Jon,
Yes, the port work is noticable. I used to do port work on engines for people a couple years ago, but I quit doing it because of all the stupid e mails I would get from kids wanting to know if I would trade video games for port work, or they were saving up lunch money and would get back with me.......
I still get e mails from people that see my name in the porting article on Maxxskunkworks.com.
A dead stock Picco .26 has enough power to flip just about anything on its top. Unless the person tuning it has it all goofed up?
Tuning tip- Tune them to run as rich as possible, with out blubbering. Once you get them too lean on the low side, they quit making torque. Hot glow plugs are the ticket. I run the hottest plug I can run, and run my engines as rich as I can with out blubbering. The more fuel and oil you trap in the cyl, the more compression you will have. The more comression you have, the more toque your engine will make.
As for the rest of the chassis in my MGT, its all stock with the exception of the HPI steel pinion gear I installed in the tranny. The stock plastic 2 speed gear will not hold the power of a Picco .26.
Back when the XTM 24.7 engine came out, I bought one from my local hobby shop, brought it home, and took it apart. It was junk... total junk. So I put it on e bay, and sold it for more than I had in it. I never even put it in my truck. I didnt have to.
I have never owned a Sirio engine, but I remember when the Sirio .18 T Maxx engine came out, a buddy of mine bought one, and it wouldn't fall out of a tree. I took it apart, and I wasn't impressed at all with the crank in it. It obviously was never designed to make any power.... Just like the Megatech .16.
A word of caution- It won't matter how many ports are in the sleeve of an engine, if the crank won't allow enough air flow. The crank is the key to making power and RPM in these engines.
Case in point- The stock AE .21 that comes in an MGT. Stock out of the box, they run descent, but with the stock gearing, they will not do wheelies in an MGT, and they aren't known for an abundance of RPM
I have ported 2 AE .21 engines, that will stand a stock MGT straight on the bumper with the stock wheels, tires, and gearing.
On pavement with Imex foam tires, (1 3/4" X 5" tall) geared 18/46, it will consistantly pull 41 mph on 20%. My Picco .26 will only pull 38mph. The difference is, the Picco will max out in less than 50 feet.... But the 21 is still pulling more rpm at 100 feet away.
The Picco needs a 20 cb to run the same speed as the .21, even though the Picco makes more power.
The Venom speed meter, and digital tach I have are two of the best tuning tools I have ever owned.
