Dollar for dollar, you cannot beat a Novarossi. I’m sure some have seen me say this before, but is for good reason. I’ve run piles of Traxxas and SH/Dynamite engines. While they run fine and do the job, higher quality is worth the money. Dollars are what you pay, value is what you get. A $110 engine that lasts 4-6 gallons and is a little finickier to tune versus a $140 engine that can last 10+ gallons easily AND be heaps easier to tune is a worthwhile consideration.

I put a Nova 28-8RT in my Losi LST2. The first time I drove the truck with the new engine, I knew immediately that the Nova .28 would blow the doors completely off the SH .28 it replaced. Sure, both will pull wheelies. But the Nova could do a standing backflip and land back on the tires. The SH couldn’t dream of doing that even though the engines cost virtually the same.

A stock 3.3 would get eaten for lunch against a stock Nova 2.5SC.