RC SureStart Engine pre-heaters

OK hands up who likes running in engines . . . ?

Yep, I thought not.

I too was like you until I discovered the RC SureStart. 

I know it sounds like the opening line of cheesey advert for washing powder but it really is a genuine sentiment.

Remember the winter? Minus 6 degrees on a race day!

When it's cold it can be a real pain starting an IC engine not to mention the damage that can be done in the process.

I had seen guys at the track with all sorts of cobbled together devices trying to pre-heat their engines to a decent temperature before attempting to start them.

That's when I stumbled across the SureStart, the brainchild of one John Bennett, a man well known to southern buggy racers.

 

I got in touch with John, a deal was done and an order placed, a few days later the postman delivered my shiny new SureStart. 

It would be contentious of me to suggest that John invented this concept but he has certainly developed it into a polished and professional product.

What the unit does is contain and direct the heat of a powerful halogen bulb in order to efficiently heat soak the engine.

The benefits of this are manifold and can be read about on the RCsurestart website.  

Preparing a new engine for run-in in my Xray 808

    

I recently used mine when running in a new engine and can honestly say it turned a chore into a pleasure.

No more loosening glow plugs, no more jamming screwdrivers onto flywheels.

This thing is a doddle to use.

You just slip it over your engines heat sink, connect it up to any 12v power supply, let it do its thing and in less than 10 minutes your engine is up to temp and ready to rumble.

After one use I was a convert and have used mine every time I have used an IC car since.

There are two types available the 'standard' and the 'deluxe'. The main difference being that the deluxe is fitted with a thermostat to keep your engine at a constant temperature without you having to babysit.

The deluxe on the left (with temp indicator LEDs)

I have spent an awful lot of money on this hobby and can safely say that this is one of the very few purchases I have made that will actually pay for itself over the course of its life.

For that it earns a Pipski 5*star recommended rating.