rbort
Elite Veteran
Location: Franklin, MA - U.S.A.
My Posts This: Topic Forum | This is really nice guys!OK, I've uploaded pictures of the zimmerman side mount to my gallery, check them out!
Went to fly it today (put in 3 flights/45 minutes in-between the rain) and I was delighted in every which way  Here is a summary of the benefits:
#1, muffler weights 9.7oz, 3.3oz lights than the Century v4.
#2, bolts on with standard exhaust gasket and some red RTV to seal, and did not leak after 3 flights today and I didn't even have to retighten the bolts after the first flight. Mine didn't come with bolts, I picked some 16mm ones with lock washers from the hardware store for $1.85.
#3, you can hear the engine burp from it just like it does with the stock box muffler. This makes it much easier to set the low speed needle and you can tweak it down until the burping stops or almost stops.
#4, has excellent full power climbout, pretty comparable to the v4 can't really tell if one is better than the other.
#5, and this is the best part - doesn't leak, doesn't get loose. Or did I already mention that? 
Its been reinforced to solve the cracking problem that was troubling it in the past. The rear mount zimmerman has not been reinforced "yet" so hence why it cracks. I did speak to Irwin about this today, as if it doesn't crack its surely the best muffler and a winner for the Spectra in my opinion. He said since the modifications, they have not cracked but if for some reason they crack he will #1 replace them and #2 reinforce the muffler even more to stop it permanently.
It does sit quite a ways back but in my case with the CF tailboom I need it back there as I need the tail weight. My heli is slightly nose heavy without it and very slightly nose heavy with it on. If you want it more centered on the model you can turn your engine around to face forwards and mount it on the left side. The tailpipe points to the side so it can mount on either side of the heli and still look right. Or if you want to be a wise guy you can mount it with the tailpipe facing forward and just fly backwards all the time! 
I'm so happy with this barring waiting on me to see if it cracks over time I highly recommend this one as the best option for those of you who are building Spectra's now and looking for a muffler to buy. Irwin confirmed to me that he has them in stock and he's local here in the US so you'll get them within a couple of days when you order.
My heli ran so well with it and I was able to tweak the needles nice the tail was almost solid without shaking back and forth that little bit that it could. I tried all 3 speeds with the gv-1 and it handled them without any issues.
I just went down to take the pictures and upload so you guys can see it and now I'm getting used to the tailpipe sticking back its wearing on me. In a way it keeps the machine clean especially without the dreaded leaks that I always had with the v4 that ticked me off. Nothing worse than getting black oil on the engine and burnt on the muffler of your pretty clean "baby" that runs on gas. 
I'll keep flying it and unless you hear otherwise from me its holding up with no issues. If for some reason it doesn't I'll be sure to give the feedback and let you guys know - I'm all about accurate reporting whether its good or bad.
-=>Raja.
1005 Gasser, G26 3DMax++, 2205+ flights
Spectra-g, G26 3DMax, 865+ flights |
