best to worst engine???
 

ok - I've been into this hobby for 4 months now. I am learning about engines and I know that OS is one of the best out there, BUT...I don't really hear about any other engines.
I have an SK 80 and don't really know if it's good....or how bad it is.

so, apart from OS. what are other good engines out there? what is the competition of OS?

is SK a bad engine?

RE: best to worst engine???
 

I am fairly new, well just got back into it after a few years of taking off, and now have aquired quite a few planes, and after doing much research, this is what I chose, for 4 strokes no doubt saito is the best, hands down. For 2 strokes, for the money and performance you can not beat a super tigre, they produce the most BHP and are VERY cost effective, you can get a .45 super tigre for 79$ and it is ringed and the 40 is ringed and ABC both dual ball bearings. OS of course is on the top of the list because there easy to tune and maintain, but for overall imo after learning from someone very knowledgable super tigres are the best and I put a .75 ST in my GP minnow, Saito 100 golden knight in my p-51 top flite, OS 46AX in my pulse, and am changing my evolution on my alpha 40 trainer to a super tigre 45. So IMO

4 strokes, SAITO, nothing comares but you pay alot but you do get what you pay for.
2 strokes in order of my favorites ( this is just from my opinion and from what i have learned from research.

Super Tigre ( you can get a super tigre 45 for 70$ or so and a OS 46ax for 160$ and the super tigre has more BHP but there a bit harder to tune, but once you have it set you will never have to replace it.

OS fx series
OS AX Series
Evolution

Hope this helps....I would like to hear also others input, very good post Alex....Jason

RE: best to worst engine???
 

How many RPM on what prop have you gotten out of that Saito, Jason?

I've been happy with most of the engines I've had. YS, OS, Magnum, Thunder Tiger, Irvine... There's a world of really great engines out there. The trick is to buy not by brand, but by application. Every airframe asks for something different.

RE: best to worst engine???
 

I agree, but when talking about 4 strokes I do like Saitos because of its lightness and easy operation, when talking about 2 strokers, the feeling is different, as have been said there are a lot of good engines out there to choose from, I would just say that in my very personal opinion I would not buy any Tower Hobbies or Evolution (glow), about gasoline engines my experience is not that much to have a right answer but I have seen that Zenoahs work just fine (just a bit heavy than other brands) DA looks like a brand that many big 3D fliers like the most and I would stay away from Fuji Invac engines.
Just personal choises.

RE: best to worst engine???
 

Mike, I use a 14x6 prop on the saito but have not gotten a RPM reading as of yet, actually I just got mine I ordered the other day from tower, I will let you know as I will give it a test tomorrow. Jason

RE: best to worst engine???
 

Mike I also will test the RPM readings on the 14x8 I have for it too and let you know.

RE: best to worst engine???
 

You are a tad bit off in your pricing.

OS 46 AX is $114.98 at Tower Hobbies. http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXFMD5&P=ML

Super Tiger GS 45 is $79.99, also at Tower Hobbies. http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXFV71&P=ML

My choice is the OS. I've owned Super Tigers. Although they are powerful little engines, they don't compare to the OS's and the OS's are far easier to start and are far more reliable.

CGr.

RE: best to worst engine???
 

I have had OS , Magnum, Norvel, and many others....generally OS is kinda forced down the throat of the beginner and they are excellent engines...not the most powerful , but one of the more reliable engines..my first and only 4 stroke is a saito .65 ,,the first time I started it was almost an accident, filled the tank, primed it, attached the glow driver,and (with chicken stick) went to bump it backwards and it moved about an inch, bump fired at full throttle, scared the crap outa me!..but runs like a timex and plenty'o'power for flying....generally I fly smaller planes in the 1/2A to .15 range.....Rog

RE: best to worst engine???
 

You need to do more research! LOL

OS is the best - HANDS DOWN for 2 AND 4-strokes

For 2-strokes, my next choices would be:

Evolution, Thunder Tiger, Magnum

RE: best to worst engine???
 

Hot dog! A pissing contest!! :eek:

RE: best to worst engine???
 

Depends on how you use the web to how cheep your price is.

1. http://www.brucknerhobbies.com/Super%20Tiger.htm $74.99
2. http://www.hobbyclub.com/index.php?cPath=44_74 $64.95

RE: best to worst engine???
 

IMHO if your looking for a .46 you should consider the Thunder Tiger PRO.46, out of all my engines this one was the easiest to tune and worked great right out of the box and 3 years later they it is only one of the two engines that i never use a starter on ( the other being a OS .40LA). For the money it's hard to beat this engine and they will outlast an OS.

RE: best to worst engine???
 

What may not be obvious to the newer people about OS Max is the metallurgy. Since the mid 1980's, and the advent of CNC machining , all engines are built to remarkable tolerances. Before that, the parts were just barely interchangable.

But for the last 20 years, the real advances have been in the metallurgy. Other brands might run as good as an OS Max right out of the box. But run those engines week after week, year after year and the OS Max engines hold up where others do not. For this reason, OS Max engines are actually cheaper than the clones.

For the last 20 years, I have only run OS Max and Saito. I can't comment on any other brand. But I do know that I am flying while others are tinkering. Thats says it all to me.

RE: best to worst engine???
 

and that is exacly what I want to be doing....flying not tuning and testing and trying. I don't have a lot of time, and the time that I have I want to fly...not tinker :D I
I know that OS is the easiest to tune (what most people say) what I really want to know is if the SK is an easy to tune motor and if anyone has experience with the SK brand in specific the SK 80

thanks

RE: best to worst engine???
 

Minn thanks for the opinion I will go with OS for my next 4 stroke, but as for saito neither my 100 nor my .91 have ever had any problems tuning them and getting them ready for the p-51 maiden, but only time will tell, I know the person who builds my planes is going to do a Top flite p40 kit for me after the escapade, Minn what would you suggest in what OS Engine size four stroke? A OS 91FSII pumped or maybe a .110? Its a larger aircraft and the builder has one but he put in a I Believe a large OS 2 stroke. And I was mistaken on prices, I must have been thinking of the FX series. Either way, like said above, all engines are pretty well suited and as mike said you really pick for your application which is a good point. Im not no vet in any way by far actually but still learning and will eventually try each engine brand.

RE: best to worst engine???
 

With the 4 stokes there is less difference in good running and bad than 2 strokes. I would rate 4S as this YS, Saito and OS equal with different targets,Thunder Tiger, Magnum. They all seem to run good, different power outputs but run good. 2Ss The best engine is the one that keeps running. OS on average is the best but the Chinese production has taken over with great prices but hit or miss quality. The carbs take a hit more than the other parts because the care needed in making them good is not there. ThunderTiger Magnum,SuperTiger are the better "not OS" engines and the GMS/Tower, SK and other upstarts are on the same level of hit and miss. I would say all the brands mentioned are about 90% of all engines run with the K&B, Fox,Rossi,irvine and others as fringe.

RE: best to worst engine???
 

am i the only one running gms?
mine works great (gms .47) go to the field hook up the starter and away she goes.
the engine is a piece of cake to tune, im a noob at tuneing but have yet to have a dead stick in the air (running coolpower "pink" 5%nitro)
the gms is cheaper than the supertiger and a hair more bhp.

gms produces 1.47bhp
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXDXL5&P=0

super tiger produces 1.45 bhp
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFV71&P=0

RE: best to worst engine???
 

Just a quick note, I run GMS engines on four of my 14 planes and no complaints except that you MUST run castor oil based fuel in them. I even put an extra 2 oz. castor oil per gallon for all my ABS engines. As for my best choice engines, YS motors 4 strokes rule the airways! [:@]

RE: best to worst engine???
 

I top off all my jugs of new fuel with Benol castor oil,,especially my 1/2a engines..Rog

RE: best to worst engine???
 

Well JETT makes the best 2 strokes and I would never buy a chinese engine. There are companies who make better (longer lasting, more powerful, lighter) engines than an OS but you have to go out of your way to buy one. OS is very reliable out of the box and can tolerate a lot of adjustment range which is why they are good for beginners.

RE: best to worst engine???
 

I posted on the other question about the SK engines. Only ones I have used are the .91s and I like them better then OS but have only been using them for just over a year now. They tune just as well as any OS I have ever had. Most of my two strokes are OS though or have been over the years, you can't go wrong with one, well, I never have anyway. Your SK is also a ringed engine with a tapered bore and designed with different timing and transfer ports for lower RPM and more torque. The .91 will run lean with any prop on it smaller then a 15X6 but I have tried a 15X4 and had no problem. They only run up to about 11,000 to 11,500 RPM so they are not good for any type of racing. Knowing this you should be happy with the SK. In the small two stroke engines my #1 is the OS .55 AX, after that I go to the SK, I also like the TT pro series. I don't care for the super tigres or magnums at all but that's just a personal choice thing, a lot of folks love them. I run mostly four strokes these days in glow power and my #1 choice is YS then a tie for OS and Saito. I like pumps on my engines so OS usually wins out. For gassers I have a number of different engines but only one of each, I like the Zenoahs and the extra few grams of weight have no meaning to me. I really like the SKs!!!

RE: best to worst engine???
 

I used to sell used engines and I have had a lot of different types and brands run through my hands. I would say there are good and bad engines from every manufacturer and the best way to keep from being burned is customer support. In my experience Magnum customer support is excellent and Sig Aviastar also. I had a minor issue with a new Magnum XL15 and the engine I got back was simply fantastic!
Having been a Quality Control Supervisor I can understand why things go wrong so easily, the true test is how well those issues are resolved.
You should not base your opinion on one engine from any manufacturer since that one may be a poor example. Recently I have had 5 different Magnum engines to test and one had only a slight problem that was quickly resolved.

RE: best to worst engine???
 

Fine, Jason, but that does not clarify the differential in the price you "quoted" for the OS. $160 you quoted is no where near $114.

RE: best to worst engine???
 

The one to stay away from is MDS, they really were hit and miss. Good idel, great WOT power and many deadsticks in between. Horizon dumped them at least several years ago but I saw one in a Hobby Shop last week. [:@]

RE: best to worst engine???
 

I've got three Super Tigre 2 strokes (2x40's and 1x61) - and after the initial learning curve to tune these engines they've all been as reliable, strong and easy to start as any OS at my club. They produce as much power as an equivalent OS on less nitro (I use 5% fuel), and cost significantly less. Tuning them is simple, just different to what most OS owners are used to - I can have one running nicely in only a few minutes. My only real ***** about them is the huge ugly silencers, however they work as well as they look bad, and they're easilly replaced with a Bisson, Slimline etc if the look is a real problem for you.

I've also got a Magnum 120 4 stroke which has been flawless - perhaps not quite as much power as the latest OS Surpass 120 but ample for most needs. Unless you're comparing power on some sort of measuring scale you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference in the air.

Really, any mainstream engine will perform reasonably well. Unless you've got to have that last n'th degree of power, have a bottomless wallet, or are one of those folks who're brand obsessed at any cost there's little reason to have OS over any other brand. The few percent extra power don't justify the much greater cost, and the (easy to acquire) skills in engine tuning will serve you well as long as you're in this hobby, regardless of which engine you use. The argument of "better metallurgy" doesn't normally stand up in real life - really after ten years with the same engine who cares if it's going to last another 4 or 8 years? Chances are you'll plow it into the ground and bend a crank way before the metallurgy gives out. Even the "buy American" (or in my case, buy Australian) argument only really matters for 1 out of 195 countries... for the other 194 countries it's a null argument.

You could argue that choosing something that requires a little more setting up as a first engine will let you fly any engine, while choosing something that requires no setting up locks you into that engine choice. It's like learning to drive in a stick shift vs an auto - learn in a stick and you can drive anything, learn in an auto and you can only drive autos.