Its funny...I have about 3 rc clubs around me..I go to one and mostly all DA 50's, 100's and 150's..go to club #2 Mostly 3W's in all sizes..the third has a few Zenoah's, DA's Brisons and 3W's..Ask any of the owners and they all say that they have had zero or minor issues with the engines..All the engines available today are top quality..See what the guys in your club fly..since you are new to gassers it might be a good idea to pick something that those guys are familiar with so you can get some setup help..there really isnt tTHAT much difference but it may make things easier to start..I dont think you will ever find the "cadillac" of gas engines they are all top quality..DA has sold thousands of 50's..you dont sell that many engines on pure marketing and advertising...Sometimes we get caught up on stuff we read on these RC forums and forget that these forums dont represent the whole RC world..Ill bet there are more guys that dont even use these forums than there are that do..

No bad motors, just bad operators

You are a wise man!

My vote is a Taurus, which I have.
BUT more important what ever engine you get learn to adjust the needles untill it runs right... never mind FACTORY SETTINGS they are just the starting point. Use the oil and the ratio the engine maker tells you to for breakin. ITS his engine, you just get to borrow it for a while.

great thread.I am in the same boat and paying attention.I agree that the most popular is not always the best choice.Thanks for the great inputs

Really in the end it comes down to application, and what you value in a motor. Would you rather have ease of setup, shear power, reliability, low weight, service, dependability, and on. Most motors are pretty darn good these days, though I have had a few turkeys. You can even get a dud, it happens.

Hence the debate continues.

I have two Taurus engines, a 52 & a 62. I don't think there is a engine out there that runs as smooth. Customer service from Taurus is great too.
Z

Thanks to all the Taurus owners for the kind remarks. Our goal was to make and engine that was a quality product,user friendly, powerful and reliable and try to be competitively priced(not always the case.) Marketing,advertising and sponship Do play a significant part. At Taurus we know that. But we elect to spend our dollars in doing what we do to make our engines the way our customers would want.
As several have said "the needles are preset for what the factory conditions are @600'MSL. and to run a little rich for break in." Too many factors are involved such as oil used, fuel used, altittude etc. so each engine must be fine tuned by the user for their local, even a prop or muffler can make a difference.Too small a muffler(exhaust diverter) chokes the engine resulting in loss of power. In the case of Taurus, if you have any comments questions or whatever, contact us, we made it. The dumbest question is the one that is never asked. We are here for the customer. Heck we are now even doing service for Brison customers when we can.

Can anyone tell me where I can find a web sight for my Quadra 50. I need more specs for it. Thanks flyboy12

I own 2 Da 50s and I have never had a dead stick no mid range issues, and it starts everytime, AND the customer service at DA is unmatched. Just my 2 cents.

CY

There is no website for a Q50, they are not being made any more...Tom Sabationo in Wisconsin makes the Q52, and Dick at bennettbuilt.com has been a Quadra dealer for many years...If anyone knows more about Quadra 50s, I don't know who it would be, not even Klaus Nowak...Google Klaus Nowak....[8D]

Bill, Your fixing Brisons too? I have a misbehaving 3.2 here as well. Did a BME 50 a few weeks ago as well. I like the chance to see how the other guys do it.

Does anybody have experience with Kroma Engines?

Not too many of those out there in the U.S. as yet. So far the reports have been all to the good. There's one or two guys in the Wild Hare Forum that have been using them.

I live in Texas, where the US Kroma distributor is. There are a lot of Kroma engines to be seen here. I have seen the Kroma 50, Kroma 100, & the Kroma 180 in use. I was impressed with each of them; good design, easy starting, lots of power, good idle & mid-range. I can't think of a single negative comment to report. If I was in the market for an engine, I would not hesitate to buy one of these. Also, the owners of these engines say that DR Hobbies is very helpful, with excellent customer service, if it is ever needed. My .02.

I am surprised to see this thread still going. There is a lot of good information and discussion in here. I went with the Taurus 52 for various reasons of my own, but I do believe that there are many fine engines in the 50cc category out there.

msouth

Msouth12
that looks like a ultra rc yak behind that 52 glad to see that round engine mount makes it on the fire wall,i am waiting for my 52 from taurus now for the same plane,when i orderd the 52 i ask Bill if they had ever tried a pipe or a canister set up on one,he said no,there wasn't a need for more power.sense that yak has a tunnel already i may try a tune pipe set up,NEVER TO MUCH POWER!
ENJOY!

----------------


Unfortunately, the reason they don't utilize the forums is that computers still demand too much owner involvement to be useful, unless you're "in the hobby" already.

How often would you use your microwave or satellite TV system if you constantly had to worry about buying updates for the antivirus/ad blocking software? Then install it yourself and hope your appliance works at least as well as it did before you tried to "upgrade" it?

I've built PC computers for twenty years now and I'm finally getting tired of having to stay current with what is the latest and greatest, but even more challenging, what is compatible with how I use a computer?

Anyhoo, I know folks that had an internet connected computer for years that have finally thrown away the old computer when it broke and have not replaced it. They said that they have lots more free time for uses that add meaning to their lives, not to mention the money they are saving now that the cost of a new computer, software and the broadband subscription rates are gone.

Are you listening Microsoft? Your bubble is about to pop.

I would really miss RCU and the other forums that I visit via computer. I have established friendships around the world and that enrichens my life. But if I continue to proceed into senility at the present rate, it won't be too long until I will not be able to manage this machine and keep it going in the internet jungle.

...and that's why lots of R/C modelers are not participating on internet forums. So there. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. <G>


Ed Cregger

closetguy, it is an Ultra RC Yak and the engine was a snap to mount. Gee When I spoke to Bill a month or so ago, I could swear he told me that they were testing a tuned pipe set-up for the 52cc.

msouth

Taurus has two different header pipes that they have been working on for tuned pipe or cannister installations. Talk to Bill at Taurus for more information. As things currently stand, the selection or choice of canisters or pipes will be up to the engine owner, but having headers available for any given engine is the hardest part of a cannister decision.

the best choice to you is the torch 60

at same weight of 3w55 , but stronger than all engines commented above


www.torchengines.com.br

see the short video youtube.com/watch?v=0om2djrondg

i´m flying it with aerotech velox 28% and the result is outstanding

there are johnson mufflers and jtech made for the torch engines

good luck

marcio

sorry, i forgot www

please see the short video at

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0om2djrondg

if you have any difficult to access it, please try

torch 60 & aerotech velox 28% at giant scale forum

thanks