n19htmare

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Any recommendations on a engine?
I have work with Glow engines in a car for about 5 years so I do understand the workings of one but I still rather have something that is easy to work with for a beginner like me.

I was eying the OS .46LA but I dunno if there is something better for the money.

This is going in a Tower Hobby MKII ARF 40 which requires a .40-.46

Thanks in advance

bigedmustafa

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The Tower Trainer 40 MkII is a fairly lightweight airframe and will balance well with a .46 LA. You could also consider the excellent Thunder Tiger GP - 42, they're both a great match for that airframe.

A heavier ball bearing .40 or .46 2-stroke engine in the 16 to 18 ounce range will cause the plane to turn out nose heavy and will produce far more power than necessary.

estradajae

I have found that the Tower Trainer is very lightweight !!

I've bought one recently (my first arf) because my dad wants to learn to fly model airplanes, and put an o.s 46 fx that was laying around, and the engine is definately nose heavy, but I haven't flown the plane yet, bit I think it will give more than enough power to fly, thus giving chance to more throttle control, and I think that is good.

If I fly the plane soon enough, I'll tell you how it goes with the engine.

Jorge

estradajae

But forgot to mention that you were asking if there was something better for the money, and sure it is

Try a Magnum 46 xls ($69 from tower or hobbypeople) or if there were available GMS or tower engines in the same size.

Remember that maybe the trainer won't be your only model you'll fly, so maybe a good engine to start with would be good for future projects, and it would be good (I think) to have a good ball raced engine than a bushed one, and more if they are priced "the same".

Jorge

bigedmustafa

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I had a .46 FX on mine, it was still nose heavy even with the receiver battery clear in the back of the fuselage behind the back of the servo tray.

The Magnum XLS .46A is a great sport engine, but it is still a bit heavy for the Tower Trainer .40 MkII ARF. I like plain bearing engines myself, they're extremely realiable and they run great so long as you use fuel with plenty of castor oil rather than 100% synthetic lubrication.

If you want a ball bearing engine that will fly the Tower Trainer .40 MkII right without being too heavy, look at a Thunder Tiger Pro .36 or Evolution .36NT. These weight in around 13 ounces or so with muffler and will pull the Tower Trainer .40 MkII around with plenty of authority.

Edit: The Magnum XLS .36 2-stroke or Super Tigre G-34 would also be a good choice, I just had to double check to make sure Magnum offered one in a .36-size!

n19htmare

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Thanks for the replies fellas.

The specs for the .46LA seem to be in-line with what I may need. The Engine is 9.6oz while the muffle is 2.8oz for a grand total of 12.4oz.

What do you think bigedmustafa? wouldn't the OS .46LA pack a little more punch than the .36 at same or less weight?

the Wasp

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I have a NIB K&B 40 with muffler I will sell you for $75 shipped..

moneyorder only please,,

send me a PM and I will send you a photo..
Jim

bigedmustafa

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I thought the .46 LA was a perfect match. It will provide plenty of power and dead-solid reliability at an ideal weight for balancing the airframe. I mentioned the Thunder Tiger GP-42 as an alternative because it would provide almost identical power and reliability while saving you $6 to $8 in cost. The GP-42 also features all-metal construction, whereas the .46 LA has a plastic back plate.

Both of these engines would also fly a wide variety of sport planes very well should you wish to move your engine to a low wing plane or stik when you've finished training.

I mentioned the .34 to .36 size ball bearing engines as suitable alternatives for folks who just HAVE to have ball bearing engines. These engines will power the Tower Trainer .40 MkII fine, and will spin smaller props faster than a .46 LA can. The .46 LA can turn a larger prop than these ball bearing engines can.

The ideal prop for flying your Tower Trainer .40 MKII with either the .46 LA or the GP-42 will likely be an 11x5 two-blade. The Nexstar prop sold by Hobbico is a great choice as they are inexpensive ($1.99 each), have red painted tips for good prop arch visibility, and come almost perfectly balanced right out of the package.

A .34 to .36 ball bearing engine wouldn't likely turn a prop this large efficiently, but would fly the trainer well with a 10x5 sport prop.

Both of these engine/prop combinations would fly very well and allow easy balancing of the plane. The larger plain bearing engines would quieter and probably a bit more fuel efficient, allowing slightly longer flight times.

I have no doubt in my mind that, while a wide selection of 2-stroke engines would fly the Tower Trainer .40 MkII ARF well, you would be completely happy with a .46 LA. That same .46 LA would also be a great engine for any number of "second" airplanes out there like the Phoenix Dolphin, the Great Planes Big Stik .40, the Sig Four Star, etc.

Turk1

Recommend you a SK 50 for best pricing and good for future models too.
www.kangkeusa.com

n19htmare

My Feedback: (1)

BigedMustafa, Thank you very much for taking the time to clarify everything . I have read some of your other posts in other threads and I personally thing you're a great asset here, I like the detail you put into your replies for us Noobies. Again, Thank you

I just picked up a Spektrum Dx6i about 10 minutes ago so all the parts need to be ordered soon because I want to get flyin lol.

NM2K

My Feedback: (14)

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Most folks don't use the correct lubricant package in plain bearing engines and this causes overheating and deadsticking problems, even when the engine instructions are followed regarding break-in. If you must skimp on the castor oil when running a plain bearing OS.46LA, at least drop down in prop size to a 10x5 or 6 to keep the temps lower.

Plain bearing engines absolutely must have at least 50% castor oil in the lube package (total oil) and at least 20% lubricant by volume.

What will happen if this fuel requirement is ignored? Overheating and deadsticks, as mentioned previously. Also, these engines are capable lasting a long, long time when the proper type and amount of oil is used in the fuel. Running straight American synthetic oils (don't know about Cooper Fuel's oil) can really reduce the useful life of a plain bearing engine considerably.

If one doesn't want to buy the "special fuel", one would be better off with a ball bearing equipped engine, such as the Super Tigre GS-40 (much more powerful than the .46LA) or
a Magnum .46, as someone else mentioned.

To me, the best solution for the model mentioned is to use the OS.46LA with Sig Champion 10 or 15% nitro and 20% castor oil lubricant.


Ed Cregger

bigedmustafa

My Feedback: (2)

Very kind of you to say, n19htmare! I continue to learn from many of the posters who have been posting here far longer than me. Ed Cregger, Hobbsy, Ed Moorman, Dar Zeelon, Flyboy Dave, Turk1, W8ye, Xjet, Downunder, and many other posters have helped me understand glow engines much, much more thoroughly.

I have the benefit of being a relatively new pilot, I just started flying in 2005. My interest in glow engines has caused me to read a lot of posts in this forum and to try out a wide variety of engines in my own planes. I remember the misinformation that people told me when I was first getting started like, "LA series engines aren't any good, you'll want a ball bearing engine" or "15% nitro is better than 10% nitro." I remember being bewildered by all of the choices available to a new pilot and also all of the contradictory advice I received from folks.

It's ironic that only the top engine manufacturers like O.S. Max, Enya, Thunder Tiger, and K&B are still manufacturing plain bearing engines while the cheapest 2-stroke manufacturers from China only make ball bearing engines. If ball bearing engines were always the best choice, then top manufacturers wouldn't bother making plain bearing engines. If everything in this hobby worked as well as the .46 LA engine does, there would be a whole lot fewer ex-RC pilots out in the world.

You'll find that most of the choices available to you as you shop around for airplane equipment involves trade-offs of one kind or another. You just need to dig a little below the surface to understand those trade-offs and you will be able to pick exactly which equipment is the best choice for what you want to do. Hopefully you will also take the time to follow the myriad of discussions here in the Glow Engines forum and absorb the collective wisdom of so many veteran engine enthusiasts.

speedster 1919

My Feedback: (3)

If you priced an OS ball bearing 46 you see why they offer the price point 46LA. No body mentioned the tower 46 with lots of power for you next project . Get the ball bearing motor and put a little weight in the tail and be done with it. For the next plane you try to put 46 LA will probably need nose weight. Most planes are setup for normal 46's now.

bigedmustafa

My Feedback: (2)

Why is it more important to pick the engine based on the plane he doesn't own instead of the plane he actually does own and is intending to fly?

asmund

They are not available until late april and then it will be late mai and then late june and then..........................................

Did someone blow up the Tower/GMS factory???????????

SUPERSPORT

Do not buy a LA Series engine. I swear by OS but not the LAs.

When I started out I didn't know any better. I went through 2 LAs and was ready to give up on flying. Get it in the air with at least half throttle and your fine. Try to idle and they die. Hard to start. Both my brothers and several friends had the same problems. They all gave up flying because the engines were too much trouble.

No fun taking forever to start only to taxi to the end of the runway and it dies. Also have to be good at no power landing because you pull it back to idle and it dies.

I went to the hobby store to gamble one more try. I asked them to point me to another brand. They said stick with OS just not the economy Las. Go for the FX series.

I did and now I have one 40FX and three 46FXs. All between 5 and 7 years old. They all start right up everytime, run and idle perfect.

The FX has been replaced with the AX.

Here is a chart on the OS site. For a 40 trainer they recommend the 46AX.
http://www.osengines.com/techsupport...ne-radio2.html

I don't know about any of the other engines mentioned here but if you are going with an OS get the AX not an LA. Just trying to save you some money and frustration.

n19htmare

My Feedback: (1)

Ordered the Thunder Tiger Pro 46. Thanks for the suggestions guys

bigedmustafa

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You simply didn't have your air bleed screw opened up enough for the engine to idle reliably. Many users report solid idling and smooth transitions after drilling out their air bleed hole slightly to allow for a leaner idle mixture. I haven't had to take a drill to any of my plain bearing engines as of yet, be they LA-series O.S. Max or GP-series Thunder Tigers.

Any question as to whether or not the LA series of engines are crap can be easily answered by observing closing prices of units auctioned on E-Bay. Even the oft-maligned O.S. .40 LA, the engine that every new pilot is looking to replace, will commonly sell for well over $40 plus shipping. Considering they were only $59.99 before discounts while they were still in production, that's a pretty impressive resale value. If you want a used LA-series engine, you'll have to look long and hard to find any kind of a bargain out there.

As for our original poster, you will love the Thunder Tiger Pro .46! I noticed in your thread on the Beginner's Forum that you've also decided to go with the Avistar ARF rather than the Tower Trainer. The Avistar actually balances better with the weight of a ball-bearing .46 than the Tower Trainer .40 Mk II does.

Good luck and let us know how it all turns out.