richardtf

why do they said stay away from traxxas fuel,whats wrong with traxxas fuel? anyone?

nargargle

It has a VERY high oil content.  Because of all the oil it tends to be hard to tune.  I had issues with Top Fuel and got away from it.  I'm happier for it and my Revo runs better with 12 % oil instead of 20 %.

rcnitrohead

^ Precisely... Though I will honestly say that their new "Power Plus" revision gives great power now, but still has the same oil issue.

richardtf

WHAT FUEL DO YOU USE?

BigDen2.5R

I run Odonnels racing fuel with 20% nitro.

cmerritt

i run odonnels 30% and love it!

richardtf

there are 3 types of o donels, racing fuel,R-2-R and T-blend which one is better?

rcnitrohead

Always run the RACE versions of ANY brand of fuel. Many have agreed that the two best fuels to use are Byron's and O'Donnell's.

crazykat

I use top fuel 20% and have not had any trouble with it. Tuning is not hard with it either. I live in south Texas so i guess the extra oil keeps the temps cooler. I like the extra oil. bigger tuning window. I have used odonnels but top fuel is easily available. I also like the blue color, easy to see the fuel in the tank.

davidaxper

I have been using Powermaster 5% fuel with 18% oil. I find it easy to tune and no noticeable power loss. I can still lift the front up on command with a 3.3 Revo. And it's cheap at 14 a gallon at my LHS. Have been through 4 gallons so far with great results.

absolutemayhem

one thing about traxxas fuel is that its will run lean with no sighs of it. that is untill you check the temp..the tunning window is too big. so it hard to tell when its just right...i use odonnel and really like it... i only have to touch the needles a few times in a 4 hour bash session. and there small changes to compensate for weather or ambit air tempeture changes..... ...imo the traxxas engines suck...i can never get that perfect tune on them...they will run but i cant get it perfect.

rcnitrohead

David- You are using airplane fuel, that much oil in our car engines will only make your performance drop and make engine responsiveness worse. The ideal oil range is 8%-12%, anything more and its crap. Most of the people who praise Traxxas fuel haven't run anything better, guess they will need to figure it out for yourselves. There is no comparison between a fuel like Byron's and O'Donnell's vs Top Fuel..

davidaxper

agreed... I would also like to ad that low nitro and high oil content fuels have a narrow tuning window. May be a negative for some, but I however, like it. For me it's easy to know when the engine is out of tune. based on my experience with nitros I also found that traxxas engines are harder to tune than most others. To me, they seem to have a narrower tuning window and don't like to idle well if settings are a little rich. When tuned right the 3.3 will produce good power and stay under 270.

davidaxper

That's what I've been told. But what makes a fuel an airplane fuel. 18% oil? Because Wildcat car fuels have 18% oil content in them. And some big block engines require 16-18% oil content. At my LHS they told me that I will destroy/burn my engine if I use powermaster fuels because it will run lean somehow. My temps stay below 250, can idle until tank is empty and can still lift front end up when gunned from stop. It is true that lower % oil and higher nitro will give better performance but the fuels you mentioned are twice the price of powermaster fuels and it can get expensive.

nargargle

I've been running Trinity Monster 20% with 12% oil with excellent results.  Very easy to tune and holds as well as can be asked for New Jersey weather.  I even take my Revo to work with me and have to do very little tuning in the morning or during lunch.

absolutemayhem

well, airplane engine run alot differnt then car motors....the car motors are fast reving hight rpm motors...while airplane motors are just the opposite. so they make the fuels differnt.....you must be losing a lot of that 'snap' that comes with 20% car race fuel.

davidaxper

Please note my edited previous post.

Also, although I did lose some power from switching, but for me 1/2 price of the fuel justifies it. Stay tuned I will post some pictures and videos running on that fuel.

rcnitrohead

Hey whatever works for you, we are just here to inform that Traxxas is arse when it comes to car fuel

destroyer_of_the_blade

ive always had all kinds of luck with the traxxas 20%, if the smoke gets thin, check the temp, it will usually be lean. truck runs bout 230 all the time and the 3.3 runs like a striped ape... ill stick with the high oil. if i run out of traxxas and i dont want to make the 40 mile one way trip to the lhs ill throw in some of my 10% plane fuel, tune for it, and run like always. the 2.5 i just pulled out had 6 gallons of top fuel through it and however much plane fuel through it and it still runs strong, i keep it for a backup for the 3.3

davidaxper

I remember 3 years back when I first bought an rc. It was a Traxxas and I used traxxas fuel. I remember that it overheated even with smoke coming out. I was surprised to find out that Traxxas fuel is made by powermaster. It says on their website.

http://www.powermasterfuels.com/about.html

I've also had good luck with Wildcat fuels. Both Wildcat and Powermaster run at about 13-17$ depending on nitro content. So Traxxas is reselling for double the price and making $, who can blame them for that Powermaster and Wildcat both have 16-18% oil. And I've always had good luck with higher oil content fuels. Especially when it comes to keeping the temps down. The extra oil will provide the extra protection at high revs and for novice drivers who might tune on the lean side.

absolutemayhem

yeah the old top fuel was made by power masters... but traxxas new powerplus if unknow...i belive it only has syn. oil now. so i guess they ditched the cator oil

ELK

not to jack anyone's thread but i was able to buy a brand new t-maxx 3.3 for $150 cause the guy was running traxxas top fuel and it wasn't staying tuned so he gave up on it.

For_The_Win

Traxxas fuel is for traxxas motors.............

del1969

I run Traxxas Top fuel in my maxx, and it runs like a raped ape.
I run odonnells in the past and I dont see much difference, besides the smell.

Hogknuckles

I am happy with odonnells.