high end .21 motors vs .26 motors

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emu67

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Hello all -

I have a question regarding the performance of high end .21 motors vs the .26 motors that are out there (like the sportwerks). These .21 motors can run about $300 while the sportwerks .26 run about $150 and I'm wondering if the extra $150 for the high end .21 is really worth it?

Do any of you have experience with both types of motors and do they have equivalent performance. I never intend to race beyond by local track and so I'm not concerned with race legal .21's since the local track lets guys run the 24/7 motors and the sportwerks .26 motors.
 
There will always be a big block like the 26's and up but the performance of a high dollar 21 is what racers care for mostly. ANything larger than a 21 is not race legal as you know so manufacturers will create a high end motor that are just plain fast as hell. Some with a long stroke have better top end as they can achieve higher speeds. The WS7 II is the work horse I am looking to get. It is claimed to be a damn fast motor. I don't race myself.,....yet but why not try with a motor that good?

Remember to tune to your track conditions too. Search the forum to see about gearing, exhaust and suspension. Factors that can help you on the track.

Jon2
 
.21s generallyturn more RPMs...that's where you get most of your performance in these cars..they weigh nothing so the HP factor is not AS important (in most cases) than the RPMs it can spin.....really how many horses does it take to pull a 10 lb car??? and since most .21s are over 1.75 HP.......the bigger mills will get you the instant power from the larger volume it's turning but most of them turn much lower RPMs....the Sirio, WASP and Fantom big mills turn high RPMs and are just evil mills when put in a buggy....
 
I truned down those mills. I have a v-spec but have yet to break it in. I orderd the k4.6 for my truggy, which is very similar to a buggy. Also make sure you get an SG style crank.
 
I always prefer high end .21s over these .26 and so on engines.

RB C5 circuit, 3.0 hp :)
 
if your dropping the engine into a buggy you will see a big difference in performance, in the savage not quite so much. before you all jump on me hear me out. with the larger engines such as the .26 and up since you don't have the high rpms as the high end .21's but what you do have is tons of low end grunt witch allows you to gear up, something the highend .21 would not be able to handle since it makes most of it's power later in the rpm range.
Example
A picco 26 tuned properly will still lift the front end even with 49/20 gearing
An RB WS7II might be able to do the same but not consistanly and may run hot.

granted this is not a scientific example but I think you get where I'm going with this. True in a wide open area with the same gearing the RB WS7II will speed past the Picco .26 but only after it plays a game of catch up since the picco will get up to speed faster due to more low end torque. but as we all know on most tracks you just don't have the room to really open it up since you do need to slow down for the turn at the end of the straight.

now don't mistake this as an attack on the quality of the RB or other highend .21's you do get what you pay for. But don't knock the .26's either although some are of low quality others are proven to last provided you learn how to tune them and take the time to maintain them.

also IMHO if your running a .25 or larger do yourself a favor and switch to 30% fuel it helps the engine live up to it's potential and makes it easier to tune. well thats my :2cents:
Now let the :argue: begin cause i'm done :preachin:
 
So...it kinda sounds like there isn't very much difference in a high end .21 to a good quality .26 then? I'm looking at this from a money perspective, too. A good .26 can be had for about $150 less than a high end .21 and there doesn't seem to be a $150 difference in performance.

I'm experiencing this already in a way. I spent $220 on an SH .21 Pro motor and it doesn't perform that well compared to my sportwerks .26. This was the reason why I asked because if I do need another motor in the future, I want to maximize my performance for the dollar. I just want a punchy motor that's reliable and smooth and it has guts when I want to punch it when racing at the local track.

Thanks for the opinions so far...any more out there?? Thanks!!
 
when most people say high end .21 your looking at 300$ + engines some of the RB's go for over 450$

by the way the picco/wasp/sportworks are all the same engine just have different colored cooling heads
 
Thanks for the clarification, Grin. Interesting to hear about the pico, wasp, sportwerks...
 
Well. I will let you know the difference between the v-spec and k4.6. I will always run a .21 in a buggy though...
 
.26 compared to race .21 on a 1/8 scale buggy almost no comparison the .21 will walk it, but as mention the bigger motor CAN have a lil more ump downlow that is more important on a monster truck then a buggy imo
 
slothy said:
.26 compared to race .21 on a 1/8 scale buggy almost no comparison the .21 will walk it, but as mention the bigger motor CAN have a lil more ump downlow that is more important on a monster truck then a buggy imo

Why do you say this? There are a couple of the Sportwerks .26s at the local track and they have no problems keeping up with my P5 or other's modified .21s. The .26s have a little more low end power and can clear our bigger double with less effort.
 
vgibbens said:
Why do you say this? There are a couple of the Sportwerks .26s at the local track and they have no problems keeping up with my P5 or other's modified .21s. The .26s have a little more low end power and can clear our bigger double with less effort.


why do i say that? - cause i see it almost every weekend at the track on the straights (more so on outdoor then the indoor), having owned a ofna .26, ws7II, p5, jp modified P5 - i can tell u any of those .21 motors will walk over that .26 hands down. Now I'm sure some of the "higher end" big bore engines are as fast if not faster. but as a racer .21 is my limit and still gets me in trouble on the track in terms of speed lol. but as u know the driver is what makes the car - no matter what motor.
 
evilgrin said:
by the way the picco/wasp/sportworks are all the same engine just have different colored cooling heads

I know that the Ofna Picco 26 Outlaw, the Wasp 26, and the Werks Picco 26 are all just different OEM versions of the Italian Picco P3 .26 motor. This is the first time I am hearing that the Sportworks 26 is also a Picco P3 .26. Are you sure about that?
 
slothy said:
why do i say that? - cause i see it almost every weekend at the track on the straights (more so on outdoor then the indoor), having owned a ofna .26, ws7II, p5, jp modified P5 - i can tell u any of those .21 motors will walk over that .26 hands down. Now I'm sure some of the "higher end" big bore engines are as fast if not faster. but as a racer .21 is my limit and still gets me in trouble on the track in terms of speed lol. but as u know the driver is what makes the car - no matter what motor.

Then I wanna go to your track where .21s are so fast. i'm having trouble justifying $300 for a new P5 when I can get a Sportwerks .26 that's just as fast for $130. If the Sportwerks .26s at your track aren't fast, then the people running them don't have them tuned right.
 
slothy I'll run ya w/ a Fantom .27.....we'll see who's high dollah mill catches me....hehe....
 
vgibbens said:
Then I wanna go to your track where .21s are so fast. i'm having trouble justifying $300 for a new P5 when I can get a Sportwerks .26 that's just as fast for $130. If the Sportwerks .26s at your track aren't fast, then the people running them don't have them tuned right.


not saying they are super sonic to the .26's but deff are faster, if you happy with your 130 dolla motor then who cares right ? :cheers:
 
Plaidfish said:
slothy I'll run ya w/ a Fantom .27.....we'll see who's high dollah mill catches me....hehe....


k meet me somewhere in ky. lol drink some brews and kill the ozone :cheers:
 
joey said:
i just got a sirio .27 what do you guys think about that motor???

I have the Racer version... gotta say man, that thing hauls freakin ass!!!!! I just drove mine on my maxx for a tank yesterday... If the rear diff wasn't slipping like a bitch, yet again, it would have been doin wheelies... I'm gonna sell off my diffs and get the UE 8 spider ones...
 
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