elite

My Feedback: (2)

Anyone have any opions on this temp guage? (DuraTrax FlashPoint Infrared Temperature Gauge) Its 20 bucks, I figure if it helps me tune and makes my engine last a bit longer its worth all the 20 bucks, but how much better are the 100 dollar guns? If its known to be within 2% as advertised then at a 200 degree rating it will potentially be off by only 4 degrees. Seems somewhat reasonable to me, any thoughts?

Also when tuning do you lean till your close to the 205ish mark, or just use this in conjunction with leaning. My revo still smokes, I feel its running rich but I cant tell. Im afraid to lean it, but ive never had it sputter or seem to lean. In fact, ive gone through a few glow plugs early on, and I did the spit test and it took well over 3 seconds to fizzzle away.....what do you think?

Any opinions on both would be great!

Deandome

My Feedback: (1)

I think the cheapie temp 'guns' are great, but then again, I've never compared it to anything! I should really take a reading at the track & then borrow someone's $$$ meter & see the difference.

I don't think the accuracy will be noticably different, maybe 1-2 deg., max. The key for these things is how you SET them to read...they recommend different 'emmissivity' settings for different materials/color, as a silver head will read differently than a black anodized head, even if the actual temps are identical. So if you do do that side-by-side test, it won't mean squat unless they're set the same.

BTW, I tried to set my gun per the Duratrax chart, but the readings got VERY messed up. I re-set it to "stock", figuring that it was more accurate & mainly that as long as I know what MY meter reads when tuned the way I want it, MY meter will then be able to accurately tell me when MY engine is too hot or too cool (and by how much).

So when my meter sez "220", maybe it's off by 20 deg. either waybut I know it's where I want it to be. Luckily, my engine tells me when I'm too lean by dying during accelleration, not by overheating, so I'm at the point where I barely use it at the track. Bashing in a park, on grass, with long runs at WOT is a different story, as I can get high temps with a good tune...so I check more often.

So get the cheapie..it will do all you need!!

Dean

elite

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks dean, thats sorta what I wanted to hear

I would imagine if I do go to the track there will be hard core peeps there with the 100+ guns and when I make some friends Ill do some comparison. But for now, i think itll help, even at 20 degrees off If I get 300 degree readings I know I gotta cool the thing DOWN!

THANKS DEAN!

Deandome

My Feedback: (1)

Don't misunderstand me...these guns are very ACCURATE, easlily within 1-2% of the expensive ones. I'm talking about if & how you set it to "match" the material of your cooling head. SUPPOSEDLY, that changes things a lot, but in my case, I'm more comfortable with the stock setting rather than what I read in the instructions was best for the anodized purple I have on my engine.

These things DO NOT measure heat (like a thermometer), they read reflected infrared 'light' (energy), and like I've said, there are LOTS of variables that affect that...color, materials, angle, etc.

Getting the true temp of you engine has nothing to do with "accuracy", it's how you set it!! I've heard you can take your cooling head & put it in a pot of boiling water & then fiddle with your gun settings till it reads 212 deg, but I'd rekon you'd have to somehow make it so the head wasn't directly touching the pot, as it might be hotter than 212.

And checking accuracy with another gun is kinda useless unless you both use the same head type & you know & trust that this guy has calibrated his gun perfectly. If there's a big difference, HIS might be off and your temp is accurate, you just never know unless you calibrate it yourself.

Any other good calibration ideas out there?

Dean

ThermalRD

I prefer the cheaper temp guns. I have a laser, a non-laser, and a micro atomik. Well, first off, the non-laser died on me a while back. Thats why i ended up with the atomik micro temp checker. The raytek laser temp gun i really dont like. Take note if you've ever seen one, that the LASER is mounted a good distance below the actual temp sensor. I was out tuning my OS .21 savage one day last year, and something just wasnt right. I was pointing with that laser, and getting good temps, but the truck was acting like it was hot. I moved the sensor around, and noticed with the sensor directly over the plug area of the head, my temps were WAY too hot. Checked with the laser pointer, and they were fine. You see what im saying? The laser pointer does no good at all. Use a cheaper temp checker. The duratrax, atomik, etc. They are real nice.

binaryterror

Remember guys the Temp guns are only for ball park tuning in the end...really the performance and smoke trail will tell you what is going on with the engine.

That being said I use a cheap www.tempgun.com one on my most prized engine and it hasn't over heated on me yet.

Deandome

My Feedback: (1)

Exactly!!! Find a tune that works....THEN take a reading. It might say 350 deg. for all I care...obviously that'd mean your calibration is way off. So what...now you have a baseline optimum temp that you can measure against!!

Also, Elite, don't look too much at the smoke, as different fuels have different oil %ages, so sometimes you can have a lotta smoke & still be running kinda lean (i.e, my fuel, Trinity Monster Brew w/16% oil)

elite

My Feedback: (2)

ok glad to know a bit more smoke that i though was normal is ok....and it all could be to do with weather/fuel%/glow plugs etc. I ordered the chepo duratrax for 20 bucks as well as some original traxxas GPs and another spare glow plug wire casuse i think its a matter of time before that goes, and for a 1.65 i though why noy get an extra. Ill have it before the weeks over, ill see how it goes!

Thanks!