There's alot of .46 size engines out there. Is there one thats really good? Now I don't have a ton of money to spend! Tower Hobbies ABC .46? O.S. LA series .46? Fox ABC BB .46? GMS ABC BB .47? Magnum XLS-46 BB? I'm just listing all the ones of Tower Hobbies.

Thanks

Opinions are rampant on this discussion.

To generalise them: The OS LA series are not worth it given that for very little extra you can get much better alternatives. The OS AX is good, but is it worth as much as they ask?

So, OS "Brackets" the range with the LA at the bottom, and the AX at the top of the price range, and possibly the quality scale. Since you asked such a general question though, I'll provide my opinion (and I have owned buth the .46 LA, and FX which was the predcessor to the AX). The AX is not worth the expense, and the LA is just too "plasticky". Go fot r an alternate brand, and my brand of choice is the Thunder Tiger .46 PRO. Way better than the LA, about as good as the AX, but not much more than the LA in price.

I have no personal experience with the other engines you listed.

gus

Get the OS AX if you have the extra $$$, if not get the TT .46 Pro for around $80. Very good engine. Lots of ppl in here recommend the TT .46 Pro

Agree with the Thunder Tiger 46 PRO. Good engine for the money.
Dennis-

Don't overlook the Tower Hobbies 46. It's a powerful engine, and if broken in "by the book", it will perform well. A good buy for the money.
Glen

If your new to engines stay away from the Tower motor. You have to setup the high and low end and follow a full page of break in instructions. I never got mine to run well, you continually have to play with the settings.

The TT pro 46 is a sure deal. For the price it cant be beat and it is super easy to setup. Normaly all you have to do is run a tank or 2 through on the ground and set the high end needle valve. I have 2 of these engines and have yet to touch the low end settings and they idle great.

However, the stock muffler on the tower engine is great. I would be more inclined to buy the TT pro 46 and then buy the tower muffler seperate than to buy the Tower engine.

I agree with Glen-- the Tower .46 is a maligned motor. I flew one in my 1st trainer and never had a minute's problem with it, never deadsticked on me, except when I ran it out of fuel (my bad). It liked to load up if idled a while, but I never really messed with the low end after the initial setup. I liked the engine a lot. It outlasted the plane it was in-- I mid-aired my SIG Kadet MkII that it was in with a 1/4 scale Cub and his 20 inch prop and gas engine throroughly Cuisinarted my plane, but the engine is fine. Can't beat it for the price for a beginning engine.

TT 46pro is as equal in power to the 46fx/ax. Stay away from the LA series. Not that they run bad is that they lack power.

Thanks for the support, khodges. Finally found someone who agrees with me about the TH46. Actually, I've never even touched the idle setting it came with. I broke it in "by the book", on a bench, put it in my LT 40, and then after totalling my LT 40, I put it in a Lanier Comet (an awful plane), and it is running well. This little engine is rated at 1.75 HP, according to Tower Hobbies literature, and that's powerful for a low-cost 46!
Glen

I have 4- TT46pro engines they are a strong motor and smooth running. I turn a 11x4 prop.

Opinions are personal, but since you asked:

1st by a mile -- TT .46 Pro -- outstanding quality, power to match the FX & AX, trouble free tuning & operation, long lasting, great price
next-- either the OS FX or AX, take your choice
next -- LEO .46 Pro, solid quality at an outstanding price (but not quite as powerfull as TT & OS)
next -- Magnum -- good quality & power like the LEO, but a bit more pricey
next -- if you feel lucky, Tower hobbies .46/GMS .47 (same motor) they are cheap & powerfull, but there are lots of duds out there
next -- MECOA .46 Tomcat, identical to the LEO in performance, but costs more & has noticeably poorer quality
dead last by a mile -- OS .46 LA, it runs reasonably well, but it can't pull the skin off a grape & costs too much for what you get.

Don't overlook the Evolution Engines. Excellent engine with some very nice features that the others don't have (Like the canted glow plug to keep your fingers away from the prop) - About 80 bucks

Thunder Tiger Pro 46. As someone told me when I posed your exact question, "You can spend a lot more and get a lot less."

TT 46 PRO, no one even mentioned the Super Tigre 45 Great running little engine! Or you can step up a size and get the St 51. All three are great running engines. I've been wanting to try the tower 46 for some time <dunno why?> but haven't Had the funds/ airframe so I dunno about that one. O.S. Ax never seen one, but we have an fx or two out at the field and they seem OK if not a little tempermental and under powered compared with the St's and tt's. O.S. La series not really worth mentioning. Non used at our field. The is and old <10 yrs.> Magnum at our field. Starts quick just about every time but I Don't know what the power is like as it's on a trainer. The Only fox out there is a 30 ish sized. Makes great power but is loud! To put them in order:
1.) Super Tigre, Thunder Tiger.
2.)Tower <there is one at our field in a P-51>
3.)Fx
4.) MAgnum, Fox
5.) La

I have to go with the majority on this one. The Thunder Tiger Pro46 is the best value on the market in my opinion. I have two of them and could not be more satisfied.

What about the GMS .47- i thinks it's 1.47 bhp at 15000 rpm- its only 70 bucks
Gus- nice gold head too

I have the GMS .47 installed in my plane. Have yet to run it though. I have heard both good and bad about it. There is a thread in the "Glow Engine" forum that I started about this engine. There are a lot of people that sware by them and a lot that curse them up and down.

Larry

The evolution engines are great running engines and don't cost that much. I have one installed in my plane and haven't had a dead stick landing because of engine trouble. Lots of great features on it and lots of power

The evolution engines are great running engines and don't cost that much. I have one installed in my plane and haven't had a dead stick landing because of engine trouble. Lots of great features on it and lots of power

I have a Evolution .46nt on my Telemaster 40 and I am extremely pleased with the performance and reliability.

Like others say, its either good or bad. Most (if not all) problems are with air leakage around the carb. Use some hi temp silicone sealant around the base and most problems seem to go away.

I tend to recommend the Thunder Tiger .46 pro. Good engine, well built, runs well, good value.


Bob