business but someone bought the name so it should be available again, if in name only. I've run both and had zero issues so far.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

The people that bought Powermaster were the suppliers of the raw materials all along. The supplier (VP Racing fuels) has been a high performance fuel source to the high performance car market for many years. So there should be no changes in the quality of the Powermaster product.


http://www.texasalliedchemicals.com/

-

I've also used a couple cases of Wildcat Y-S 20-20 fuel and think it runs great in my Saito engines

FLYERDON

Shaggy, which way did you have to retune....open the needle or close it?

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

If you increase nitro, you will have to open the needle valve

shaggy48

Flyerdon. I had to richen the HSN about one full turn on the 100. It was dialed in pretty sweetly with the powermaster fuel and I guess I didn't realize there would be such a big difference between the two brands. Another lesson learned I guess. The wildcat runs it fine now that I've re-tuned it. Funny though that the 56 didn't seem to care much. Probably could've gotten away with doing nothing to it. And it ran just fine on the wildcat first time out.

W8YE. Both fuels are 20/20 so it shouldn't have been an increase in nitro. But, its quite possible the mixtures just aren't that precise.

As for powermaster fuel being available again via a new owner. I've not seen it on the shelf at my LHS so maybe I'll ask them next time I'm in there to see if they can get it. If I can get it again I'll certainly try it again because it worked great for me. But I don't care really since as I said I've no issues with the wildcat fuel. It's just the first time I'm using it. I've been living off the few gallons of powermaster I had. But that's all gone now! Next time I buy fuel I may just pick up a different brand like Byrons. I've never tried that but they usually have that in stock as well as the wildcat. But you can be sure I'll be looking for a change in how the engine runs if I do.

Shaggy

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

I have never run Powermaster. But have used only Wildcat for the last few years. I get it from Wildcat at the Toledo Model Show

Byron's is OK. seems to run all right. There's a hobby shop not far away from me that carries it.

Nitro runs a lower Air-fuel ratio than Methanol so an increase in nitro, you would have to open the needle.

For your LHS to get Powermaster, he is going to need to Email or call that guy Wade L. Gray 210-635-7755

[email protected]

to set up the details for the shipment

FLYERDON

Shaggy, the higher the nitro content, the more you will have to open the needle. Be aware there are two ways of stating nitro content - by weight or by volume. Methanol weighs about 6 lbs. per gallon, most oils about the same as water (8.3 lbs/gal) and nitro 9.4 lbs./gal. If the manufacturer blends a certain percentage (such as 20%) by weight, it will have considerably less nitro by volume than one blended by volume.

I was the founder of PM fuel, and owned it 1986 - 1998, the first twelve years of its existence. Although nearly all fuel blenders have a "20-20" fuel in their line of products, mine was the original one, and it has been copied widely since. It was developed at the request of Steve Helms at Futaba back when they were the importer of the YS engine line. I have no idea how the 20% nitro content was measured in recent years, but when I owned the company, it was 20% by VOLUME, giving the user a true 20% blend.

Over the years there has been some game playing with nitro content by various blenders, not only by blending nitro by weight but in the reverse direction as well. For example, if a blender wants his fuel to deliver more power than a competitor on a specific blend, he will fudge by using more than the stated content. This will cost him money, of course, since the nitro is the most expensive incredient, but it can allow that blender to boast that his is more powerful than Brand X.

More often, the fuel blender will save $$ by using nitro by weight. However, I know of one blender who was touting his fuel (which was labeled by an arbitrarily selected number than by nitro content) as more powerful that our 20/20. As a matter fact it was, since according to a gas chromatograph test I had run, it contained 40% nitro!

If you'd like to continue this back channel, e-mail me at [email protected].

Don Nix

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

It has been rummered for years that Byron's mixes by weight?

I've just used the 10-15% stuff and it ran OK. I didn't have trouble running it.

Jeff Worsham

My Feedback: (28)

Wow- Thanks Don for the excellent info and inside scoop on fuel blending. I love running glow engines- the challenge, the smell, the noise, even the oily cleanup. I just hope the price of fuel doesn't kill off glow. All you hear anymore- "going gas" or "going 'lectric". One good thing about it for now- sure are some awesome deals on glow stuff in the second hand market.

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

Shags, last summer I ran 6 gallons of PowerMaster through several of my Saitos, there was no change whatsoever, in fact the blend was exactly the same, 15% nitro 18% blend of lube 80/20 syn/castor. WHen I ran out I went right back to WildCat since I've been using it since 1992. The sole reason for using the PM was that Apex Hobbies sold it to me for $58.00 for 6 gallons because they couldn't sell it.

cutaway

I've been using VP's M1-Methanol and RC-3 Castor for mixing my own for a while now. It does appear to be good stuff, and its available locally for me at a VP dealer in Ft Lauderdale.