Don't forget though - this is RCUniverse. Most of the people asking "what engine should I get for my truggy?" here are not going to be racing against Ryan Maifield or Adam Drake next weekend... I have never said a Mach is better than a fill-in-the-blank "race 21". Only that, for the price, it's a very good option, especially for beginners.. I absolutely insist too, that for MOST casual club racing, it's a completely viable truggy racing engine.

I have a SW 26 in my SC8 right now, and will admit, I have the "I need a high end engine" bug... Here is a short clip of it on my very first ever outing with it on a track a couple weeks ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykzHGVUDOn4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXlfbYhAUgM

This engine cost me €100, and the pipe I had left over from an old Losi RTR. The engine is dead easy to tune. The thing is, I can't control it in a straight line. If I give full gas, the tires spin and I lose control. It's already got a +1 CB compared to stock(stock engine is a 28 too..) So how in the hell is an engine that costs THREE times as much(with pipe.. I really kind of want an OS 25 but can't afford it..) going to make me faster? I already get a decent enough run time.. The engine is easy to tune. It was cheap. It will last me at least a year.. And it's more than fast enough. FAR more likely to make me faster would be different tires, and maybe some suspension adjustments.. Oh yeah, better driving too.. But in RC there is this huge myth, that if I spend a ton on an Italian engine, I'll be faster. No, improving your setup and driving skills is far more important. Give me the most expensive engine you want, and against a good, high level driver with a Mach 427 I won't have a chance..

All about the image..

(Also, a pet theory of mine is that sound misleads people. My Mach sure doesn't sound as raspy and cool as some higher-end engines. But a lot of engines that sound fast aren't necessarily as fast as the sound makes it seem.. I know from experience, from having been side-by-side or even outpulling down the straight with all kinds of engines...)

For the few guys who race at a high level, OK, the extra run-time of a Speed or Nova P4 or whatever can make a useful difference.. But again, we're talking about guys just getting into truggy racing..., or people like me who just race now and then..(I would race more if I could..)

Additional factors - I don't even race this SC8!..(yet..) This is just for fun messing around at the track. And the Machs deliver that - fun - aplenty!.. Also, if I were to buy that OS 25, and it DIDN'T live up to my expectations, I would be FAR more aggravated about it.. I have already tried a couple expensive high end Italian "race" engines, and they sucked. I had a Nova 528XR in my Muggy. On the FEW occasions when it ran correctly, yes, it was pretty ballistic. BUT, it wasn't TWICE as ballistic as the Mach 427 I replaced it with. The Mach was fast as hell too. Just a BAZILLION times more user-friendly. Not to mention half the price...(more like a third when you consider I bought a special clutch and pipe for that stupid Nova...) And don't even get me started on that Orion 24 turd I had.. And yeah yeah bla bla, I should've bought a modded Jammin or whatever. I actually believe that I should have.. But that's not the point. The point is, I fell for the bug, thought I wanted to take my racing to the next level, so got an expensive engine on the assumption that that was enough. It was a dud engine, so in the end I finished the weekend with this same SW 26, which ran like clockwork.. Racing is all about setup, driving skill, tires, etc.., with engine maybe fourth on the list... People who put it first are obsessed with image and brand names.

And also, as far as the Asia thing goes, there is so much unfounded prejudice against Asian products. Yeah, a lot of low quality c.rap has come out of Asia. But you're completely naive if you think "Asia=low quality" (OS Speed...) For years when people mentioned a Fiat, the joke was often made "Fix It Again Tony"... And often, not without reason..

I live in Germany and deal with German business people every day. While yes, many German products are better, they are NOT that much better than products from elsewhere - sure as hell not as better as they are more expensive. When you pay for European products, you're mostly paying for their insanely expensive pension and welfare systems and high labor costs, for people to work 35 hours a week.. Germany thrives because of the image that they are this great land of engineers and high quality products. I live in the town where the Porsche Cayenne is "made"(and have worked there..) The Cayenne is not even "made" in Germany. It's %80 made in Slovakia, then the bodies and chassis are shipped here, mated together, and a big fat "made in Germany" stamp is put on it. Then people, for this stamp, are willing to pay $40,000 more than the competition, because they assume it must be better.. Clever, the Germans. They understand image.