anybody have any input on a evolution 52 two stroke?...i just finished a raptor f- 22.....horizon recommends a evolution 52....but they are real pricey......40bucks more then the evolution 46....is it worth the extra money?.......any opinions?....thanks......pault

I haven't seen any comments by users, but it should be a great engine. The .46NT certainly is that. I would suggest going ahead and getting it if you have the extra $40. I think the Raptor is designed to be a trainer that you can grow with, right? You would enjoy the extra power once you began flying some. Actually, the price of the 52NX isn't that expensive compared to others like OS. But, if you decide on the .46NT you will be getting a great engine with a lot of power. I don't think you can go wrong with either engine, but the 52NX would give you more for the Raptor and maybe your next model later on.

blw.....thanks for the input .......i went with the 46 for now.......we have a policeman in our club...so we got a radar reading on the raptor coming out of a split "S'.....it took several tries before we got a lock (i guess the stealth design really works)....top speed was 102mph!.....this is plenty fast for me......thanks........pault

Barry,


I beg to disagree.

My standing was that the OS.50SX was much too expensive, compared to its smaller OS.46FX sibling.

With the .46FX going for $105, shelling out $55 more to get the .50SX was a simple waste of money.

The ringed piston and the separate needle housing never increased its production cost to OS, by more than $1...

Bax wrote the sleeve was steel (the Tower site said otherwise), so there was no 'dramatic' increase in anything - there might have even been a reduction in cost. RPM was ~400 higher.

For a $5 premium it would have been worth it.


The same here, but to an even greater degree... It may be worth $2-3 more, since the parts aren't much different, just some sizes of these are slightly different.


Even if Paul does have those extra $40 laying around, there are much better items to use them on...

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No, it isn't worth the extra money. Horizon Hobbies and Hobby People are going nuts trying to pass off cheaply made Chinese engines at Japanese prices through buckets of marketing hype. You were smart to pose the question.

A Thunder Tiger .46 or a Tower .46 (the latter if you are comfortable with running glow engines) will be indistinguishable from the Evolution .52 when the model is airborne.

Frankly, the $50 Super Tigre GS-40 would power this model satisfactorily, if money is really tight.


Ed Cregger

Also, Barry and Paul, the benchmark prop RPM Horizon Hobbies state for the Evolution .52NX is 11x6 @ 13,000.

This is a reasonably nice number, but the $60 Super Tigre GS-45 ABC spins the same size MA prop at 14,100 RPM.

This makes it much easier for me to conclude the Evo 52 just ain't worth it, at over twice the ST price.


It should just be another $50 'base-line' Chinese made engine; not a premium $130 one.

In fact, the ST-45 even makes the .46NT seem quite unattractive, showing only 12,500 RPM on that prop, at 50% more dough...

I fly the Magnum XLS .52A, which is made by the same manufacturer who makes Evolution engines for Horizon. It's a nice reliable 2-stroke with plenty of power, but it's not any more powerful than my O.S. .46 or GMS .47 engines. I bought the XLS .52A on a whim when one of the local hobby stores was dumping them for $55. As much as I like mine, I doubt I'd pay the normal $95 price tag for another one.

I was talking about prices we have to pay, not what we should be paying. Of course you are right about real world costs Dar, but we are stuck paying more.

Ed, while you may be right about certain knockoffs, the Evolutions are not in that category. I have a couple of those engines and have seen a couple of other models at the flying field. There is no way that anyone could compare Evolution engines to a Tower .46. The ST-40 is out of the size range he was asking about. Clarence Lee reviewed 4 Evolution engines in RCM and he was impressed by the quality and power of these engines. I am too.

I had the opportunity to fly a plane with an .46FX, TT Pro .46, and my Evo .46NT. The Evolution was better across the board with a noticable increase in power on the first tank of fuel.

The Evolution engines are premium quality engines regardless of being made in China. They did it all right with these. I think a lot of people just haven't noticed it yet. The Evolution engines are worth the prices charged in my opinion, and are great values compared to OS engines in the same categories.

Dar, I did like the performance of the 50SX. I know that sounds like heresy. Much too expensive as you said, but they were good running engines.

editted for grammar

An avid OS fly buddy has been switching to evolution. After two bad 50sx's and a sucky 46ax, he has not liked os 2 strokes. Now their 4 strokes he runs are awesome. He has several evolution 46"s and a new 52 evo in a supersportster and it is dam fast and runs flawless.

Dar,

Have you actually seen a Super Tiger .45 spin a MAS 11x6 at 14,100 RPM ? The "60" engine shootout praised the Tower -- .60 -- for that kind of power.

Francis[:-]

Yes, I did Francis.


I was quite amazed myself. So much so that I brought out another tachometer to my yard, to verify the results.

I must say it was erroneously done on my four-stroke fuel (15% nitro, 18% KL-200 synthetic, 2% BeNOL castor and the balance methanol) and not on my usual two-stroke fuel (5% nitro, 9% KL-200 synthetic, 11% BeNOL castor and the balance methanol).

So, the somewhat more potent fuel added a couple of hundred RPM.


The owner brought it to me to test, as a 'junk engine' that he received in an equipment trade. He said its previous owner couldn't make it run right (I guess that newbie did not even know of the existence of the low-speed needle...).
I readjusted the carburettor to factory settings and after starting and adjustments, this engine turned out to be as far from a 'junk engine' as could be...

It was unnecessary even to convince the owner it is "a keeper".


I am used to seeing such numbers on the MA props, on MVVS .49 engines.

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The Dave Gierke engine shootout in MAN 05/03 was done with APC props, which produce a considerably heavier load on the engine.

I have the .46 NT I had to put on my trainer....with a 9x6 prop and 15% fuel it screams....been flying it for 2 years easily 40 flights with no issues and only marginal adjustments had to be made over time. I'm actually thinking of putting it in a Raptor I have yet to buy....lol

Avatar,


Even the instructions that come with this engine and any experienced flier that you ask, will tell you that the right prop for your trainer, with this engine, is an 11x5, or an 11x6.

That screaming you hear is the engine not getting a 'good bite' of the air and unlike some pylon racers, your model flies badly with that prop and not even particularly fast.

Put the much larger prop on it and let the engine use its torque and do what it was designed to do, to make that trainer easier and safer to fly.

>>> A Thunder Tiger .46 or a Tower .46 (the latter if you are comfortable with running glow engines) will be indistinguishable from the Evolution .52 when the model is airborne. >>>

A consideration hower is weight. Isn't the Evo 52 a little heavier although having the same "footprint"?

Thanks,

Ernie

Heard from a buddy who has been flying his Evo .52. He has a lot of time flying his OS .50SX engines, and he feels the Evo has much more power. I wouldn't try and compare either the .50SX or Evo .52 to the TT or Tower .46.