Engine for 4 Star
 

Which would you choose for a 4*60?---OS 61 or ST61.
Is the OS worth $60 more? I love my 46AX and would have no problem buying another OS but 60 bucks is half a flight pack for a new plane.
Just wanted to see what everyone has to say. Thanks

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

I put the GMS 76 on mine and I'm very happy with it.

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

Very quick reply. Thanks to everyone who helps anybody on this site. What prop do you run, Echo.

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

Dang it Mario327, I had a long reply typed out, then hit the red x instead of OK. Is this for an ARF or kit? My ARF 60 was mucho tail heavy. I had to make extension rails to mount a .91 four stroke. If the .61 two stroke you're thinking about is heavy, this is not a problem on the ARF.

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

I used a OS 91 Surpass four stroke in mine. The balance came out just right.

61's are a thing of the past. Though the Four Star doesn't need it, put the FX91 or 91 four stroke in it.

The Four Star 60 is actually very flexible and will fly with a broad range of engines in the 60 to 90 size.

Enjoy,

Jim

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

I have 2 4*60s. One with an OS91 Surpass which required a 2oz heavy hub for balance and one with an RCV 91 which balanced perfectly.
Both perform beautifully.
My favorite is the RCV, Very Smooth.

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

I bashed a 60 ARF into a duster. Added mucho weight but it looks cool. A magnum 91 four stroke pulls with authority and runs really well. They go on sale cheap too.

My experience anywho.

Eric

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

[b]Hi!I reccomend the OS 91 FS Surpass!Much more power when you need it,the time you need !!!A 2str.like 61FX is i think a very poerfull engine for this plane!Or you can reinforce the firewall!Your's choice!

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

I have a Magnum .91 four stroke on mine... still a very fun plane to fly

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

I fly mine with a Saito .82, I couldn't ask for a better combination. The .82 turns an APC 14x6 at 9,000 when richened to a safe flying mixture, this is the only plane on which I fly an APC.

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

To actually answer your question, no the OS is not worth the extra $$. NONE of their 2 strokes are IMO. Their 4 strokes are a much better value: great engine/not too cheap but a reasonable price for the engine you get. Of your two choices I'd go with the ST, though I would pick a ThunderTiger over an ST. Less tweaking=more flying and they are great engines overall. (though I have been meaning to try out the Evolution 61, maybe that'll be my next engine…)

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

Mario327
If money is the issue pick the tower 75 it's got great reviews here kind of a little secret screemer engine. BTW also if this is your 2nd plane then the power would be a perfect match IMO. Iam still using a TW 61 until Iam more comfortable with it. Love the plane[8D]
Rich

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

I'm with Rich. If you are concerned about the cost, the most bang for the buck seems to be the Tower .75. I personally don't have one, but there are 2 at my field and the owenrs love them. One is in a little 40-sized CAP and it gets hot rodded around a lot.

The Tower is well supported by Hobby Services and parts are checp and, as I recall, go postage free.

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

You might check out the magnum 91xls 2 stroke as well and not that expensive.

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

O.S.61FX

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

Hobbsy, did you have trouble with balance with the "light" Saito 82, when others come out just right with a 91 4-stroke? You might have told me this a while back, but I forgot.

I am thinking of shortening the wingspan (better roll rate), and increasing the rudder size on a 4* 60. Also thinking of the new Saito 125....:-) Maybe all of this is overkill, but fun?

Ernie

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

Hey Mario Get the ST 61 or better yet the ST 75. A guy at our field has a 4*60 with a OS61 which he was happy with till he saw my JOSS STICK 108 with a Tower 75. He said WOW I'm going to GIT me WON of DEM... Bought the TOWER 75 and said it made a whole new plane with the sound and power. I'm in love again (quote)

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

Mario,


The OS really isn't worth more than the Super Tigre, not a bit more.

In fact, the same-size G90 costs significantly less than the OS.61FX.


Dave Gierke who did the .61 size engine shoot-out in MAN magazine 05/03 wrote the OS has a rich mid-range and a 'wet' throttle response, something that only the Super Tigre carburettor allows you to separately adjust for (among low cost engines).

Also, the Super-Tiger is ringed and the OS is an ABN.
The ST will last just as long until an overhaul is necessary, but the OS would cost four times as much to do it...

The ST is a bit heavier, on account of the muffler, however.

What is there to think about?

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

Erinie, the only thing I had to do was put the battery right in the space behind the tank.

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

Hi Mario, you have asked a very good question here and the old saying, "You get what you pay for aplies to this situation." Why would thousands of people pay more for a motor while there are others out there at much cheaper prices. The OS 61 is one of the best user friedly engines you will find bar none. It is a bit heavy but makes up for it in reliability and quality. I have had two of these fine engines and have expierience with other engines also. This engine draws fuel so well that it will continue to run even if the pressure line is blown off the muffler. Also it will start and run even when a newcomer hasn't even a fathom of an Idea how to adjust needle valves. The only other engine I could recomend over this engine is Saito.

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

Interesting.

Everybody has their favorites, and their own reasons for believing so, but as "popular" as the one-off motors would appear to be in this forum....I don't see it at the field.

We have a large-ish club in a part of the country where the flying season is pretty much all year. We also have a lot of very active flyers, and I find it curious how FEW of these "just-as-good-as" motors last more than a few outings before the constant twiddling, troubleshooting, deadsticks, damaged models and spoiled afternoons prove too much for the owners. Just that fast, a new OS or Saito is installed and the problems cease.

Maybe you are getting something for the extra $$. IMO...the field results I see speak loudly.

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

RaceCity and BuzzingB, great posts! My thoughts exactly.

Nowhere in our hobby do you see the stark contrast between quality engines and cheap clones more profoundly than when you are an instructor. You get to take responsibility in advising on the setting up, trimming, tuning and flying of scores of models. When you maiden someone's pride and joy, you really need the engine to be behaving itself. It depresses me to think of how many students have wasted valuable flying time breaking in and settling down engines "that were 20 bucks cheaper than an OS".

And to cite the ST's adjustable mid range as some kind of feature - sheesh! A well calibrated carb does not need an adjustable mid range for sport aircraft use. It's like saying that a Model T Ford is superior to a Mercedes because it has a crank handle and the Merc doesn't. Many guys at the field have difficulty adjusting mixture in two ranges let alone three.

The participants in this "buy anything except OS" game prevalent on this site are but a tiny percentage of the modelling community - perhaps 5-10 people. Many of these guys have upwards of 10,000 posts on this forum, let alone other forums we may not know about. Methinks if they bothered to switch off the 'puter, get outside and fly, they may change their tune.

When they start quoting a single magazine test that was published years ago as their only source of information of how an engine performs, you know they are getting desperate.

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

I know that everyone has their favorites and some people are quite adimate and vocal about their chosen engine. but I feel I must relate my experience here.

THE OS ENGINES that I have had ( .61SF, .61 FX, 46 FX and .91 FX) just simply are not worth the money. The .61 sf has an air bleed carb that I had to completely recalibrate and redrill the air bleed hole to get the thing to run.

The 46 fx was one of the predesessors to the AX. That one peeled the nickel liner and was trash.

The .91 fx was junk right out of the box. After an entire summer and 3 gallons of 15% - 18% fuel through it, is would not transition from midrange to full throttle. When I say, would not transition, I MEAN IT DIES and dead sticked EVERY TIME. It was boarderline lean at full throttle (Just rich enough to keep from going too lean and overheating) and also slightly rich at idle. When trying to transition from 1/2 throttle you could see alot of raw fuel backflowing out of the carb before it would actually cough and die. That engine was submitted to Hobby Services for repair or replacement. When returned, there was nothing done to the engine that I could see, nor was the situation corrected. A replacement engine was deemed out of the question since the engine was run and more than a gallon of fuel used.

Now, I, for the life of me, can not understand why I would want to spend nearly twice as much on OS, when there are Magnum's, ASP's, Super Tigers, and a whole list of engines out there that run very well, are warranty supported by the sellers, and dont cost as much, and dont require 3 gallons of gas trying to get them tuned.

Now wh

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

65 Chevy, you sure seem to have had monumental bad luck with your O.S. engines. Of the four examples given, I have three of them. The two .46FX's survived my beginner days and are still running strong. The .91FX is one of the early ones and runs fine ( I did upgrade the backplate/ needle valve to the new style). My .61FX was bought used and has never been a problem. I've never owned any of the Chinese engines, so I can't offer an opinion one way or the other. There are some folks here at RCU, who's opinion I respect, who like them fine. The one SuperTigre I own was problem free, just underpowered for the plane it was in. Like Harry Lagman and RaceCity, I've never understood the O.S. bashing that goes on here occasionally. I own 13 of them (two and four stroke), with only bearing problems in a few.

RE: Engine for 4 Star
 

I'm sorry if you feel that I am OS bashing. I assure you that is not the case. I just related the problems with 3 of 4 engines. I certainly will not be giving any of my money to OS any more. Especially since the do not support the warranty. They apparently, are more inclined to make money hand over fist, rather than offer a good product and uphold the warranty.