Debate...Mod or Not?

[jetmechG550]

I can't seem to make up my mind as to whether or not to mod my .18TM for the upcoming race season. I know who's out there and who I'm going to use if I decide to do it so I don't want to start a debate as to who is better. Whose done it? Pro's...Con's???? The guys I run with on a regular basis are strictly stock on the mill and I consider my truck to be pretty competitive so the modded mill would probably give a edge up. I'm also planning to travel to a few races this year around the region. I guess I'm looking for someone to give me a good enough reason to spend the $100 bucks! Thanks:thankyou:

 

[Revo Rancher]

Yeeesh, that's a tough choice. I say no. Work on your skills (no offense meant) or set up more. The advantage might not be more than psychological.

 

[supersavage]

I've never run a modded engine to see what gains in power they produce. If they are minor gains it might not be worth it, and major gains may not mesh with your driving style, I dunno. But if you don't do it, ya gots a $100 for an ice cold beverage after the races!

 

[truthseeker]

i have only owned one modded mill and before the mod it was a "light-switch" engine. very peaky powerband and not smooth at all. after the mod, it had a very smooth powerband that i could control a lot better. the peak power probably didn't go up much, but it gained power throughout the rpm range. as for the .18, i've driven peoples' trucks with and without modded engines, and the modded ones do seem to have a little more power, but some of them have BECOME "light switches". very hard to drive as they want to wheelie or break traction all the time. what it boils down to is that yes, modding can help if done by the right shop and it can also "ruin" your engine by screwing up the powerband if done by the wrong shop. so far, i've seen 1 shop that has returned 5 different engines(3 .18's and 2 2.5r's) "just right" with smooth powerbands. i've also seen 3 other shops return 1 engine apiece with stupid, peaky powerbands(all .18's). don't know if any of that helps at all, but i'll tell you what i'm going to do. when my .18 starts getting long of tooth, i'm going to send it to the shop that returned 5 mills with consistent results. until then, i like the engine and i don't feel like i'm going to race seriously enough to merit modding it now. i think the moral here is that if you want more power, buy a bigger engine. if you want smooth, refined power, do some extensive research(sounds like you have) and go for it. that's it. my .
hope you got something out of that, my fingers hurt.

 

[Diver6127]

I will always be an advocate for modified engines with reservations ...

A modified engine will recurve the power band in an engine. They can be tuned for more torque in the lower, mid, upper rpms or combination as well as fuel efficiency/combustion. A noticable change will be on how fast it spools up. Where it putters out will differ from tuner to tuner. My sugestion, if you get it modified, is to talk to the person working on the engine and specify what you are looking for. Also be prepared for a little bit of frustration in tuning since I have found that most modified engines I use are a bit more picky with tuning and plug choice.

I say to get the engine modified BUT also have a spare engine (nonmodified) in your box. This is not only for those frustrating moments in tuning but also because not all modified engines will fit all layouts. Modified engines are tailored to specific conditions and layouts.

 

[jetmechG550]

I'm looking for that smooth power and the fuel efficiency. Cutting out one stop would be huge, especially running against someone using a Spyder tank n a Revo. Thanks for the input fellas!

 

[vbgagnon]

I agree with Diver, I don't have any modded mills but I have seen the before and after. Big difference but as stated above they can be picky to tune. I say go for it!

 

[Monkey Wrench]

Diver/Jet/Truth (or anyone else that knows), for the benefit of myself, and I'm sure some others, can either of you gentlemen give a brief overview of what is entailed in an engine modification? I'm more curious than anything else, as to what is changed and what the intended goal is of those changes.

Oh, and Jet, my apologies if I am derailing your thread, my man. Not intended. Just trying to learn something new here.

 

[vbgagnon]

When an engine is modded a few things take place, usually the ports get elongated, and the intake ports get a teardrop grooves cut into the sleeve. Then the intake port on the crank is usually modded to give a longer intake timing either before or after stock timimg.

Then the crank part of the crank where your con rod ties to is opened up/smoothed out. And after all is done it is usually polished to a shine.

 

[JCosper]

I am still debating on whether to change out the pipe on my Revo and Jato (when I get that poor thing back together) or not.

Traxxas claims the cars are tuned with tuned parts from stock..but then they release aftermarket parts, so iono.

 

[jon2]

I am still debating on whether to change out the pipe on my Revo and Jato (when I get that poor thing back together) or not.

Traxxas claims the cars are tuned with tuned parts from stock..but then they release aftermarket parts, so iono.

FYI

This is about engine modding not REVO modding. There are different threads regarding a better pipe for your Revo and Jato.

 

[JCosper]

FYI

This is about engine modding not REVO modding. There are different threads regarding a better pipe for your Revo and Jato.

You feel better?

 

[vbgagnon]

You feel better?

Before I continue sorry for the derailment Jet.

WTF is that? You post this stupid post out of the blue and expect to get a normal post? SOrry buddy. We have a forum just for the Revo and one for stadium trucks. That pisses me off, use your head man.

 

[JCosper]

Wow.. I love Forum people. Either one extreme or the other, some.. eager to help others that are just on the net to amuse themselves by making such comments.

Thanks for highlighting yourselves as type B. ;-)

 

[vbgagnon]

I'm the first in line to help anybody, but when sombody points you in aother direction you make a stupid ass comment. Drop it, and go read in the revo forum.

 

[jetmechG550]

No worries fellas. I think I'm going to do it though I just had to dip into my "slush fund" for some new Thai pads and a few other things. To answer your question Monkey, usually what's done is as vb pointed out. You can check out these sites:
tntmods.com
www.rbmods.com
www.ebmods.net
They all have an info page on what it is they do to each mill.

 

[Monkey Wrench]

Thanks Jet, will do and good luck, man! We'll absolutely need to hook up sometime this season! I want to see that thing run!

JCosper, check your PM.

 

[jetmechG550]

Definitely! I'll probably make a race or two @ CRCRC or Dirtburners (Cinci?) and definitely the 4-5 Big Ones at Uncle Joe's. Unless my summer takes a dump on me at work like it did last year. Though we aren't doing any refurb's on 1 year old airplanes this year! That's a whole other story in itself.

BTW, if anyone wants to know who I'm using pm me and I'll tell ya, I didn't want to post it here cause I didn't want this thread to turn into a debate of who is better. Thanks again!