I heard all the bad things about this motor after I bought it. But mine was running so good and then around a gallon and a half engine comes up to temp and dies. no compression. believe the bad reviews and skip this one. I just ordered the Novarosi .21 nb
Engine ran good for about 2 gallons and now there is no compression left. Great engine for someone who likes to throw their money away. Spend a little extra cash and get a Werks 3 port.
Mr.Warren, Iam sorry to because I was a jurk about it as well and once again sorry. I just ran one in for a buddy as he needed a back up engine.. hes a good Pilot and getting ready to move up to expert so hes saving his Sirio for that and useing this one till then. I did a heat cycle break in on it and he ran about 1 1/2 gallons at the track on Friday getting ready for the bump up in class next week... I COULD not keep it running at what i seen to be a fair temp and Not that you said that about the "ABL" liner you have a very good point maybe thats just how they are and that was a VERY good point indeed!!! The engine was getting around the VERY tight but LONG track pretty well... I took the radio and ran 3-4 tanks helping him with his setup (he likes the setup on my MBX5R and he runs a MBX5) My MBX5R has a C6BBT L2G in it and i was wowed that i was only running about 1 1/2 secs a lap off my AVG lap times! this engine dont look to have a lot of power but it kicks really well when you have the clutch set up well and geared right! I take back my comments on this engine as i have helped people run then in and tune them but never ran one my self! I will say this about it fuel mileage is great for a 160 dollar engine, he was getting about 9.5 mins a tank but head temps was around 250-260 to get it to make power... but at that high temp it had a perfect smoke trail and sounded perfect! so tuning VIA temp is a mistake on this engine. between break in and mess around we ran two gallons that day and it never missed a lick and that was all in about 6 hours it was almost non stop track time! and only shutting it off to make car setup changes and change batterys! needless to say I made a mistake about my ratings on this engine! i have seen so many fail way to fast I cant speak for how long it will last because of the others! but maybe hes very right with saying maybe they are dying because of running them too cool! I dont know and will review at 5 gallons, we pulled the engine after the day and cleaned it and looked at it inside and the piston burn marks and EX ports burn rate was 100% perfect! that says a lot for 160 dollar engine. from what i seen it lacks some power way up top but has really good bottom and mid range for the money... this engine feels A LOT like a RB S3 but with better fuel mileage! if it goes 3-4 more gallons then I will surely give recommend this engine to people that are looking for a good engine and a good price! if it was me i still would say to go with a RB S3, Werks B3 or novarossi sport 3 port because i believe they have more power and will last longer! but thats just me I AM NOT a fan of O.S. engines and never have been! I kinda go by if your gonna own a Engine it needs to be Italian! (But I just bought me a new Acura TL so my cars from Japan ;-) lol but anyhow! I am sorry for being rude and I take back my rating from before I will give it 4 stars and if it last ill come back and give it 5 stars! for being a great EASY!!!! to tune engine for cheap! I guess dont be scared to tune it and not worry about temps and have fun!
This is all strange to me...I'm on my 4th gallon, about to crack open a 5th and i still have good compression, it tunes and idles well. also note, after market cooling head and vspec carb. the engine will sing at 260 all day long. it runs hot, everyone at my track who has one thats what it runs best at. if you're losing compression this fast you may be running too cold, this isn't an ABC liner, its an ABL Its my guess it doesnt have the same reaction to heat as an ABC piston sleeve, so when you're running it, it doesnt get hot enough to expand, so it just wears out extra fast...Thats my guess. Also sorry to samuel didnt mean to be rude in my past reviews/comments. good motor, good pickup with a jp3 and jp1, prefer the 3 for the softer bottom end. was having issues with bogging and no power once, but it was all clutch. reconsider your tuning style with this new type of sleeve. I get 10-11 minutes race-tuned with a tiny bit left in the tank. -//- RE: Samuel
No, it wasnt too lean. I was choking on the fumes at 270. If you haven't owned one don't talk. It runs hot, and runs good. With the cooling head, Im keeping up with 350 dollar engines. I run a snappy 1.0 clutch on an indoor clay track. outdoors i had a bit more trouble keeping up, but it's still got good compression and is 3 gallons old. Try one for yourself, but you need the cooling head, the stock one is tiny. With the Vspec Carb I got now I get more power, and still getting 11 minutes @ ~260 degrees -//- I've run about 3 gallons through it. First gallon it ran rich, 2nd gallon, it was opened all the way up. I swapped the cooling head to run leaner. It was running 300 and rich. the Vspec head or a King-Headz head will bring it down to around 230 again, and you can lean her out till about 270 again. At this point, it's ripping.
I run a JP3 or a JP1 Pipe. Both combos will just about pass a motor costing 2 or 3 times as much. The fools saying this engine isnt fast, don't know how to tune. It's just as good as any engine that costs more.
I got this motor in 2006. After the first 2 gallons it died. It has a 2yr warenty on it from OS. I sent it back in. They rebuilt it. When I say rebuilt, I mean they replace the piston & sleeve and rear bearing. Year 2, I am at 1.5-2 gallons loses compression again. I sent it back again. Waiting to see what they will do. It is out of warrenty 12/08. I will most lightly sell it and get something else. I will say when it was running it was great, tons of low end with a jp1 or Dynamite 007 pipe. Not much top end, but my club track is tight and technical with big jumps.
I've had similar issues with this motor. Through the first gallon or so, it ran great, then it got hard to tune and compression dropped dramatically! That was not the O.S. quality I had been used to. I decided not to spend another $70 (p/s/r) on a $150 practice motor so I just ordered a RB S3II L2G. I've heard good things about that motor, we'll see.
Had a similar experience with this engine, tune it wont idle. then compression very low after about a gallon
Had it tuned ran for a gallon, no compression can spin like a party toy. I tried to replace the piston and sleeve and re break it in and the compression was good. Well, after 2 tanks of break in the compression was lost and would not start. If you want a good buggy engine get a vspec, novarossi,RB,Dynamite, And sportwerks.
Also I would not own a Engine that wasnt made in Italy... other then the V-spec and i dont really care for it a whole lot. save 30 more dollars people and buy your self a RB sport engine or a Novarossi sport engine and you will be very GLAD you did... there faster, better on fuel, and will last 2-3 times longer! simply said. buy Italian engines. -//- CAV... 99% of the stuff i put reviews on i own at this time.... I only comment on stuff i dont have when theres a review on it that doesnt make any since.... Now maybe in this case im wrong.... with his reply it seems he knows what hes talking about... Its still hard to fathom a engine running rich at 300 degrees.... and a race tune with after market cooling head and still being at 260... i guess this engine just runs VERY hot... a few of the novice class drivers at one of my tracks run them and ive tuned them for them and never seen temps like that from them and thats why i commented. so CAV back off and SIT down my friend... I can assure you that i am Amains biggest customer this place does 18,000-20,000 a year off me. I comment on the products that i own that are GOOD...or GREAT i dont give bad reviews on items for the simple fact that i dont like to trash stuff....if you look at all my reviews there 99% good ratings I explain the good points and bad points of the item and tell people what i think of it thats it. I dont try to upset people nor talk down to them but that review struck me as very odd and i dont want the new to nitro people thats buying this engine sitting and saying wow im on my 2nd tank of break in and my engines only running 140 degrees the review said he was at 280 lets lean it 2 turns and make sure its hot.. now that the fella has commented back i guess he knows what hes talking about.... but if that was my engine i would hav e O.S. on the phone asking the what is wrong with it lol. have a good day gents.
I have been running this motor for a month now. The motor is super easy to tune and starts up every time with little effort. The motor feels a little slugish to me but I race on a tight indoor track and It keeps up with other guys that are running motors that cost twice as much.
This motor is good if you want a cheap reliable motor for practice or beginner club racing.
I have owned a few V-spec engines and other high end engines. Now I run the VG. It is strong, easy to tune and the most dependable motor ever. The longevity that you get out of an engine depends on how you break it in, tune, fuel, and other variables. I am 100% happy with my VG and for the price, I would buy another.
Jody
Engine lacks power in almost every rpm range compared to a race engine. Longevity is not there either. Save up a few more dollars and get you an RB S5 instead. You'll be glad you skipped this one.
this is a great motor especialy on tight tracks . it is very easy to tune and with the proper tune pipe will mix it with the rest , great low end and top end speed . excelent value
these motors are awsome for the money and keep up down the straight with the rb's
Santa brought this engine for my son for his first 1/8th scale. Just finished breaking it in, and so far, it seems pretty good. I'm used to RB's and Nova Rossi's, and while the power in this engine may not be up to the higher dollar motors, for the price, this motor is great.
Hopefully it will get decent wear. Power is what I expected, and what I wanted for him to start with. I think it's a great starter motor, at least so far.
Will post again after a couple gallons of fuel!
I highly recommend this engine. I actually own two of the. Excellent low end and the top end is no joke. Great for small to mid tracks. Five stars for sure.
