16% or 20% for 1/8th Nitro?

[Pingman]

I have a Tamiya 1/8th Nitro, what percentage fuel is best?

one car is the standrd Tamiya 12 engine and the other is a 15 I think

[Tamiya1/10]

No knowing too much about Tamiya's engine, i would get the 16% nitro to be on the save side with less performance. I think if you can get hold of the kit manual, it will recommend the % for running in and afterwards. The shop that sells you the fuel should be abke to recommend the nitro %. Having said that, i think your engines are not new, therfore 20% s/b ok.

[alfagta]

i would go 20% , i am not sure if its still available but i found tornado fuel was the best available when i ran nitro cars ( and i tried every fuel i could get my hands on) , it starts faster and keeps the engine measurably cooler and internally cleaner (less varnish build up) than any other fuel , it was also the fuel of choice for the world champion 1/8 circuit for 3 years in a row ,

[shenlonco]

I had a lot of nitro cars always used the 20% it makes the car run better due to the little bit more nitro in it 20% is like sport fuel Odonalds 20% ready to run formula is good as it has a much more percentage of oil in it than other 20% brands do so it will protect the motor better.

1/8 buggy was mine

[alfagta]

I had a lot of nitro cars always used the 20% it makes the car run better due to the little bit more nitro in it 20% is like sport fuel Odonalds 20% ready to run formula is good as it has a much more percentage of oil in it than other 20% brands do so it will protect the motor better.

1/8 buggy was mine

i found o'donell fuel to be less than good , byron and tornado were far superior , O'donell is good for break in due to the high oil content but beyond that it was slow, hard to start and needed a hotter plug than the others regardless of needle setting , it was like the oil didnt evaporate quick enough and tended to cause bogging down and slow throttle response , mind you that was a long time ago and they may have cleaned up the formula a bit , same issues with model technics oil plus blend , although the full synthetic oil blend from model technics was a great basher fuel that seemed to give better economy with fewer refills needed .

[shenlonco]

i found o'donell fuel to be less than good , byron and tornado were far superior , O'donell is good for break in due to the high oil content but beyond that it was slow, hard to start and needed a hotter plug than the others regardless of needle setting , it was like the oil didnt evaporate quick enough and tended to cause bogging down and slow throttle response , mind you that was a long time ago and they may have cleaned up the formula a bit , same issues with model technics oil plus blend , although the full synthetic oil blend from model technics was a great basher fuel that seemed to give better economy with fewer refills needed .

I never had any problems with starting...maybe yours was a older type.

[alfagta]

it was about 10 years ago , been all electric ever since

[TwistedxSlayer]

I'm currently using HPI fuel with slightly higher oil content, but it's 16%, I'll be switching to 20 when I've used this bottle of it.

[alfagta]

I'm currently using HPI fuel with slightly higher oil content, but it's 16%, I'll be switching to 20 when I've used this bottle of it.

i have never used hpi fuel but a few friends that still run nitro cars say it is very good , should be easy to get too due to hpi's availability .

[oz-trash-cowboy]

Try the lower nitro first. If it starts, idles, and accellerates ok, go with it. As the motor wares out ( compression reduces ) you can then up the nitro percentage. I love the smell of nitro in the morning…………….

[oz-trash-cowboy]

Further to last, it was explained to me that nitro can be like single malt whiskey. Batches can vary day to day. The methanol is hydroscopic, it absorbs moisture from the air. The age of your fuel, the time the lid is off, the level of humidity, temperature, air pressure ( elevation above sea level ) all play a part. But when you find a blend that works, it hurts when you run out. Good luck and perserverence is your pathway to success.

[TwistedxSlayer]

i have never used hpi fuel but a few friends that still run nitro cars say it is very good , should be easy to get too due to hpi's availability .

Very easy to get hold of, I got it from Wheelspin Models. HPI do a whole range 16 - 30/5% with a slightly higher than normal oil content.