fhm101

Many of the first run V01's had rear bearing problems. When it first hit the shelves and people started running them and this was discovered, the same things that are now being said about the VZ were being said about the V01. Then as now, the OS factory guys were hanging on to their V99's while the V01 went through it's teething pains.
As for port number being a guide to where the engine performs, it's a VERY general guideline at best. It really depends on how and where the ports are cut into the sleeve that determines an engines' power band. A perfect example is the Berg XR buggy engine (5 ports) and the Berg Rallygame engine (9 ports). The XR delivers excellent bottom end, yet retains the ability to run hard up top as well, but not as strong on top as say a C5 (also 9 ports). The berg rally engine with it's 9 ports will run circles around the XR OR C5 anywhere in their power band. I hear folks all the time talking about what a powerhouse the OFNA Hyper 8 port is, yet the berg XR, any version of the Novarossi P5, or the Crono RS5, (all 5 ports) will own the Hyper low or high. The sad fact about all of this is that very few 8th buggy drivers can fully exploit an engine as weak as the Hyper, much less the more powerful engines most of them insist on having. If you are just starting out in 8th buggy, get an OS RG. It's got tons of bottom, but lacks high end. When you can run it in the upper end of it's range most of the time, start thinking about more power. The only thing more power will do until then is make your LHS happy with all the broken parts you will be replacing from all the high speed wrecks you will have with more powerful engine. I started 8th buggy a power hungry fool myself, but after staying broken all the time I took some very good advice and got an RG. I broke less, won more, and eventually learned to run hotter engines. Of course I'm still a nob when it comes to stupid fast engines like the berg Rallygame.