I have had the O.S. AX, FX, and the LA, trust me, go with a Super Tigre G-51. it is Lite with lots of power. The super Tigre is by far the best bang for your buck.

The ringed engine takes longer to break in - if you run it really lean or wear it out all you replace is the ring and break it in again - cheaper than a new piston and liner.

Okay...I tallied the scores and the OS 50 SX is tied with the OS 46 AX with the Thunder Tiger Pro 46 BB ABC in a close second...

OS .50 SX: IIII

OS .46 AX: IIII

Thunder Tiger: III

K&B .61: I

K&B .46: I

Magnum .46: I

Super Tiger G-51: I

Please let me know if I forgot any engines/votes...

So the ringed .50 SX is good?

Yes, the .50 SX is my Fav engine for .40 sized planes, it is the same size as most .46's, and puts out much more power. Even at my altitude of 4,000 feet above sea-level, it pulls my .40 sizers vertical. I doubt I will buy another .40-.46 engine due to the experience I have had with them, oh and being an O.S. Guy. The only drawback is the price, as most have said. You can't go wrong with the TT, AX, or ST .51 for the price, they all are good engines. If you get the SX or any other ringed engine, just be sure to run it rich for the break-in, per manual. When flying keep it a few clicks on the rich side, never on the lean side, for the rings sake. LOL Good Luck, and Happy Flying!!!

k thanks...okay stupid questions:

What do the ball bearings do in the engine and

What is a ABC engine?

ball bearings--support the crankshaft. Most have them at the front and back--this is the best setup. The other alternative is a bushing--basically a polished metal to metal point of contact--much more friction using this setup than with ball bearings--therefore, the ball bearing engines aren't robbed of as much power as the bushing engines are.

ABC--aluminum, brass, copper (I think). Some are now nickel plated. This refers to the cylinder--non-ringed engines are lined with a combination of metals that allow for hardness, but also allow for expansion so that the piston just fits as it reciprocates up and down. This allows for the piston to not use a ring--compression is maintained by the tight fit between the piston and the cylinder wall.

k thanks...

wish they had a BB OS....

What 2slow2matter said, but ABC= (Aluminum, Brass, Chrome). ABC, ABN engines are more forgiving for "lean/hot" runs and can suffer from a "rich" setting it can ruin the piston/liner fit, most people say ABC/N are more user friendly, I like them both, Ringed and ABC/ABN have good and bad points. Good Luck

The SX is a BB engine, LA's are plain bearing.

chrome--I knew copper wasn't right, but my brain is still on vacation. In OS, the LA series are bushing, the AX and SX are ball bearing. The AX replaced the old FX series (the older ball bearing series). You'll notice that BB engines are typically more expensive than bushing, but give far more output in terms of horsepower.

I'm having trouble deciding between the OS 46 AX and 50 SX ringed...

is this the "ring" of the OS 50?

[link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCT20&P=Z]OS 50 ring?[/link]

Yup, that is the ring, the .46 and .50 use the same ring. Good Luck with your choice, that is part of the fun. They are both good engines, AX and SX, I just have more experience with the SX, but I might have to give an AX a go.

k thanks a bunch!

Right now, I am 75% OS .50 and 25% OS .46...

Although all the engines mentioned are good... I think the .50 will be too much for your Airplane...

I am pretty new to R/C Airplanes but I have still to work out why people go with OS engines when you compare price...

You can buy a SuperTigre GS-45 ABC engine from Tower for $69.95 or the .51 for $79.95 and you are going to go with an OS costing $159.95...

Flag and buy the SuperTigre...


Matt

It's because there is more to an engine purchase than price. The OS .45 AX or 50 SX have more power and are lighter than similar sized Super Tigre engines. Reputation and experience also comes into play when making the decision. I've had engines from both companies. My OS engines have always been super reliable, easy to tune, and have never given me trouble. My Super Tigres have been significantly less reliable, and are not as simple to setup. I've either sold them off or put them back in the box because they were just too much trouble.

Come on… That’s ridiculous…

OS engines are more expensive because they are not made in China…

Matt

There is no metal-metal contact with a bushing engine. The crank "floats" on a film of lubricant within the journal (bushing) bearing & has very low friction. The reason BB engines are generally more powerfull is that they invariably have larger & more agressively timed inlet & exhaust ports. Bushing bearings are cheaper to make & are therefore used on low end engines that are primarily employed as "trainer" engines. These can last every bit as long as a BB engine & in some cases are as powerfull as their BB counterparts.

Excuse me? What's ridiculous? You ask why people would be willing to spend more money and then call the response "ridiculous"? What's up with that? Go look up the weights, horsepower ratings, and personal experiences for yourself. As for my experience with OS versus Super Tigre, it's real.
First, from what I remember, in the 25 years since I started flying, about OS versus Super Tigre, OS was usually priced above Super Tigre. Moving production from Italy to China didn't change that. In the past I chose a few Super Tigre engines because they cost less. I regret those decisions. I can get an OS .46 AX from one of the local shops for $95. I'd pay that price WAY before I'd spend $80 on a similarly sized Super Tigre.

I was not trying to justify the price of OS, I was just giving you some reasons why people might be willing to pay the difference. You may have decided that the extra money is not worth it, and if you want to buy based on price, that's ok. However, other people have different opinions, and base their buying decision on more than just price. It happens with cars, houses, and lots of other purchases. That SHOULD be ok, and there SHOULD be no need to call someone else's opinion or purchase decision "ridiculous". Mingbai ma? (Chinese for do you understand?)

I'm with Sukhoi Madness.......initial tuning on a Super Tiger might be a bit more trouble but if you follow the instructions I've never seen a OS that could out pull a ST unless the OS was on a pipe!

After further reading....I mean no offense, Piper Chuck, but give me a price and I'll take some of those ST's off of your hands if you'd like....I like them just fine.

Send me a PM as a reminder. When I get home I'll write down the details and send you a pic of the one remaining ST I have. It's been carefully preserved in its original box as a reminder of how NOT to spend my money. I've been thinking of auctioning it off.

Piper_chuck,
Thank you, thank you, thank you, and thank you. I'm glad to see a voice of reason speak up. And I agree with you, it isn't right to start flinging names around just because you don't agree with someone's ideas. If a person doesn't want to hear different opinions then they need to stay out of the discussion.

As for OS. I prefer OS engines. I know that they are a bit higher than other engines but in my mind the cost is worth it. I won't come on here and trash other motor manufacturers because I know there are a lot of people that use them. But I will make this one comment on OS engines. When you start asking people about less expensive motors you will here this statement a lot, "It's just as good as an OS, and it's cheaper". IMHO there is a reason why they always compare other engines to OS.

As far as Ball Bearing motors. It's a bit misleading to try to explain that ball bearing motors are more powerful. A lot of times they are that, but that is a misleading description of ball bearing motor. If you want to know what the difference is you need to look at just the bearings. A ball bearing motor has ball bearings that support the crankshaft inside the motor. Non-ball bearing motors usually have just a metal bushing (usually just a hole cut into a piece of metal) that supports the crankshaft. Because of this the ball bearing motors are more durable as the ball bearings do not wear out as quickly as the bearings. Also, the bearings usually allow the motor to turn faster. With that said, yes, ball bearing motors usually have more power. This is usually because bushing are usually used on lower end, less expensive motors that just aren't as powerful.

Ok, I'll get off my soap box now.

PM sent before I read this....what size is the motor?

RCKen....I'm hoping that barb was not aimed in my direction, sir.......everybody is entitled to an opinion right or wrong.........unless, of course, you're filibustering on the floor of the Senate! *LL*

I thought you wanted to get away from the plastic needle valve housing that the 46ax has - the 50sx has the metal nipple and housing. The tt46 and st51 do not have the remote needle valve position but do have the metal nipple.

Lots of opinions -- lots of experiences. My preference is for engines that don't give me grief, & also give good value for money.

If I don't pay much for an engine, I don't have high expectations from it -- and this is often born out in practice. For example, the cheap Tower Hobbies & GMS engines that I have purchased have given excellent power (as expected), but at the cost of indifferent tuning, fussier handling & potentially shorter lifetimes. I use them in throw-away applications. Same for Mecoa engines -- although I have been pleasantly surprised at their toughness.

My GMS .76 ringed engine is, so far, a pleasant surprise -- very cheap, good power & easy to tune. Lifetime is unknown, but being ringed, it should last a long time. I think that it is a good value.

Same positive experience with LEO engines, both .46 Pro & .61 Pro. They are cheap, have good, but not outstanding power, & are very tough -- a good value as well.

My recent experiences with OS engines have not been positive in the "go-for-dough" equation -- not enough performance to warrant the cost, plus spotty tuning & terrifyingly short lives. I sold all of my OS engines as a result of that unhappiness. Having said that, I just purchased an OS .46 LA (I don't believe I said that). I got it unused for $45 -- can't miss at that price & so far it has run beautifully (must be a good one).

In my personal experience, the absolutely shining examples of performance and value in the 40 - 46 sized engines have been the TT .46 Pro & TT .42 GP. I own five .46 Pros & two .42 GPs. All of them were very reasonably priced and all came out of the box running like oiled silk. For performance, the TT .46s have easily matched any .46 that I have owned, including the much-vaunted OS 46 FX & the "hot" GMS .47, but have been far better to tune & operate -- & so far have lasted & lasted, despite brutal treatment. The .42 GP is amazing in its power for a cheap bushing engine, outperforming an MDS .38 & matching an Enya SS .40 BB -- all with an APC 10-6 prop. It is much lighter than either one as well & uses noticeably less fuel than either the MDS, or Enya.

I also have a pair of TT .61s -- a GP & a Pro -- the plain-bearing GP matches the Pro for performance, but costs less & weighs less --another good go-for-dough choice.

I'm not married to any engine manufacturer -- just performance, value & easy handling.

Go with a Webra 50, cheaper, lighter, maybe slight power edge over the 50SX. Needle Valve on the carb where it belongs, no issues of it breaking off.