Nitro Fumes

I've been out of the hobby for about 12 yrs and I'm getting back into it. Whe digitla pyrometers came out it made is real easy to keep my engine in tune because I knew what temperature it should rune at. It wa a 6 port REX .21 for on road racing and it ran best at 285º F. So now that I have an OS Max .12 TR, can you tell me what is the best operating temperature? Thank you.

Bax

My Feedback: (11)

It's not possible for us to give you an actual temperature or temperature range for your engine. The specific temperature is determined by too many factors. There is only one way to determine at what temperature your engine should be run. You have to run it first and then find out what temperature the engine reaches.

Make sure your engine is operating properly with the performance you expect. Use the exact setup every time...fuel, exhaust system, plug, measurement location, and so forth. If you change anything, the temperature will change. Once you have the engine running the way you want it. Take your measurement. This is your starting point. You will have to take measurements over time to find out how the weather affects it. As the air temperature and humidity change from day-to-day, the operating temperature will change. Eventually, you'll find a temperature range that you can work with.

Engine temperature is not an absolute number for setting your engine. It is only a guide, and can help alert you to potential problems. The only sure way to make sure your engine is running correctly is to see how it's running. An engine can be operating at "correct" temperatures, but not running well.

Finally, use any temperatures you read about, or people tell you, as rough information. The only useful numbers are the ones you actually measure when your engine is running correctly. If your engine is running correctly, then what you measure is correct, even if some else says it's too high or too low. Don't worry about the differences. Each engine is in a unique installation with a unique set of circumstances, so there can be wide variances in engine temperature.

Nitro Fumes

Thanks. I will watch my temp. after it's broken in. After all I do know how to tell if the engine is performing well. I remember when I used to race why 285ºF was critical. I mean the engine ran fine and 275º too, but I raced in 5 min. qualifiers and if the engine was a little bit rich like that, not any affect on performance for being 10º cooler, I just could finish a 5 minute heat. I don't think it will be so critical running a Losi XXX-NT on the small track I will be racing on. You can't even use all your power here anyway.

Nitro Fumes

Now that I've broken in the engine I found it seems to run well at 200ºF. When I had it up to 220ºF it started to bog. So I richened it back up to run at 200ºF. It runs fine and has power. A cool running engine compared to my 6 port REX .21.