The US RC magazine „Xtreme RC Cars“ tested the all new LRP Z.12R Team Spec.2 engine in their April/06 issue and their overwhelming result is: “best numbers we’ve seen on the X-DYNO to date”!!!
The LRP Z.12R Team Spec.2 received the best possible test-result with the magic 10.0 points!

Here’s the complete test from Derek Buono, Executive Editor:

“LRP surprises the nitro engine world.
LRP is best known for speed controls and chargers, so when they announced that they were releasing a line of engines here in the US we really weren’t expecting too much. In their defense, outside of the States, LRP offers a full line of RC accessories and is quite popular.
The first engine of their series to get to our office was their competition .12 called the Z.12R Team Spec.2. This Italian based engine was made to the specifications set forth by LRP and when we got it we were impressed with the look but didn’t expect the engine to set any records. But by the end of testing we found out that not only does LRP make some killer speed controls and chargers, they can also put that effort into racing engines. While we normally don’t like to compare engines when doing a dyno test, everybody does it, and when we looked at the results this unmodified engine threw down the best numbers we’ve seen on the dyno to date.

Features

Piston/Sleeve • With no surprises in the implementation, the Z.12R hits you with a 3+1 port design. The +1 indicates the exhaust port and is pretty much the standard in the legal class of racing. ABC construction ensures that you’re buying a quality engine that should last deep into your fuel supply.

Cooling Head • A large 8 fin cast aluminium head anodized in blue sits atop the case. This larger head keeps the temps in check during racing conditions. The sides of the head are machined to allow you better access to the engine mounting screws so you can remove the engine from the mounts and keep that perfect gear mesh. We did find that depending on the length of the screws used, they did hit the case and made it more diffi cult to remove the screw entirely.

Carburetor • Engine tuners will appreciate the 3-needle setup of the composite and metal carb and that it’s not hyper-sensitive to small adjustments, which makes tuning some engines such a pain. The 5.5mm venturi doesn’t have removable inserts, but when was the last time you were looking for less power in a nitro touring car? All adjustments are in a fairly easy-to-reach place with your standard tuning screwdriver.

Crankshaft/Connecting Rod • The LRP engine uses a 12mm crankshaft with a healthy 7mm bore. LRP describes the rod as a “forked shape” design and uses double bushings to keep the rod from wearing too quickly. Those who wish to have a pullstart or roto-start will have to keep wishing because at this point the engine is designed as a pure racer and requires you to use a starter box. The SG crank will also fit into most cars and work with most clutches. The case has some heavy fin usage to help keep the temps down and is black to even further help heat dissipation.

Performance

I used our Serpent break-in bench to get the engine prepped for dyno pulls. One thing I noticed before even running the engine was that it didn’t have the typical amount of pinch at TDC that I’ve felt in some engines. Pinch used to be considered a good thing, but having too much during break-in stresses the con rod and generally isn’t good for the engine at all. The LRP had just the right amount to where it wouldn’t stress the rod, and after 7 tanks on the bench and getting it up to operating temps, I was ready to get it on the X-Dyno.

We switched our display this month to use the higher resolution of torque readings (now in oz.-in.) and initially I was confused by the look of the graph. After 7 pulls and tuning the engine I clicked the graph function and up came a number I wasn’t prepared for. The engine has currently set the high mark in peak horsepower for the class, displaying a staggering 1.11 HP @34,500 RPM and an equally impressive 32.46 oz.–in. @ 34,250 RPM and spun to a dizzying 41,250 RPM. I had to double and triple check all the settings to see if I had something wrong, and after verifying the settings it was official. The unmodified engine threw it down for all other engines to try and match. There was a minor vibration felt on the dyno, but it didn’t seem to bother the engine. Tuning was also very easy, with changes making improvements to the performance but not to the point of 1-hour changes causing it to go extremely lean or rich. That’s a very good thing to have when tuning on the track.

The power delivery of this engine is very peaky, something that’s more typical in .12s and really can’t be seen as a negative. This means that to keep the engine delivering that killer power you’re going to have to make sure that you’re in the upper RPM of the engine, and not past the useful range because it also has a steep drop off after peak—coincidence that it says VTEC on the side? Keeping that engine revving will result in some top-notch acceleration on the track, and depending on the pipe used you could tune it a little broader, but our MSR pipe has proven to put out some of the best useable power we’ve seen.

I would have liked to get this engine on the track and get some racing in it, but the limited time I had with it didn’t allow me to get to the track. I did get it strapped into my Kyosho V-One RRR for some testing out in the parking lot.

The needle setting held steady and the idle was very easy to keep purring along at a low pace. The peaky power delivery felt good for the car as the engine pulled hard to top end where you could feel the ponies slow up a bit. This is something that shouldn’t be an issue on the track, though, because I’ve run engines with a similar delivery. You’ll see this engine in the next nitro touring review where we can get some better track time with it to test the power and longevity further.

Conclusion
It’s always good to be surprised, and this engine did just that. While I fully expected this engine to be another high-end contender with similar performance, the results were something better. It’s crazy to think that engines keep getting better, but they do and LRP has a great competition .12 that should make a lot of nitro racers happy.

With this engine marking the first entry of LRP engines into the US market, they will convert more than a few and maybe even sway some of their speedo-powered brothers to switch to the nitro side.

X-Dyno Horsepower vs. Claimed Horsepower
You may have noticed that X-Dyno power data doesn’t always match up with manufacturers’ claimed horsepower and torque figures. We attribute this discrepancy to the fact that many manufacturers publish theoretical horsepower and torque figures based on rough estimates rather than actual dyno data, or that a manufacturer’s data collection protocol doesn’t match our own. The X-Dyno calculates horsepower using known mathematical formulas and precise physical data measurement.

Although the X-Dyno’s power numbers may not equal the numbers you’re accustomed to seeing, the figures we provide are accurate from engine to engine, and are directly comparable with power data from issue to issue.