OS#8 and A3 plug difference??
 

What's the difference between the OS #8 and A3? After 7 four strokers, I've just purchased my first (2) 2 strokes. An evolution .46NT and a TT.46Pro.

I've been told the Tower Power plugs work well in the TT.46. Looking for a good reliable choice.

Thanks,,,

RE: OS#8 and A3 plug difference??
 

Look right down here.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3866396/tm.htm

RE: OS#8 and A3 plug difference??
 

Nice, thanks.

I can almost bet the A8 is pricey though 'eh? I run OS Type F in all my 4 bangers,,,,I think I pay almost 8.00 for each one. They never skip a beat though. Are the Tower Powers a good alternative choice to the A8?

RE: OS#8 and A3 plug difference??
 

I should add, I'll be running Powermaster 15/20 fuel in both of them as that's what I run on my 4 strokes. Just want to keep things simple and don't want to take two types of fuel to the field. ;)

RE: OS#8 and A3 plug difference??
 

I find that the OS #8 is what works best for me in the 3
TT46s that I own.

Mike Hammer

RE: OS#8 and A3 plug difference??
 

This may not be what you want to hear.... but if you are concerned with the cost of glow plugs you can more than make up for it with the cost of fuel.

I buy 15% nitro synthetic oil fuel form my LHS for about $18 per gallon. I run this straight in my Saitos.

For my OS, Enya and TT two stokes I cut the LHS fuel 50/50 with 0% fuel that I make myself.

To make the 0% fuel I buy methanol from a local speed shop for $15 for a 5 gallon drum. I buy castor by the gallon from Sig or S&W for $16 per gallon. I mix them up by volume 4 parts of methanol with one part of castor.

The result is a 7.5% nitro castor/synthetic blend. The 2-strokes love it. Really pretty easy, and saves me about 6 dollars per gallon on the 2-stroke fuel.

RE: OS#8 and A3 plug difference??
 

I've been using the Tower Power plugs and they work as well as the OS 8 from my experience. They are hard to tell apart except for the "8" on the OS plug. I don't usually bother trying to see which one it is.

Enjoy,

Jim

RE: OS#8 and A3 plug difference??
 

Yes....the Tower plugs work great, and you can get some good deals on
them through promotions at Tower as well. ;)

FBD. :D

RE: OS#8 and A3 plug difference??
 

The only OS plug I'll buy is the Type-F for four-strokes. To me, nothing touches them.

For two-strokes, I'll stick with Tower, Thunderbolt, McCoy, Fox and a few other housebrands. Since I no longer run expansion chambers on my two-strokes, just about anything will do. Putting an OS two-stroke plug in a two-stroke engine that I use for sport flying is a waste of money, to me. YMMV

RE: OS#8 and A3 plug difference??
 

The #8 is cooler than the A3. As the nitro percentage goes up, you may in some cases, need to shift from an A3 to a #8.

The TT 46 Pro is not particularly fussy about plugs. Running on 10%, it is quite happy with an A3, a #8, or the Tower plugs. However, it doesn't like Fox idle-bar plugs very much -- they cost the TT a bit of power.

RE: OS#8 and A3 plug difference??
 

I don't think I've ever used a #3 or #8 OS plug. Mostly K&B 1L's, Fox Miracle
plugs, and some OS F's in the fussy four strokes. ;)

FBD. :D

RE: OS#8 and A3 plug difference??
 

As has no doubt been pointed out, the A3 plug is a hotter plug than the OS8. This is by OS's specification. Trouble with this is that there is no industry standard for heat range measurement. One company's "Hot" might be "medium" by another's way of thinking.

Glow plugs by their very nature are sort of a black voodo witchcraft sort of thing, and nobody makes the best plug for all engines.

To this end, all you can do is while not changing ANYTHING else...try a variety of plugs and see which works best for you.

You will likely find, as have thousands of others...that the differences are far more subtle than some would have you believe.