Zenoah 20cc

[Trevor 25]

I am considering joining the ranks of the petrolheads for my next plane and came across this Zenoah 20cc for £185 including silencer, ignition, pump etc. It seems more affordable than other petrol engines. Are these engines worth considering?

[Darren 0]

There's a guy over on rcmf.co.uk who I think is fitting on to an YT Edge - look at the posts in the YT section - Edge 540 build.

 

My only experience with petrol are with the MVVS engines, but my first concern would be the included silencer. The MVVS come with something similar to the one shown on your link but they're about as useful as the proverbal chocolate tea pot.

 

A nice BCM silencer is about another £45 - just engines have all the sizes & shapes listed on their website.

 

But Zenoah have a good reputation and with electronic ignition (as opposed to the old magneto setup) I think it would be OK. Perhaps Joe will be along soon to offer an opinion.

[Lee 0]

Hi

 

before i started flying i used to do 1/5 large scale rc cars and even though i can't give direct advice in terms of planes i can in cars.

 

i used a zenoah 23 cc 2 stroke petrol engine in my car and so did many others.

 

just to let you know the scale of things i competed in the large scale on road nationals racing against the best in the uk. my car was not the fastest admittedly because funds still being at school however it was highly competitive. the engine was one of the fastest at my local track though .

 

the engine was the most reliable engine i have every had and never broke down.

 

hope this helps even though its not the same but i hope this can give a rough idea i don't no much about petrol engines in planes so darren or joe will be more useful

 

cheers

 

lee

[Trevor 25]

Thanks for the advice guys,

I havent decided on a plane yet but am considering something like Darren's Advanced Pitts. I know that's a bit a$$ about face but I am looking at petrol and cost, then everything else should follow suit. I don't usually fly very fast but would like to do some aerobatics. £185 for the engine and £180 for the plane seems like a reasonable amount to spend on a first petrol plane. Does this seem like a reasonable combination?

[Darren 0]

You'll probably find an ASM Pitts very nose heavy with that motor.

 

I did think about an MVVS160 but it's about 1.1kg with silencer and ignition, the Zenoah is slightly heavier and the OS120AX I've fitted to my Pitts is only 640g

 

The ASM Pitts was designed around the OS120FS mkIII which is about 900g

 

With my OS the Pitts balances spot on with battery just on leading edge of wing, so it could take a heavier engine and battery further back (such as teh OS120FS it was designed for). But it might be a challenge to balance with a petrol engine that's nearly a pound heavier.

[Trevor 25]

The Zenoah 20cc is 1190g with everything added, which as Darren says is about 3/4 lb more than the OS120FS. Will have to look at other options for aircraft. Still, no rush. If anyone has any suggestions or can point me at a reasonable priced petrol engine about 20cc please let me know.

[Trevor 25]

I notice on the Glens website they have used the Zenoah 20cc on the 68" CAP232 and they reckon it gives similar performance to the 26cc Zenoah. The 68" Glens CAP is currently £200 pre-built. That looks promising.

[Darren 0]

Trevor,

 

You do know that I've got an MVVS powered 68" Glens Cap and theres a thread about it in the plane reviews section?

[Trevor 25]

Yes, I was looking at that just now. I like the CAP but I think I would like something a bit different. Might look at some .91-1.20 size warbirds