Ihave a t-maxx and i want to put a bigger motor in it. i have found a picco .26 with the tmaxx backplate so i can use my ezstart. Are picco motors easy to tune? is there easier?</p>

1- bigger motors go through more fuel
2- race motors, like Picos, go through even more fuel
3- race motors require more constant tuning
4- every motor, even within the same manufacturer and type, tunes (or holds a tune) differently
5- there is no such thing as an easy-to-tune, or easier-to-tune, motor
6- ALL nitro motors should be tuned every time you run them.
7- if you don't like tuning, you should have gone electric

yeah thats what ive been told just wanted to get an opinion from someone else as well

Just keep using nitro motors and you will inevitably become a pro.

I remember when I started out about 10 months ago, people said you could listen to a motor and tune it. And that you don't need a temp gun to tune. Well, now I am about there. When I marshal a race, I can hear the engines running too fat and the engines running too lean. I even stopped using a temp gauge the last couple races.

Just keep tinkering with the engines and soon you will be able to figure them out. They are not overly difficult, and yes... you have to tune every time out.

I have a Picco engine and it is awesome. Mine tunes easily and has A LOT of pinch after about 3 gallons.

No self-respecting REALracer would suggestNOT using a temp guage.

Who is it that you think invented the use of temp guages?
It darn sure wasn't some backyard basher.
And I've never seen a blind engine guru at the track

A bigger motor require more $$$$$ to support the parts breakage.

When racing, I've never relied on using a temp gun. While I have one and do use it during warm-up laps, during a race, you have to rely on your eyes and ears to know if you are running too rich or lean. If you hear your motor running lean after a few laps, you can pull into the pits without undue damage to the engine.

Some engines will "lean out" from cold to operating temperature (I've had picco engines that (with the same carb adjustment) would be sloppy rich when cold but would be running lean at operating temperature, so you want to adjust your carburetor after it is up to temperature.

With respect to the piccomax 26, I have one in a revo and it is a nice little powerplant. The carburetor is easy to adjust (miniscule adjustments do cause wild swings between lean and rich.

tuning by temperature guage doesn't take into acount the ambient air temperature, which can adjust the temp of the engine. Also, I've run certain tracks that were better if the engine was a little rich, and not producing the highest power it could. You should tune to what your ears hear and what your eyes and feel tell you. I have been into airplanes for almost 20 yrs now, and I've never once used a temperature guage. It's not even a rare thing. It just doesn't happen. With cars, you can run lean easier, but you should be able to tell by the smoke trail, the sound, and the smell of the engine. Yes, the smell. I can tell when an engine is to hot by my nose, most seasoned engine tuners should be able to too.

Many 'professional' racers don't use temperature guages. If you know what you're doing, there is absolutely no reason to use a temperature gun to tune a nitro engine. I can tune any engine to peak performance with nothing more than my eyes and ears. That is true for many, many other nitro engine owners as well.

No two nitro engines run the best at the same temperature. Some like it hotter, some run better on the cooler side. If you tune to temperature, youare just wasting yourtime.If you tune to performance, proper operating temperatures will follow.

If you, or anyone - professional or amature, is relying on a temp gun to tune then you are not getting the best possible tune from you engine. I'd be willing to bet that there is no true professional racer that tunes his engine to a temp. As tweety and others have said, your eyes and ears will tell you far more about an engines tune than a temp gun ever will.

To the OP, the Picco is a good choice for the T-Maxx. It's very high on my list for the next one going in my Revo. I'd say go for it.

Thank you to all who have replied it has really helped me make my decision. One more question, i had kind of a cenial guy tell me that the motor in a baja 5b or 5t would do really well in my t maxx and for me because you dont have to tune them hardly at all... i think he is total idiot because i think it would be way too much power for my tmaxx. and i dont think i could put on the car. am i right?

Will a gas motor fit in a T-Maxx? Yes and No.
It has been done but a LOT of very major mods are needed. So, yes, it can be done but no, it is definatly not an easy thing to do. If you would do a search on "Maxx Gasser" I think, you will find a very long thread on one that was done.

But he is right about the tuning, they require very little in the way of tuning.