I usually don't get on forums much, but let me get in here to get things straight before the rumor gets around that my 260's wont work as well as a 231. There is info being spread by a certain heli manufacturer that my 260 wouldn't work in their ship because of excessive vibration. These heli manufacturers may be showing allegiance towards their engine supplier that specializes in the 231 engines, or they have an issue with the former owner of my company, or they don't get out much and try new product and fail to see advances in the engine world around them. What ever the reason, let me say that my new engines will work with no problem, run smoothly and powerfully in any application that will accept the 231 format..period. We supply our 260 Pro engines to another heli manufacturer as their hop up option and they have no problems. Since this thread is asking about my engine in a Spectra-G, let me say that I have quite a few customers that fly that combo, both Pro and Max in the Spectra, with great results. If it's head speed you want, change the gearing. All good heli manufacturers offer different gear ratios to suit your needs. You should be adjusting gear ratio anyway to suit flying style, blade size and application...sport flying, 3D or camera use. There is no one set of rules for all and this is what the successful pilots do. In my opinion, there is no substitute for cubic inches in powered vehicles. There's a reason that 231 sales have dropped off in all of the gas hobby industry. ..heli's, boats, cars.etc. The 260's make more HP and torque across the board and with the modifications we make, vibration is not an issue any more. The Zenoah engines we use for our base are sturdy and dependable. I say this to make comparison to the Chinese clones out there that have poor metallurgy and sometimes fail when pressed hard. Stick with Zenoah and remember that in the long run, cheap is expensive. That's your call as a consumer. For those that use the RC based engine as in the Vario format, there may be good news on the horizon if you need more power. My Zenoah rep told me that he is working on the factory to get them to make larger engines via bore and stroke to make 27 and 29 cc engines available. Don't hold your breath on this one, but it will come eventually. This is to compete with the clone big bore and stroke RC style engines that are currently out there. When Zenoah does it, it will be right and dependability wont be an issue any more. Maybe some of this will filter over to the PU market so we can offer larger displacement engines at a reasonable cost. General engine info..you can't balance a one cylinder engine, but you can adjust things to reduce amplitude of vibration and make it smooth in a certain range. You will not "blow up" a Zenoah engine... that is parts wont fail from RPM. We run our marine engines over 19,000 and make 6 HP at 16,000 and 5 HP at 18,000. The helis have a different criteria..you need power and smooth running because of the mounting systems you use. I usually send out the engines with conservative RPM recommendations. This is to make the new gasser flier learning process less painful $$$ as he learns to fly and tune the gasser, especially when changing over from a nitro ship. I had a customer call me asking if it was OK to run his engine at around 12,500. he was running 2k head speed. I said "how's it fly and is it smooth". He said smooth as silk and it really hauls at that range. I think he said he was from Texas..head temps were at 190 when landed and temps shot right away at the top fins. The highest he's seen were 200 on the hottest day.He runs 40:1 Klotz R 50 oil . In my opinion, the Klotz oil is the best you can buy with superior lubrication and high film strength. With all the $ you guys spend on your ship, you should always run the best available oil. Talking to my Klotz rep yesterday, he said 50:1 should work with the R50. I still recommend 40:1 to be sure. The parameters for what RPM you run your engine at should be both head temps and vibration, not engine size. I hope I have helped some with what I've learned through the years and have learned from my customers that share their info. Got something to report?..let me know. I pass it on and share with others to help out all modelers.
Al Chianelli

B.H. Hanson Products
7 Lacawac Road
Lake Ariel, Pa.18436

phone..570 689 4561
fax.......570 689 4562
http://www.bhhanson.com/