Any thought on this engine?



It is a Thunder Tiger .54 FS. I am thinking about it for my 4*40. Or maybe the Saito...


Thanks!

The TT 54 will be fine in your 4 star 40. The Saito 56 has a lot more power but you may enjoy the Thunder Tiger just as well? The plane is not going to have unlimited vertical with either engine but will just be a nice flying plane.

Enjoy,

Jim

Good engine for the price. Actually has a lot of power but I don't know how it compares to the OS or Saito. It takes a while (couple of gallons) to fully break in but mine is now turning 10,800 static on an Zinger 12/5 running 25% heli on a HOT day (95+). Makes my 5 lb .40 pattern plane zip right along.

I like the idea of a ringed engine. Is the carb an air bleed. Don't know where I heard it...

Thanks! I knew this was the right place

Great combo, I gave my pop my TT FS 54 a couple of months ago to put into his 4 * 40. His been flying it with this setup for about two weeks now. The only problems is that it's kinda heavy in the nose area as he's still shifting weight to the back! Good luck.

The TT .54 is a very good engine. I have been flying one for 4 years. As CurtD says takes a while to break in. Yes, it has an air-bleed carb but in my case that has not ever been an issue. I tweeked mine a tad from the factory setting after about an hour running time (flying) and have not touched it since.

I turn 10,900 - 11,200 on 15% nitro (20% oil) using a MA 12x6. I check valve adjustment once a year (January) when I change the glow plug (Fox Miracle).

I also don't know how its power compares to a Saito (or any other 4 stroke in this size range). This engine works and flys just fine for me so I don't worry about who makes more power for what dollar or weight.

My experience.

Dan

Anyone have problems with the stock muffler on their .54. Mine is falling apart from the start.

If so, what did you do?

Thanks!

Tom

I am going for the Saito .56. I spoke to the finance manager (the wife) and twisted her arm a little, and low and behold a few extra dollars was freed up!

Good choice. I have both and like the Saito .56 much better. The TT is OK but I began having problems with it from the get-go and TT would only talk to me about it if I would send the engine in. Horizon is much better with their support on the Saito engines in my experience - they want to keep you flying, not grounded, by keeping the engine in your plane if possible.

Just my two cents.

Tom

Ace customer support is truly the pits. Hopefully the parent TT company will address this because they'll loose many customers even if they sell a decent product.

tDean71
I had a similar problem. I gave the engine away.

Speaking of problems with the TT .54 4S, I also had problems at first with the engine. It ran poorly, did not develop the power I thought it should, wouldn't idle very well, and had poor throttle transition. I checked everything I knew of and everything I had ever read about trying to find out what the problem was. I was just about ready to trash it and chalk it up as a bad investment when on a hunch, I decided to check the cam timing. I had no luck finding out what the factory timing is but I reasoned that most normally-aspirated 4-strokes out to be about the same, give or take a few degrees, so I checked the timing on my OS .91 4S as a general guide. I then checked the cam timing on the TT and discovered that all 4 points were retarded from the OS .91 by about twenty or so degrees. Well, that set me wondering so I looked carefully at the cam gear after pulling the side cover (first time it had ever been off). At TDC compression stroke the timing mark was not close to or in line with anything. With nothing to lose I felt, I pulled the cam out enough to disengage the gear from the crankshaft and turned it one gear tooth in the advanced direction (opposite rotation). Now at TDC the little dimple on the gear was directly in line with the cam follower. I reassembled it and fired it up on the test stand. Needless to say it performed like a completely different engine and I was pleasantly surprised at the much better performance.

The lesson here is it is apparently possible for an engine to be misassembled at the factory (at least at the TT factory). Don't ask me how it got past QC but it did as I bought this engine brand new and it had never been disassembled before. Very strange indeed but there it is. If you've got one running poorly check the cam timing. You might get a surprise.