BlackS10

Has anyone out there tried to use a tuned pipe on the OS 55AX? Most of the tuned pipes I have seen are on a .46 engine. I would like to use this tuned pipe set-up on a Hangar 9 Ultra Stick 40. Thanks.

Eganwp

My Feedback: (1)

Refer to my OS 55 details in this thread (last post). You'll absolutely love spending $15 on a pipe to gain over 1000rpm on the top end of the OS 55ax.


[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_5043356/mpage_7/tm.htm]http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_5043356/mpage_7/tm.htm[/link]

koolkrabber47

My Feedback: (6)

hello, blacks10.....i've never tried a tuned pipe on a 55ax, because i've never owned one......i used to have a ultra-stick 40 about 15 years ago when they first came out......at the time o.s. only has the sf series, i had a stock o.s. 46sf on mine and it flew great.....then i saw a fellow club member flying his pattern planes and quickie 500's with the same motor but with a tuned-pipe and fell in love with the look and the distinct sound.....i just had to have one.....i put one on my ultra-stick 40 and it sounded great and the motor wound up really nice(RPM's), i think part of this had to do with the pipe and alot had to do with the fact that i was slapping this pipe on a o.s. 46sf series motor and not your basic fp series motor......regardless, i'm not trying to talk you out of "experimenting" with a tuned-pipe, i just wanted to relate the bad experience i encountered with my ultra-stick......i wish i'd of asked the guy with the pattern planes and quickie 500's for his input before spending all that money.....like i said, with the tuned pipe strapped to it's side, the plane looked great and the motor wound up and sounded pretty awesome(RPM's).....the problem i encountered and i think you will too, is that it loaded up and screwed up my idle, when the throttle wasn't "wide open".....to make a long story short, i started asking questions.....after spending all this money, i wanted to know why the tuned-pipe worked good on the pattern planes and quickie 500"s.....i was told that the tuned pipes are really meant for high idle planes that don't consistently transition from low idle to high idle and back......i gotta say, that made a lot of sense...quickie 500's get off the ground and run ball's out the whole time....pattern ship's get off the ground and run 1/2-3/4 throttle the whole time....they never run at low idle and so they never really have time to "load-up".....keep in mind, the ultra-stick 40 comes in at @ 6 lbs. and is meant for a 40 size motors, adding the 55ax already added a substantial amount of wieght....add to that the weight of the tuned-pipe and of course the header that goes between the motor and tuned-pipe plus teflon connectors and nylon ties that come with it, too.....an extra ounce of weight here and there, will turn a nice floater plane into a flying brick over-night.....if you just fly around in circles and keep moving all the time, you'll be alright.....the minute you slow down and fly aerobatics, or to land, that's when the problems start.....hence the term, "flying brick".....right now i'm flying a number of planes.....my favorite is my PRECISION AEROBATICS BADBOY V2 WITH O.S. 46AX AND 12X4 STINGER WOOD PROP......my bad boy comes in at 5 lbs. with motor, battery, radio gear,etc.... this is very light for this big a plane and that's why i went with the 46ax versus the 55ax.....the difference in power v/s the extra weight was not worth the money to me(almost $30) and would have ruined a super-light floating plane.....anyone in this hobby or on these forums can tell you, when it comes to flying, weight "is" the enemy.....this will be very evident, every time you come into land......like i said, i'm not trying to talk you out of purchasing a tuned pipe for your ultra-stick.....i'm trying to give you another perspective and help you look at this from all angles.....these tuned-pipes sound great and look awesome strapped to the side of a nice plane.....but they mainly serve a purpose on pattern and quickie 500 type flyer's......don't just take it from me.....let this thread play itself out......let other members chime in......then make an objective dicision if it's gonna give you the results your looking for, for the amount of money and effort you will expend......thank you for your time.....koolkrabber.....

Eganwp

My Feedback: (1)

Just so you're aware, the stock OS 55ax muffler weighs 120grams.

The tower hobbies $15 "tuned" muffler I listed above weighs the same, if not lighter than the stock muffler so weight is a moot point. I should pull mine off and weigh it sometime.

koolkrabber47

My Feedback: (6)

sorry for the long response in my previous post, eganwp, i try to be as thorough in my responses as i can......by the way.....i have 3 o.s. 46ax motor's among my arsenal of planes and motor's and heli's......can't say enough about the o.s. ax line......i have two of my 46ax's with stock muffler's and one has the tower hobbies "tuned" muffler you are referring to......in my previous post i was not referring to the tower hobbies "tuned" muffler's.....i was under the impression, the original poster, "blacks10" was referring to actual "tuned pipes"???......please check his original post.....as far as putting a "tuned pipe" on a hangar 9 ultra-stick 40, i thought i could give him good,sound advice, being that i put one on the exact same plane.....maybe my experience with a "tuned pipe" was isolated???....my ultra-stick 40 with o.s. 46sf with a "tuned-pipe" sounded great, looked awesome and ran balls-out at high RPM....at low RPM and when landing, it tended to load up and had to come in "hot" or die???(dead-stick)....my o.s. 46sf with the stock muffler on the other hand, ran like a top and transitioned beautifully from low idle to high idle and back like a top....no surprise with o.s.????.....these stock mufflers are designed and engineered specifically for these motors to maintain a constant back pressure and thus a consistent idle.....i have a PRECISION AEROBATICS BADBOY V2 in a stunning two-tone red/clear-frost color with a 46ax that would look awesome with a polished aluminum "tuned pipe" strapped to it's side, but at what expense???....i decided to keep the weight down and the money would be better spent on light-weight carbon-fiber upgrades, ie: carbon-fiber wheel pants, carbon-fiber landing gear, carbon-fiber control horns, carbon-fiber servo arms and carbon-fiber spinner......some of the money i saved i also spent on some better high-torque, digital, metal-gear servos....all of this and my "badboy" still comes in at under 5 lbs........with the o.s. 46ax power to weight ratio and a wing loading of 12 oz. per sqare foot for this big of a plane, i'd say all the carbon-fiber and no "tuned" pipe was a good investment.....again,blacks10, i'm not trying to talk you out of using a tuned pipe.....i'm trying to give you a different way of looking at thing's, when it comes to building "efficient" radio control airplanes......everybody that get's into flying radio control, the first thing they do is buy more power, power power???.....but, the longer you "stay " in the hobby, 25+ years in my case, you learn to keep the weight down.....that's power to weight ratio.....keep your plane as light as possible and you can get the same power to weight with a smaller motor.....you can also save money on the price of the smaller motor....you can save money on nitro-fuel on account of the lighter,smaller motor will consume less..... kinda reminds me of the early day's when say everybody that bought a 40 size plane, first thing they did was slap a 60 size motor.....good idea, as long as you were alway's under power.....as soon as you throttle down in a landing approach, instant "FLYING BRICK"......kinda o.k back in the day when space was abundent and club fields were everywhere....nowaday's, as property values are skyrocketing and were getting pushed into a "corner", flying fields are still relatively abundent, but they're getting smaller and smaller.....runway's are shorter and narrower.....a "smart" flyer has to get smarter and smarter......it just makes sense to build lighter planes.......koolkrabber47........

BlackS10

Kool,

That's some interesting insight. I never thought that a tuned pipe would decrease low-end performance on a model airplane. I should have though, since I used to race two-stroke dirt bikes. We always put a tuned pipe and silencer on them. They made some ridiculous maximum top end power, but you had to keep them revved up. Otherwise, they would foul the spark plug with too much "off the pipe" RPMs. Looks like I'll just use the ol' reliable OS 55AX with its stock muffler. OS knows more about it than I do. They'll swing a 13x6 prop, they're a little powerhouse. I'm sure the Stick will infinite vertical...

150flyer

I have the .55 AX with an Ultra Thrust on my SR-41 which is basically a Rookie. It is a rocket with an 11 x 6 prop. There are no issues with low end performance. It idles fine and hovers the plane at half throttle. I did use some throttle curve in the radio to keep the power more linear but I do that on planes without Ultra Thrusts on them as well. The .55 AX is a very versatile engine. It revs very high on my SR-41 with an 11 x 6 prop and the Ultra Thrust and performs great on my profile plane swinging a 14 x 4w prop with the stock muffler.

koolkrabber47

My Feedback: (6)

150flyer....i am not familiar with ultra thrust products....is that a tuned "pipe" or a tuned "muffler".....i think blacks10, in his original post, was refering to tuned "pipes.....i can see in your pictures that an ultra thrust must be a muffler, because both planes seem to be wearing mufflers.....if this is the case, i agree with you 100%......i have 3 o.s.46ax's and i too have a tower hobbies tuned "muffler" on one of my o.s. 46ax's.....like eganwp stated in an earlier post, they do indeed add @ 1000 rpm's right out of the box......i didn't put any tuned mufflers on my other two 46ax's, instead i used the money to replace some "heavy" aluminum parts (landing gear)with lighter carbon-fiber parts and some of the "weak" plastic parts(control horns,servo arms,spinner,wheel pants) with stronger carbon-fiber parts......by lightening up this plane i can get more power, lower fuel consumption and even a higher RPM, because by lowering the weight i am also lowering the drag and creating better, more efficient "lift".....not to mention with all that carbon-fiber my PRECISION AEROBATICS BADBOY V2 look's "hot, hot, hot".......i think in the "airplane world", everything is subjective and it all boil's down to personal preference.......i think i could have strapped a tuned "pipe" to the side of my badboy but, since i already had one on a hangar 9 ultra-stick 40 that i used to own, i wanted this one to be different......i think i accomplished this with all this carbon-fiber and it stand's out because carbon-fiber is still in it's "infancy", not too many people are displaying it on their planes yet.....i got the idea from my helicopter venture....i own a HELI-MAX AXE 4OO 3D CCPM 400-size electric helicopter.....heli's use alot of carbon fiber.....they don't have lift like a plane.....heli's use down thrust from the rotors to create their own lift.... most of the time they're in a hover and theres not much forward movement....no forward movement, no lift,right??.....that's why they push air down-ward, to create lift......the heavier the heli, the more power it needs to create more lift......the more power it needs, the bigger motor it needs.....the bigger motor it needs, the higher the fuel consumption......you see where i'm going with this???.....we could "throw" money at this all day, or we could lighten it up......it still costs money to "lighten" it up, but we call this smart money, because the money was spent to make the machine more efficient......my point is???....planes and heli's have one thing in common, "WEIGHT IS THE ENEMY".....remember the term "flying brick"???, it's been around for a long time and for good reason.....my badboy is a big plane and still comes in at less than 5 lbs. with a wing loading of 12 oz./ sq. ft......with my 46ax v/s the 55ax, it's a lot lighter, it costed a lot less, it's more fuel efficient, it will slow to a crawl when landing so i need shorter runways and on take off i use full-throttle with full elevetor and it's off the ground and shooting straight up in the air in less than ten feet.....it's bright red with a frosted clear trim and it look's awesome in the air with all the black carbon-fiber add-on's.....does all the black carbon fiber look better than a tuned pipe strapped to it's side????....like i said it's a matter of preference????.....i leave the tuned pipes for the pattern planes and quickie 500's......just my humble opinion.....i already did the tuned pipe thing.....i like the looks....i like the sound.....i didn't like that they had too run "ball's out" all the time......sorry for the long reply.....thank you very much for your time.....koolkrabber47.....

AA5BY

Kool.... you are absolutely correct that weight is an important consideration. More weight of big engine or power efforts can destroy the fun of other flight envelopes a plane was designed for. If going fast is the thing, go for it, but for those who want to enjoy all the characteristics a plane was designed for... don't overweight.

koolkrabber47

My Feedback: (6)

kinda funny AA5BY, i don't know how old you are???....i'm 48 and i remember the "old skool", "cave man" way of doing things back in the day....we're all guilty of that.....remember???, buy a new plane, slap on a motor twice the size of the manufacturers recommendations and fly around all day burning endless amounts of fuel......we we're young back then and didn't know better.....after all, nitro was only $8.00 a gallon.....like you said, most newbies haven't learn yet, the many different flight envolopes available on any one single planes.....to make a very simple point, if you can afford to burn up endless amounts of nitro, running "balls out" all day, at @ $20.00-$30.00 a gallon, more power to you.....for the extra price of the bigger motor and the absurd cost of a gallon of nitro, it would be smarter and more cost effective to go with a smaller, high output motor and a large diameter, lower pitch $3.00 prop......the lighter motor equals=lighter plane.....the lower pitch prop=higher RPM's=more low end=higher torque=more efficient use of these modern engineered motors.....AA5BY,i'd say that's a win-win situation, for the price of a $3.00 prop......i, like everybody else want the best looking, most powerful plane money can buy, but having and maintaining a fleet as big as mine, dictates that i "don't" have an endless budget, i mean not if i don't want to end up divorced, ha! ha!.....every time i consider buying a new plane or replacing one of my current planes, i not only have to consider the monetary constraints of this hobby but, also the "room" constraints as well.....for the last "25+ year's", my wife has been very supportive of my hobby and doesn't mind if i indulge, as long as i don't go over-board.....i'm presently at 13 planes and 1 heli, plus i just sold 1 heli, here on rcu last week.....i wouldn't say that's "over-board" yet???, would you???....plus with the wife's blessing, i just built a 12' x 16' room addition onto my house last winter, just for my RC stuff and all i had to do was promise to let her move the washer and dryer, out of the kitchen and into one of the corner's of my new airplane room.....good trade off, huh???.....it's filling up fast, with the work station/work bench i built and all the RC related tools and plus all the new storage for spare parts, radios, motors and RC literature, plus i added a 51" plasma t.v., home stereo with satellite radio, laptop computer with high-speed internet and printer and a medium-sized fridge for my ice-cold CORONA beer's and i guess you could say this room filled up pretty quick......if i'd of know then, what i know now, i'd of built it a lot bigger......what's done is done, i can't keep buying and buying more RC stuff....now i have to "buy smart" and get the most for my money.....hence the above mentioned response.....i hope this helps somebody???....i know theres only so much time in a day and at the club fields, every body is trying to get their "flying" time in???.....most club members/fellow flyers will help you and try to answer most of your questions, for those rare occasions when they can't, you can usually turn to these forums and have some body point you in the right direction.....i hope i helped somebody today and gave back to the hobby, that has given me soooo much over the last 25+ year's......just think, if it were not for this hobby, many people would be spending their "lunch money" so to speak, at the bar or something like that, never to be seen again$$$$.....i think, because after indulging in my hobby/passion, i don't have the resources to spend foolishly at the bar's, this hobby might have something to do with the fact that i've managed to stay married for 23+ years.....i jokingly tell my wife when she married me, she married my hobby too and she will have to put up with the both of us......i too, anxiously await, all of your "good humored" responses.....after all, i'm "plane poor" like the rest of you, where am i gonna go on a rainy sunday afternoon????......signing out,now......KOOLKRABBER47.........

BlackS10

Guys,

I'm really re-considering my engine and plane choices here. The H9 Ultra Stick 60 doesn't weigh that much more than the 40. What is y'all's experienced opinion on this:

H9 Ultra Stick 60 with a Saito 100 and their benchmark prop, a 14x6? Is this overkill? The kits always suggest a bigger four stroke than two stroke. (In the motocross world, it took twice the cc for a four stroke to "equal" a two stroke). I think this would be a fun combo... Kool, the Saito 100 is pretty light, too. It weighs less than an OS .91!

dignlivn

Sounds like a Lot of Fun combination, the Satio drinks more than the OS.
I have a 40 size GP Stick and had a Saito 82 and now a OS 70 (fuel economy)
on it. My favorite Fun plane.

Bob

koolkrabber47

My Feedback: (6)

150FLYER.....what model plane is that red plane.....i googled "radio control sr-41" and all that came up were jets......that's a nice looking plane....almost resembles a "stik" style plane, only it looks 10 times better......looks solid, too, one i wouldn't think twice about puttin' through the wringer......it look's like a kit plane???.....really,really nice covering job, too.....KOOLKRABBER47......

BlackS10

Does anyone have the TOTAL weights of the following?

OS 46AX, OS 55AX, Saito 72, Saito 82

I found a Great Planes ARF called Escapade last night on Tower Hobbies for $99. This could really get me back in the air inexpensively. I think OS and Tower only give engine weights. I want it to be light.

150flyer

It is a kit and it is no longer made. Does everything well from high speed pylon flying to slow 3D maneuvers like harrier rolls, hovering, rolling circles etc. It was my first kit built and was fairly easy since there were only flat surfaces to cover. Plan to retire it soon since it has made it through three seasons of flying with no damage.

koolkrabber47

My Feedback: (6)

thanx for responding......i figured it was a kit.....can you provide the name of the kit.....even if they don't make the kit, i can usually find plans for it somewhere......is it marketed as the sr-71 or did you name it that.....i'm not into speed, but the slow and "low" 3d is right up my alley......you say it was your first kit built plane but, it has only been through 3 seasons, makes it a fairly modern design......KOOLKRABBER47.....

koolkrabber47

My Feedback: (6)

ESCAPADE?......SAITO 82?......Blacks10.....you sir are a warrior......talk about jumping in with both feet.....that's a pretty hot set-up.....the escapade at $99 is a steal.....on the other hand, the saito at $300+, in the wrong hands, is gonna make a nice "LAWN ORNAMENT"????......the tower hobbies tower trainer at $79 with the 40LA at @ $79 would come in at @ 1/3 the cost......

BlackS10

Kool,

I picked up an Escapade right here on RCU for $75. The biggest 2-stroke I would put on it is the OS 55AX, biggest four-stroke probably a Saito 72. After all it is a .40-.70 ARF. I just don't want to drop the cash on a four-stroke. Thank you for the compliment me with the Warrior nickname. I had an OS 120 on my Venus (the .60 - .91 ARF). My father-in-law would shake his head as the plane rolled about 10 feet and went straight up. He now owns this plane, and has an OS .91 for it. My "warriorness" has rubbed off on him. Every vehicle in my driveway has a V8...

fabmaster911

I have an Ultra Stick 40 with a YS 61 AR Long Stroke thats 2 stroke and rear exhaust. I have a tuned pipe on it and this thing is an absolute blast. One of my favorite planes. I let a couple of my friends fly it as well and everyone loves it. It's a bit heavier but it still floats in just fine.

koolkrabber47

My Feedback: (6)

FABMASTER911,lucky you, to get to experience such a wonderful plane with a screamer of a motor......i had a ultra-stick 40 with a 40-size O.S. fsr and a tuned pipe many years ago when the ultra-stick 40 was just introduced.......i was the first member in my club to own one......the fact that they haven't been discontinued, like a lot of the other great model that aren't around anymore, speaks volumes for this particular model....mine was a screamer too, but the fact that it wasn't designed for a tuned-pipe meant it tended to load up a bit at less than 1/2 throttle.......your Y.S. with rear exhaust was specifically designed for rear exhaust and i think that's why you are having such great success.....i've never owned any of the Y.S. brand of engines, but i've heard many of many stories about the brute power that they put out and i can only imagine the smile on your face, from ear to ear, everytime you put her in the air......when i first started out 25+ years ago in the hobby i used the cheapy brands like royal engines and magnum engines and quickly learned that they didn't hold a constant idle like they should, they alway's had to be readjusted every couple of flights.....i switched over to O.S. and quickly found my calling.....i never really got into the cheapy O.S. FP and LA lines of engines, i guess you could say i learn my lesson with the two prior brands.....i only ran the upper line of SF and FSR and now i only run the AX and FX line of O.S. two strokes......i found the Y.S. factory distributor on E-BAY that sells just about every size and shape of engine in the Y.S. line, they even sell car and marine and helicopter engines, as well as engines for plane......you sound like your having too much fun with that .61 rear exhaust stroker???......i've been planning/contemplating my next plane/project for next summer and you kinda sold me on the "BIG" Y.S. gasser's......i presently have about 15 planes and 1 HELI-MAX AXE 400 3D'er helicopter......my planes are mostly 40-size with about 6 out of the 15 being 400-450 size electric's......presently my "BABY" is my PRECISION AEROBATICS BADBOY V2 with O.S. .46ax......i'm looking to buy a bigger plane as my new go to machine, something in the .91-.120 size EXTRA 300 or bigger body-style of plane and i'll bet a nice, big, juicy Y.S. .120-.140 would look pretty sticking out of the shiny, new fiberglass cowl ????......over on my neck of the woods, we have a nice flying facility for our club members......we're lucky enough to be allowed to fly at the local airport.....best of both worlds, we got one of the best facilities, without having to raise or spend any of our own money......another local club, about 40 miles away was not so fortunate......the property that they leased for their club field was sold after the owner passed away and the new owner did not wish to continue with the lease......their loss, my gain.....they all came over and joined our club......they almost all fly the big monster size planes and offered to take me under their wings and show me how to build and fly them.....can't beat that, i've alway's thought about jumping into the big planes but didn't know where to start???.......i'll keep you informed as to how it goes for me and you keep in touch too and let me know how that "BIG" juicy Y.S. .61 is treating you,huh.....happy flying....KOOLKRABBER47.....