I debating between a few different engines for a 4*60. Geezzzz, so may choices. Can I have opinions please.

TT Pro .61
MDS .68
O.S. .61 non-ringed
O.S. .91 fx ringed

I'm not looking to tear up the sky, but do want some authority when the left stick goes all the way up.

thanks in advance,,,,

I am running a 91fx with an APC 15/6. It is a really fun plane to fly. It will hover and pull out and accelerate going up. The 91.fx has my vote. Or if you are so inclined a good 91 four stroke is another great option

I started out with an O.S. .91 surpass with pump. Very reliable engine but also pricey. I decided to use this engine on my H9 P-51 so I started the search for a new engine for the 4* I decided to go out on a limb and try a GMS .76 Because of it's very low price. I was a bit skeptical because I have had such good luck with O.S engines. I was pleasantly surprised with the results it is a very powerful engine and has been reliable so far. It is a ringed engine so it takes a bit of break in. Best bang for the buck in my opinion. I got mine from GMSENGINES.COM For only 85 dollars shipped. If I remember right it only took 4 or 5 days to get to Ohio From California.

Go with a 4 stroke (great sound). I am running a Magnum 91FS, wish it had more power, maybe a YS 91, or a Saito 100. The plane builds out tail heavy, so it won't hurt if you have some weight up front.

cruz,
Check out a Saito 100-- see one on my 4*60 at my web site.
Bill
http://www.bp55899.com

I've been flying my4*60 for 3 years now with a Saito 91 and an APC 14-6 prop. Definitely a good combination. If I had it to do all over again, I would opt for the Saito 100 which wasn't available at the time. This combo makes for good sound, smooth idle, excellent throttle transition and smooth performance at ANY throttle setting. Mine will hang on the prop but will not pull out vertical except when running 30% nitro on a cold day. I gave up the 30% and run it on 15% now to save money. Balance is excellent without any additional weight with the Saito .91. Perhaps a little pricier than a comparable 2 stroke, but well worth the price in my opinion. Well, that's my .02.

Thanks for the responses and good input. I was thinking of going with a 4 stroke, but being this was going to be my first glow powered engine, I was thinking of the ease, break in and setting up of a 2 stroker might be a bit easier for a first timer. I've been flying epowered planes for a little over two years now and want to get started in glow with the 4 star. Hummmm, how tough would it be exactly for a first timer to set up a 4 stroke??? You guys have me thinking now.

I've watched (and flown) Springcreeks 4*60 for a long time (and many repairs ) and does it fly! Course the pilot is good too! If you can afford the saito, go for it! I got my first last year and haven't had a bit of trouble. Got some help setting the low end (inverted) and it's been soper!

i use the tt61 pro. no troubles engine run great. fxd

The 4-strokes are no harder to set up than 2-strokes. The only difference I have found is it is harder to tune a 4-stroke by ear than it is a 2-stroke. If you have a tach or go and buy a tach there is no difference. I would get a 91-100 4-stroke for your 4*60. Good luck!

I midas well take the plunge and get me a 4 stroker huh? I guess I assumed that a first time 4 stroker would be a bit tricky to set up for a new comer to the world of glow power. I'll look into tachometers. Thanks,,,,Ok,,,one more question: when breaking in an engine,,,does one do it while it's sitting in the plane or is it done on a bench mount/stand? Sorry, just new to this.

cruzomatic,

Depending on the plane and engine, I will break-in my engines in the air. Engines in planes which need power to land I will run-in on the ground.
My first 4-stroke was an O.S. 91 Surpass which I mounted on a Hangar 9 Ultra Stick 60. After completing assembly and initial setup, I brought it out to our club field where I let the club president maiden the plane and fire-up the O.S. for the first time. On the second flip of the prop (done by hand) the O.S. was ready to go. We adjusted the needle valves for a rich setting then I walked the plane to the runway where he promptly took off. He flew it around for a few minutes, putting the plane through its paces right off the bat, then landed uneventfully. The engine ran like a top, and reliably, out of the box with no break-in time whatsoever on the ground.
The choice is yours, but on a plane like a 4*60 with a quality engine I would break it in in the air. Good luck!

We put a TT .91 FS on ours and test flew it last weekend. I ran it really rich for 2 tanks on the ground. The third tank, I began to lean it out a little every 2-3 minutes, and a long as it would hold the RPM, I let it run. Fourth tank was in the air. Had a dead-stick, but it was due to running the tank out.

The TT .91 is a great engine for this plane. Balanced perfectly with everything set up exactly as per plans.

Thanks for the input guys. I was always afraid to ask about the method of break in. lol. I'm liking the idea of going with a 4 stroke instead of a 2 more and more. Why not start with something you really want? Plus, that sound is really nice.

I have a TT 91 in my four star 60 it fly's great with a 14x6.
All of my engines are Thunder tiger and haven't had any problems! Plus they are cheaper!!

4 strokes are not difficult to break in or set up. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations regarding rich needle settings and run about 3 tanks through it on the ground never exceeding about 4000 rpm. (You need to use a tach for this and I would highly recommend that you buy one as it is harder to tune a 4 stroker by ear.) You can start flying on the fourth tank with the needle leaned out a little and use up to full throttle. On my Saitos, the low end needed adjusting after about 10 flights. Using the pinch method (same as for 2 strokes), lean the low end mixture out and reset the needle mixture at the high end (300 rpm to the rich side of max rpm). Then, be ready for years of enjoyment with that wonderful 4 stroke sound and torque, tick over idle, and easy starting.
Valve adjustments scare a lot of people away from 4 strokers, but I have had to adjust the valves on mine only twice for as long as I have owned it. Even then, it only took me 15 minutes to do each time.

Thanks for all the great information. I understand that 4 strokers also use less fuel as compared to 2 strokes. Why is that?

4 strokers are typically more fuel efficient than 2 strokers because of the way the engines operate. To understand the difference, one needs to acknowledge what happens inside any combustion engine. There are 4 phases that can be labeled as suck, squeeze, bang, blow. In a 4 stroke engine, these 4 phases happen in sequence, one phase with each stroke of the piston. On the first down stroke of the piston, the intake valve opens and the fuel-air mix is drawn into the cylinder. Then, the valve closes, and as the piston comes back to the top of the cylinder, the mixture is squeezed. The spark plug (or in our glow engines, the glow plug) ignites this mixture causing a rapid expansion of the gasses, forcing the piston back down and turning the crankshaft which turns the propellor. On the return of the piston to the top of the cylinder, the exhaust valve opens and the spent gasses are expelled so the entire sequence can begin again.
In a 2 stroke engine, these phases overlap each other and the mixture is ignited each time the piston nears the top of its stroke. Because a 2 stroke engine uses ports in the sides of the cylinder for gas exchange rather than valves, some of the intake mixture is expelled with the spent gasses out the exhaust port and some of the spent gas remains in the cylinder for the next cycle. Because they fire with every revolution instead of every other revolution, 2 stroke engines are, generally speaking, more powerful than a 4 stroke of similar size, but also less efficient. This is also why a 4 stroke sounds so different than a 2 stroke.
I hope this brief explanation answers your question.

Springcreek, nicely written explanation. Thanks,,,