SURE FIRE .32R
FROM
Racers Edge
This will be a two part review.
Sure Fire .32
Racers Edge
http://www.racers-edge.com
Specifications
Horsepower: 2.9HP No X-Dyno on the .32R to confirm
RPM: 38,000
Engine Size: .32 Cubic Inches ( 5.32cc)
Bore: 19.5mm
Stroke: 17.5mm
Crank: SG Type
Construction: ABC
Weight: 450 g
Carburetor: 9mm Composite
Carburetor Adjustments: 3 needle
Connecting Rod: 7075 aluminum (dual bushing)
Sleeve: 8 port
Type: Rear Exhaust
Plug: Standard
-Well this is it. The Sure Fire .32R is here.......... WOW! The pics don't do it justice.
-First you get a 8.5mm and 8mm reducers and a Roto Start back plate! The first batch come with both a pull start and roto.
After there gone just a roto start. But the HPI K4.6 pull start will work in a pinch. Packaging was nice and the engine had a very light coat of oil on it. The directions were basically the same from the first model. Very well put together. Now for the fun..... Let's dig into it and have a look at the internals. The sleeve has been ported but the crank is the same. The finish on the internals was very clean and no residue or metal was found in it. I took a piece of tissue paper to it and only got clean oil on it. A very clean block inside. The same with the internal components also.
-Now the things I found that I didn't care for. There was a little flashing left on the carb base but that was all. The HSN placement on the carb when the carb is flipped for Savages is a little off to say the least. I think Steven and I had this conversation about 1 1/2 years ago....... The other thing is the O ring on the back plate. who ever put the back plate on was a little forceful and clipped the O ring. I have a spare so no worries.
-The only other thing was the screw that holds the ring for the ball end ( for the throttle linkage). It was tight like all the screws. Don't get me wrong tight was nice. Every screw was tight and the back plate screws were thread locked. This is one screw that shouldn't have been this tight. The settings are never perfect for every situation so I would have left it a tad loose.
Now to the meat.
--My set up was basic. Savage X w/2speed, OS #8 plug, Nova aluminum shoes (I set them to open staggered so the truck doesn't get the full shock of the .32 torque right at the start), and a HPI 47/17 steel spur set. For the TVP's I'm using the Rock Concepts set from John Schultz ( Thanks for the TVP's John). Not a bad set up If I do say so myself.
--Break in got started at 9AM Eastern time. It was about 70F out and I was ready. Had my gloves, glow driver, glow plug wrench ,flat tip screw driver and radio. I think they improved fuel economy. The first tank took forever. Mind you this is in a Savage X so I only filled the tank Half way so not to flood the engine. I also filled it to a half tank when it got low to make my 1 full tank with the wheels off the ground.
--The engine after being primed started on the 3rd pull with the glow plug cracked. The engine has a wicked backlash as I found out on pull number 2. The idle was perfect no need to mess with anything. It stayed running through both tanks and hit a whopping temp of 178F. I stopped the engine before the tank went dry and let it cool. I moved the piston to BDS to keep a good pinch. After 20min I was back down to 80F on the head so run up on tank two. Third pull it started again with out dragging me into the motor. I will say that this thing Idles like a champ. I did my little circles around the yard without any problems. This went on for 5 more tanks.
--Time to tune and this great North Carolina weather spiked a nice temp of 90+F. Following Racers Edge spec. I tuned in 1/8 increments. The first 1/4 I didn't see any major changes but by the time I had done 1 1/8 of a turn with 3 high speed passes in between each 1/8th adjustment. With outside temps where they were and 6 high speed passes that run 150 Feet per pass I hit 245F to 251F. There was a marked improvement from the first Sure Fire on the top end. They got it better. I went in 1/4 turn on the LSN and the get up is almost perfect. I want the front end to unload a bit but I don't want to do wheel stands every time I hit the throttle. As I said almost right. If I back off an 1/8th it will be good. Top end is nice but I am going to go to the 47/18 ratio for a bit more top end. The Sure Fire has always had bottom end and then some. What the redesign was supposed to do was take care of it falling flat on it's face in the upper band. This I will be doing next with the 47/18. As I said the bottom end is perfect. This is the end of day one. Tomorrow we start beating on it hard.
--Well it's Sunday and ran the truck for a tank with the 47/18 combo. The top end was comparable to the STS.30 but a bit of the low end was lost. I am going to finish the testing with the 47/17 now. I think this ratio was better than the 47/18 because of the punch out of the hole that the engine had. If you add a 3 speed you will pick up a little top end. Play with the engagement timing on the clutch. This is a basher engine and not a race engine (size limitations at ROAR and other groups events).
--The stock 3 shoe clutches has a good bit of slip with the engine. In my opinion you need to upgrade your clutches to Nova, Werks or other brand. If you do not care about top end that much the 48/16 combo or 49/15 combo will give you crazy wheelies to the point of hitting the gas and flipping over. The 47/17 gives a good mix of speed and low end grunt. With some clutch tuning and the 47/18 ratio you will have a great top end speed. This in my eyes is a little to steep for the simple reason that most people will be bashing. I would also recommend the HPI 3 speed transmission for a little more top end. On and off the throttle hitting jumps and slinging the truck around is what this engine is about. Unless you intend to jump a house or barn like XXX Main or SMF then go with the 47/18 for the take off speed to hit the ramp.
--For a beginner this in my opinion is a very good engine if you can get over the price. It holds a tune ( I went from 90+ Saturday to 70 on Sunday). Tuning was very easy ( get a temp gun). Three pulls on average and the engine started right up. This was the case during break in also. For guys and gals that have broke in a few motors that were temper mental this is a nice change. You will need to try different pipe and clutch combinations to get it right where you want it for the type of driving you do. For a drop in replacement on a Savage X it worked very well. For older Savages the 4 gear diff change is a must. You will destroy your diffs. I have the SSX diffs in the truck and I'm starting to hear a click. This could be from the added torque of the engine or the diffs are getting some wear. I think it is a little of both if you ask me. I did enjoy the engine and it's easy of tuning will give the driver fun instead of headaches.
--Well I have 12 Tanks in the truck. I have pulled the engine apart and this is what you see. It's clean and shiny. A little green from the Blue Thunder oil but that is about it. There was a enough pinch in the motor to push the sleeve out without a fight.
