i just recently bought FW-05T Plus ferrari for my son ive never even touched a gas powered r/c so if theres any tips that any1 has for me please post......i would also like to know when do u know its too hot and maintanance after evry run.....THANX

greetings fellow father, when i first bought my son a car it was also a nitro car. i didn't realize how much work it would take me, just so he could play. there are many web sites that provide tips for tuning and starting. a local hobby shop may be your easiest bet.many employees can help you if business is slow.

thanks for any replies......any 1 else???

Normal operating temperatures for a nitro engine vary greatly, typically anywhere between 200 and 280 F. Don't tune the engine to any particular temperature other than during break-in if the instructions give you that. Once you have followed the break in procedure in the manual, try this:

Why do we ‘tune’ our engines? How is it done? This guide assumes that you are familiar with all of the parts of your R/C's engine. If you are unsure what a Low Speed Needle (LSN), High Speed Needle (HSN), idle screw etc are, please refer to the manual (RTFM).
Tuning a nitro/methane 2 stroke engine literally means adjusting the air/fuel mixture inside the chamber. This is done by means of adjusting the amount of fuel that is allowed to flow into the carburetor via needles which can be opened and closed. Most of us know that there are a wide variety of factors that affect that air/fuel mixture in the chamber other than just adjusting the needles. Because of this an engine may have to be tuned several times in the same day for optimum performance. Not maintaining an optimum air/fuel ratio can result in poor performance, or even engine failure!

There is a point, in every engine, at which air/fuel mixture will allow the engine to obtain its maximum HP and RPM’s. Tuning your engine to that point can be dangerous, as the mixture is somewhat lacking in the lubricants necessary to give maximum protection to the engine. Therefore, most people will want to run slightly rich (more fuel in the mixture) of that point. This is referred to as the ‘Sweet Spot.’ Some racers will run at pure max potential, but they also don’t usually care if the engine only lasts a gallon… Running at those settings can be very dangerous because being too lean is just a very slight adjustment away.

And running lean is the real engine killer, not temperature. With proper lubrication, the internal components of an R/C engine can easily withstand temperatures of 300F, maybe even more. The thing is, these engines are designed to operate at temperatures around 210 – 270 F. While there is the possibility you will encounter an engine and conditions that dictate the temperature at proper tune is over 300, it will be a rare occurrence. What that boils down to is that there is a good possibility that there is a problem if your engine reaches too high of a temperature. That is why it’s a good idea to monitor the engine temperature, but not use it as a guide for adjusting the air/fuel mixture in the engine.

So, how do you get to that ‘Sweet Spot?’
1) Start out with rich settings. If you are unsure how to go about this, an easy way is to start with stock needle settings. This includes the idle screw - make sure it is set at factory settings, usually a 1 or 2 mm opening for the idle stop. The factories always set engines rich for break ins.
2) next, warm up the engine. Try not to hammer the throttle too much while its still bone cold, but slowly work your way up to a couple WOT runs.
3) Now that the engine is warmed up (1/2 tank is good), do a couple WOT runs of about 50-100ft in front of you and pay attention to the pitch of your engine. The higher the pitch, the more RPM's its doing.
4) Now lean out the HSN by 1 hour increments (30 degrees, 1/12 of a full circle etc) and continue to do some WOT runs in front of you. The engine's max RPM's should continue to go up each and every time you lean out the HSN by those 1 hour changes. If it doesn't, you have reached the top end and need to richen by an hour. Make sure that you do not continue to lean out the HSN after max RPM's have been reached. You will damage the engine.

Congratulations, you just found the sweet spot. Now, if you notice that the car/truck bogs a bit at take off, lean out the LSN (again 1 hr increments) until it will take off at the touch of the trigger. Keep in mind that any needle changes won’t take effect immediately – do a couple of long runs (50 feet or so) to make sure the air/fuel mixture has corrected to the current needle settings.
And you're done. At this point I like to temp the engine to get a baseline reading for the day.

This is a simple and fool proof method of tuning that everyone can do. Regardless of your experience.



After you are done running for the day, empty the fuel out of the tank and burn off the rest of the fuel (run the car till it dies and try to re-start until it wont start back up). If you wont be running the car for more than a few days, I reccomend putting in some after run oil to help keep the internals from getting rust.

Keep it clean. This will not only help keep your engine temperatures down, it will help you to notice if anything is loose or broken. Taking out the bearings and cleaning them after every few runs is a good idea too.

Good luck, and welcome to the forum!
Rob

i stiffened the shocks when i take off it pulls to the left is that normal ??? when i soften them up it doesnt do that......any sugestions ....THANX