Jacked69

What do you fellas think about Super Tigre Engines? The price on them is unbeatable but I was comparing engines to use for my next plane the GP Reactor, and the OS .46 Produces 1.65 at 15,500 RPM and the Super Tigre .51 produces 1.48 at 15,000RPM. My question is are super Tigre engines good as in reliable, durable, easy to tune, quality overall? Thank you all.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

My experience is only with friends having them. The reputation is that they have a long and sometimes difficult break-in period. Of what I've seen, the one that was broken in was the second best running (next to my AX) and the strongest engine at the field. The other two were newer and had really rough starting and transition. Seems like they demand you pay attention during break in, and will be rewarding if done properly. I'm not sure if I had one that I'd be able to get it running like a top on my own, but I guess you never know 'till you try.

I have to say that my medicine has a side effect of sleep walking, and I must have gotten at my computer last night and starting replying to this thread (hopefully not others!); it didn't even sound like me[:'(] Thankfully it's finished.

I have never owned a Super Tigre. I don't know if I'm willing to invest the time and headache into getting one to run right, but that's just me. I like OS - one tank of fuel on the ground and go fly

Jacked69

Thanks GA I am pretty good at tuning engines, I have been tuning RC car engines for about 10 years, and I would assume planes are similar, but for the price and performance of a super tigre you cant beat it, geez 100$ for a screaming engine and at a cost of just having it tuned correctly and broken in well is well worth the price savings as I also heard they will last a lifetime. And they have been around for what? 30 years or so now? I do not know about how long OS has been in the game or saito but for my 4 strokes I have all saito golden knights and wont buy any other brand for the 4 strokes....And they just look dam cool with those gold heads LOL......Thanks for the help, you helped me make up my mind as to what to put in my next plane the reactor .46.

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

I must totally disagree with this. I had a Super Tigre 75 on my Tiger 60 and it was easy to start, the break-in process was no different than it was with any other engine, and it had plenty of power. It pulled that Tiger 60 around very nicely. My only complaint with the engine, at least this particular one, was that the muffler baffle plate kept coming loose. However, Super Tigre replaced the whole thing for me so I can't complain much about that.

CGr.

Sandmann_AU

I have to agree with CGr... I've got 2 super tigre 40's and a super tigre 60 (as well as an ASP 4 stroke 120). Yes they are a slightly more difficult than your average OS to get just right, but it's certainly not hard. When I first started flying a year or so ago I'd have every OS owner in the place try to tune my engines for me, shake their heads and mutter about ST's, offer to sell me their used OS's etc. Once I learned how the beast works I could tune them easilly and get at least as much power as an equivalent sized OS (if not more) with very easy starts, good transitions, and smooth idles - and all this at roughly 1/2 the price of an OS. Generally the only people who have real problems with ST's are OS owners who've not used anything else.

There's plenty of pages out there on how to tune ST's, which plugs to use etc and I'm sure there's many ST owners here who'll happily chime in with advice (myself included).

Would I recommend them? Definitely, that's why I keep buying them.

Matt

Clay Walters

The same arguments for/against SuperTigre's have been raging for atleast 15 years that I know of. I've owned 3 - a G-51, S-61, and G-75. Using 10% nitro and adding castor to bring the total oil % up to 20% all three have run smoothly and strong. Transition improves by the end of the first half-gallon and gets really good another gallon later.

All of mine were/are ringed engines and I really did like them. I purchased the G-75 earlier this year because it still had the "Made in Italy" label and its still on the first gallon so I cannot offer any long-term current evaluation. The other two were one's I had in the 1980's.

I don't know what the problem is with having to break an engine in but if that is something you don't enjoy you can always get a non-ringed OS and move along. I hear they're usually a pretty good engine .


Regards,

Clay

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

And I find them over weight, under powered junk. I can get them to run well but there are just too many better choices out there today even in the cheaper brands. The Thunder Tiger PRO series, K&B and as of last year my all time favorite is the SK line sold through Super Kraft. The SK line I like as much or maybe better then even the OS?? Still, for the money if you want a trouble free engine that will be with you for years you really can't go wrong with an OS. The new AX line is outstanding. I would go with the .55 instead of the .46 though, it can be used on a lot more planes both now and in the future. I just put one in a 60 size pulse and it's a great combo. I had the same engine in a 40 trainer and it worked out quite well. See what Clay was saying, put two modelers in the same room and the debate will never end. It's your money and you are going to have to decide. Don't take what you get off the net as fact either, gaRC has only seen these engines, never owned one but it sounded good, made me want to go right out and buy one. Well, almost!!

rambler53

My Feedback: (494)

Super Tigre makes ABC, let me correct that, Super Tigre invented ABC, and you can get them in .45 and .61, and they run stronger than the OS counterparts, every time. Super Tigre's are excellent engines in competent hands. Many blame an engine instead of the bad configuration on their plane, using wrong fuel, prop, glow plug, running with the tank high/low, and not tuning the low speed mixture. I know many OS users failing to get a screwdriver out to adjust their idle mixture for better transition all the time, and think the main needle will somehow miraculously take care of everything. The one and only tuning nightmare I've had, was with Fox engines, and gave up about 20 years ago on them.

ChuckW

Had a .45 Super Tigre that ran like a striped a** ape but never could get it to idle as well as my OS's. I had a .51 that never did run right. Get one thing fixed then it would do something else. I'd consider myself a pretty good engine tuner but the .51 was just too troublesome fo rme to enjoy.

I say value is what to look for. sometimes paying a little more will be cheaper and more enjoyable over the long run.

Of course, if you get a Super tigre and have good luck with it then I suppose there's nothing wrong with that.

goirish

I have the S-61 and when I go to the field, all I have to do is put fuel in it, hook up the glow driver and away we go. I don't have to fiddle with it, just start it and fly it. We have a young person that has the same engine and he does the same thing.

rambler53

My Feedback: (494)

Ditto. Same with a Super Tigre 90, ringed, and these engines are about 10 years old. I fly a lot down here in FL, still 80 degrees now, just a couple of miles from a field, and my OS FX engines wear out in half the time. OS has unreasonable parts costs, Super Tigre wins, for me.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Chuck, I had two of the 40s and hated them, I had one of the 51s and it was OK. I am still using the G-20 and it is OK but the SK 1.30 is a lot better, I just feel that after all these years ST would have come out with a better carb because when you change that they are really good engines. Those .40s just really put me off and the carb on this 2300 could use some replacing too. I keep hearing good things about them but???????

ChuckW

My .45 was the best running engine I've ever had... at wide open throttle. It never ran right at lower RPM's though no matter what I did with it. I think it was just the nature of the carb like you say.

I know some people have had great luck but I haven't.

Regardless, if someone gets one and they feel it works well for them then it was a good choice. Just not my first choice.

rambler53

My Feedback: (494)

I've never heard good things about the larger displacements, unless someone threw on a 7D carb. When I have a bad carb on a Tower Hobbies engine, I opt for a OS replacement.
Generally I replaced the FX carbs with the older 4D carb from my SF series, interesting how the trend goes back to needle on the carb style in the AX line nowadays.
Super Tigre carbs are good. They have been revised more than a few times over the years. I have no trouble with the old Italian round head Tigres with the older carbs either.
I have about six of these now from .23, .45, .61, .75, and .90. They all run excellent, at all RPMs, transition good, and do not dead stick on me. I also run about 4 OS engines now as well on other planes, and these run out of the box, and require really no tuning in comparison, but you pay a premium for that.
At the flying field I tune other people's Super Tigres. I find other issues 50% of the time that would also effect an OS in the same way, except higher nitro content, Super Tigre likes FAI, 5%. OS runs on 10-15% usually, although I keep 5% and FAI for them as well, and they feel weaker on the stuff.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Then here is a question for you Nitro, do the bigger STs want the FAI?? I'm running 15% and then high end will lean out but you can back it out a lot before it goes fat. I have never fooled with there bigger engine, the 2300 runs great but there is just something odd about the carb settings?? I know a lot of folks just put on a different carb but this was a free plane and engine I have given to two of my students.

cold_reboot

My Feedback: (20)

I have a G-45 in my Sig 4*. Since the first tank its run very well. Low reliable idle (achieved on the second tank). It has the most minute of hesitation transitioning but I expect some of that has to do with the fact that I only have 5 or 6 tanks through it and it's not fully broken in yet. It was extremely easy to tune. I've idled it for several minutes on the ground, gassed it, and never had it sputter out on me. Super Tigre carbs were made before the 3D craze and were never engineered to be instant response carbs many people these days are used to. If you use them for what they were designed and engineered for, they are perfectly fine engines (i.e. not 3D) and a great bargain. I'd never hesitate to buy another one.

rambler53

My Feedback: (494)

I have only a fellow flier that uses the big Super Tigres and he says FAI fuel only. 7D carbs are getting hard to find. I do not recommend Super Tigre for any 3D either. I do run them hard, but I do not have deadsticks or bad transitions. I run a 10X8 on a ST G.45 and it's running faster than my AX .46 with a 10X7 APC.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I think I do just happen to have a 7D on an old engine not doing anything. Maybe this spring when I'm in the mood to tinker I will try changing it over?

rambler53

My Feedback: (494)

I would, see them that way often. Here are some planes with ST on them.

jimmyjames213

My Feedback: (2)

get a gms .47, 1.47 hp at 15000 rpm
the thing has a great idle, easy to tune (im a noob at tuneing) and i have never had a dead stick
it also cost less then the super tigeer

Sandmann_AU

Usually the problems people seem to have with ST's comes down to tuning (particularly low end), glow plug choice, and fuel mix. For my GS40's and G61 (all ringed) I use OS5 glow plugs and only 5% nitro. Any more nitro than that's just a waste of space and will make them hard to run nicely. Tuning the idle mixture takes a few minutes while breaking in the engine and typically never needs changing again unless you have dramatic changes in fuel mix or altitude.

Matt

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

I used to have a lot of Super Tigers . I thought they were the greatest engines. I hardly had any other brand

Now I'm all OS and Saito four strokes

txaggie08

Mine was a rock solid engine.


Didn't have a rough break in either. Ran a tank through it, hand flipped it the second time it started and ran that tank through it, hand flipped ti the third time and it's run flawlessly since.


With a good plug in it, it was nothing to recoil start it on the first or second hit, and I never once had a dead stick.

iflyg450

G-51 was a good sport plane engine I just didn't like THAT BIG HEAVY UGLY MUFFLER

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

The big muffler repulses a lot of people but I never had any trouble with them