O.S. 55AX opinions
02-22-2010, 11:22 PM
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O.S. 55AX opinions
I am looking to buy a good powerful motor for a .40 size 3d plane and the 55AX is looking mighty tempting. What are your opinions on these motors? Do they tune easy and hold a tune? Is there any other .40 sized motors that are as powerful? I was looking at the TTR pro .46 but like the idea of the extra power of the 55AX. I just don't want a motor that is a pain to tune.
02-22-2010, 11:28 PM
#3
RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
This engine is a little powerhouse. I have a couple and just love them. They are a great way to bring more power to a 40 sized plane without dropping a heavy 60 sized engine in it. You won't go wrong with this engine
Ken
Ken
02-23-2010, 12:21 AM
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RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
The O.S. Max .55 AX is very highly regarded. It's not inexpensive, but it is a good combination of power and ease-of-use.
RC Ken just reviewed the JBA .56 2-stroke available from:
http://www.kangkeusa.com
http://bj-model-engines.com/jba.html
http://knoxhobbies.com/
The JBA .56 has been tested by a number of reviewers, and offers similar power and ease-of-use at about half the price. The JBA .56 sells for $79.99 plus s&h from the three e-tailers listed above whereas the O.S. .55 AX is $159.99 at Tower Hobbies before applicable discounts.
The O.S. .55 AX offers better warranty coverage than the JBA .56, and parts availability will likely be better. If you spend the extra money to get the O.S. Max .55 AX, you will undoubtedly be happy with the engine. I own a JBA .56 myself, and I am very happy with my JBA.
For more information about the JBA .56 2-stroke with dual ball bearings and twin needle carburetor, check the following reviews and threads:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...rticle_id=1194
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_67..._1/key_/tm.htm
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=603739
Other popular engines in the "souped-up .46" range include the K&B Screamin' .48, the Aviastar .53, the VMax .52, the Magnum XLS .52A, The Super Tigre G-51 ringed, the Enya SS50 Ring and Enya 50CX, and the Webra 50 P5 GT and 55 P5 GT, to name a few. O.S. Max didn't invent the ".46 Plus" category of 2-stroke, but their offering is a fine one. I'd be happy to own and fly any of the engines I've listed here.
RC Ken just reviewed the JBA .56 2-stroke available from:
http://www.kangkeusa.com
http://bj-model-engines.com/jba.html
http://knoxhobbies.com/
The JBA .56 has been tested by a number of reviewers, and offers similar power and ease-of-use at about half the price. The JBA .56 sells for $79.99 plus s&h from the three e-tailers listed above whereas the O.S. .55 AX is $159.99 at Tower Hobbies before applicable discounts.
The O.S. .55 AX offers better warranty coverage than the JBA .56, and parts availability will likely be better. If you spend the extra money to get the O.S. Max .55 AX, you will undoubtedly be happy with the engine. I own a JBA .56 myself, and I am very happy with my JBA.
For more information about the JBA .56 2-stroke with dual ball bearings and twin needle carburetor, check the following reviews and threads:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...rticle_id=1194
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_67..._1/key_/tm.htm
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=603739
Other popular engines in the "souped-up .46" range include the K&B Screamin' .48, the Aviastar .53, the VMax .52, the Magnum XLS .52A, The Super Tigre G-51 ringed, the Enya SS50 Ring and Enya 50CX, and the Webra 50 P5 GT and 55 P5 GT, to name a few. O.S. Max didn't invent the ".46 Plus" category of 2-stroke, but their offering is a fine one. I'd be happy to own and fly any of the engines I've listed here.
02-23-2010, 12:59 AM
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RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
my ax55 works fine, makes a ton of power but lags in the midrange, which isnt noticible in a sports flying model (where the ax55 is in now) but i had it on a 3d plane and the ax55 was horrible, would lag right were i needed to hover which was a PITA.
now thats its on a sports model the engine hasnt died on me at all, it wasnt as reliable in the 3d plane which was one reason i switched it. i think my problem was i didnt break it in well enough before trying to big of a prop (12x25x3.75 and 13x4) now thats its swinging a 11x5 the engine is much happier, im going to switch to a 11x6 soon which should be the perfect match, after another gallon or so and the ax finishes breaking in i have no doubt the midrange problem will get much better, then i may throw it back on the 3d plane
the gms .47 is another great engine, to bad its on backorder [
], it transititions very smooth which is important for 3d (its what i replaced the ax with) it isnt as powerful as the ax but it will still take a 4.5 lb plane vertical like it was a rocket
the magnum 52 is a great engine once you put a few gallon through it and fine tune it. its a PITA at first to get the idle set right but once its up to speed it will easily keep up with the ax55
the real key to 3d is put a engine you trust on your plane. make sure you have put a few gallons through in a sports model. i made this mistake and will never do it again.
power is important as 3d but nowhere near as important as reliability. the ax55 is not reliable with a 3d prop until it has a few gallons through it.
may i ask what 3d plane, if its the mojo .40 or similar then any .46 is more than enough power, the gms i put on mine makes the plane a rocket w/ a 12.25x3.75 prop
so take that engine off your trainer and stick it on your 3d plane, throw the new engine on it and fly for a few gallons, then throw it on the 3d plane.
i crashed my mojo at least 10 times until i learnt this lesson (luckily the gear took the hit most of the time)
now thats its on a sports model the engine hasnt died on me at all, it wasnt as reliable in the 3d plane which was one reason i switched it. i think my problem was i didnt break it in well enough before trying to big of a prop (12x25x3.75 and 13x4) now thats its swinging a 11x5 the engine is much happier, im going to switch to a 11x6 soon which should be the perfect match, after another gallon or so and the ax finishes breaking in i have no doubt the midrange problem will get much better, then i may throw it back on the 3d plane
the gms .47 is another great engine, to bad its on backorder [
], it transititions very smooth which is important for 3d (its what i replaced the ax with) it isnt as powerful as the ax but it will still take a 4.5 lb plane vertical like it was a rocket the magnum 52 is a great engine once you put a few gallon through it and fine tune it. its a PITA at first to get the idle set right but once its up to speed it will easily keep up with the ax55
the real key to 3d is put a engine you trust on your plane. make sure you have put a few gallons through in a sports model. i made this mistake and will never do it again.
power is important as 3d but nowhere near as important as reliability. the ax55 is not reliable with a 3d prop until it has a few gallons through it.
may i ask what 3d plane, if its the mojo .40 or similar then any .46 is more than enough power, the gms i put on mine makes the plane a rocket w/ a 12.25x3.75 prop
so take that engine off your trainer and stick it on your 3d plane, throw the new engine on it and fly for a few gallons, then throw it on the 3d plane.
i crashed my mojo at least 10 times until i learnt this lesson (luckily the gear took the hit most of the time)
02-23-2010, 01:18 AM
#6
RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
love mine, I think everybody should have one, as been said, their excellant engines, plenty of power and easy to tune and have yet to hear anybody complain about one
02-23-2010, 01:20 AM
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RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
The .55-AX is one of the best 2-stroke engines I have ever owned or gotten to work with. Never a problem with tuning and reliability. Also have never had any mid-range or transition issues. I flew one on a .40 size profile and the power was amazing.
02-23-2010, 06:49 AM
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RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
I have one on my Mojo 40 and it is a great combination. I prefer 13x4 Xoar props, but have also used 13x4 Zinger Pro, and 13x4W APC with good success.
Good luck
Good luck
02-23-2010, 08:49 AM
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RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
ORIGINAL: jimmyjames213
my ax55 works fine, makes a ton of power but lags in the midrange, which isnt noticible in a sports flying model (where the ax55 is in now) but i had it on a 3d plane and the ax55 was horrible, would lag right were i needed to hover which was a PITA.
now thats its on a sports model the engine hasnt died on me at all, it wasnt as reliable in the 3d plane which was one reason i switched it. i think my problem was i didnt break it in well enough before trying to big of a prop (12x25x3.75 and 13x4) now thats its swinging a 11x5 the engine is much happier, im going to switch to a 11x6 soon which should be the perfect match, after another gallon or so and the ax finishes breaking in i have no doubt the midrange problem will get much better, then i may throw it back on the 3d plane
the gms .47 is another great engine, to bad its on backorder [], it transititions very smooth which is important for 3d (its what i replaced the ax with) it isnt as powerful as the ax but it will still take a 4.5 lb plane vertical like it was a rocket
the magnum 52 is a great engine once you put a few gallon through it and fine tune it. its a PITA at first to get the idle set right but once its up to speed it will easily keep up with the ax55
the real key to 3d is put a engine you trust on your plane. make sure you have put a few gallons through in a sports model. i made this mistake and will never do it again.
power is important as 3d but nowhere near as important as reliability. the ax55 is not reliable with a 3d prop until it has a few gallons through it.
may i ask what 3d plane, if its the mojo .40 or similar then any .46 is more than enough power, the gms i put on mine makes the plane a rocket w/ a 12.25x3.75 prop
so take that engine off your trainer and stick it on your 3d plane, throw the new engine on it and fly for a few gallons, then throw it on the 3d plane.
i crashed my mojo at least 10 times until i learnt this lesson (luckily the gear took the hit most of the time)
my ax55 works fine, makes a ton of power but lags in the midrange, which isnt noticible in a sports flying model (where the ax55 is in now) but i had it on a 3d plane and the ax55 was horrible, would lag right were i needed to hover which was a PITA.
now thats its on a sports model the engine hasnt died on me at all, it wasnt as reliable in the 3d plane which was one reason i switched it. i think my problem was i didnt break it in well enough before trying to big of a prop (12x25x3.75 and 13x4) now thats its swinging a 11x5 the engine is much happier, im going to switch to a 11x6 soon which should be the perfect match, after another gallon or so and the ax finishes breaking in i have no doubt the midrange problem will get much better, then i may throw it back on the 3d plane
the gms .47 is another great engine, to bad its on backorder [
], it transititions very smooth which is important for 3d (its what i replaced the ax with) it isnt as powerful as the ax but it will still take a 4.5 lb plane vertical like it was a rocket the magnum 52 is a great engine once you put a few gallon through it and fine tune it. its a PITA at first to get the idle set right but once its up to speed it will easily keep up with the ax55
the real key to 3d is put a engine you trust on your plane. make sure you have put a few gallons through in a sports model. i made this mistake and will never do it again.
power is important as 3d but nowhere near as important as reliability. the ax55 is not reliable with a 3d prop until it has a few gallons through it.
may i ask what 3d plane, if its the mojo .40 or similar then any .46 is more than enough power, the gms i put on mine makes the plane a rocket w/ a 12.25x3.75 prop
so take that engine off your trainer and stick it on your 3d plane, throw the new engine on it and fly for a few gallons, then throw it on the 3d plane.
i crashed my mojo at least 10 times until i learnt this lesson (luckily the gear took the hit most of the time)
http://www.advantagehobby.com/produc...=39746&cat=382
That JBA looks very tempting. It's too bad that I currently have more engines than planes.[
]Edit: Sorry, I checked the stock, and Advantage is out of them as well.
02-23-2010, 08:57 AM
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RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
ORIGINAL: jimmyjames213
may i ask what 3d plane, if its the mojo .40 or similar then any .46 is more than enough power, the gms i put on mine makes the plane a rocket w/ a 12.25x3.75 prop
so take that engine off your trainer and stick it on your 3d plane, throw the new engine on it and fly for a few gallons, then throw it on the 3d plane.
i crashed my mojo at least 10 times until i learnt this lesson (luckily the gear took the hit most of the time)
may i ask what 3d plane, if its the mojo .40 or similar then any .46 is more than enough power, the gms i put on mine makes the plane a rocket w/ a 12.25x3.75 prop
so take that engine off your trainer and stick it on your 3d plane, throw the new engine on it and fly for a few gallons, then throw it on the 3d plane.
i crashed my mojo at least 10 times until i learnt this lesson (luckily the gear took the hit most of the time)
02-23-2010, 11:25 AM
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RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
First engine I put one of my students into. He has it in a Pulse 60 and it pulls it around just fine. In a smaller plane it should be a killer. It pulls the pulse well enough to do every stunt in the book but no 3-D at all in the 60 size plane. Very easy to tune and now that it's broken in very well you never need to be fooling with the needles.
02-23-2010, 01:24 PM
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RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
I have one in my super decathlon, it will hover!! I'm running 12.25 X 3.75 APC prop. I tried a 13 X 6 APC, but it dead sticked everytime I flew it with that prop. No dead sticks since siwtching props. Lots of power!!
02-23-2010, 01:41 PM
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RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
Super engine for it's class, lot's of grunt in all RPMs for iit's size. I have one in this little profile, at about 4lbs using a 13x4 APC it will do what you want-even hand launch. Go for it.
02-23-2010, 01:44 PM
#19
RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
I bought one reluctantly because OS was sending their engines into the crapper. So far, it is one of the best engines I have run. I have bought a couple for the shelf and am going to order a couple of the bigger ones for other planes. Wish they would have done that a long time ago and done away with that junk FX line.
They are building great engines again.
They are building great engines again.
02-23-2010, 02:49 PM
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RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
I have one in my Tower Hobbies Kaos 40 and it is an excellent match for that application. Probably the best Glow engine I have currently.
One of the first things I did was to replace the muffler with an after market one (I have an Ultrathrust on mine)
I use it for speed rather than 3d. Mine is running an APC 9x10 at approx 16500 rpm and has been clocked at 146mph
Hopefully it'll be as good on my new plane. At the end of the last flying season my Kaos tried to plant it in 10 inches of farmland. Guess it wanted to see if it would multiply!
George
One of the first things I did was to replace the muffler with an after market one (I have an Ultrathrust on mine)
I use it for speed rather than 3d. Mine is running an APC 9x10 at approx 16500 rpm and has been clocked at 146mph
Hopefully it'll be as good on my new plane. At the end of the last flying season my Kaos tried to plant it in 10 inches of farmland. Guess it wanted to see if it would multiply!
George
02-23-2010, 03:25 PM
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RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
I have this motor on all 6 of my 40 size planes, from day 1 I have never had any problems. It's easy to tune and has lots of power.......Now with that said I decided to try a new motor from Jett Engineering same bolt pattern as Os 46 and Os 55, but costs almost twice as much as the 55Ax. The power it produces is just scary...But Os has been my favorite motors since 1994..
02-23-2010, 03:36 PM
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RE: O.S. 55AX opinions
ORIGINAL: Wingspam
I have this motor on all 6 of my 40 size planes, from day 1 I have never had any problems. It's easy to tune and has lots of power.......Now with that said I decided to try a new motor from Jett Engineering same bolt pattern as Os 46 and Os 55, but costs almost twice as much as the 55Ax. The power it produces is just scary...But Os has been my favorite motors since 1994..
I have this motor on all 6 of my 40 size planes, from day 1 I have never had any problems. It's easy to tune and has lots of power.......Now with that said I decided to try a new motor from Jett Engineering same bolt pattern as Os 46 and Os 55, but costs almost twice as much as the 55Ax. The power it produces is just scary...But Os has been my favorite motors since 1994..
