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2015 Rotax Max Evo Engine

Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 6:18 pm
by JohnPeters
I was surfing the net and dreaming of warm days at the track when I came across this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ44x-tdzSs

Wonder what performance changes there will be with the next evolution?
JP

Re: 2015 Rotax Max Evo Engine

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 11:04 am
by Mariogim
Hello John, I have been following this for a few days now and the upgrade looks substantial. More power/torque from pretty much about 7000 rpm right to 14000 and they claim that this will also help with reliability . The cost for the entire upgrade is about 1400 Australian dollars plus labour. No pricing in Canada or the States yet. The good part of this upgrade, is that it can be done in stages to keep the cost down initially.

Re: 2015 Rotax Max Evo Engine

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 8:54 pm
by Mark
Not to stir-up the you-know-what too much but this is just Rotax's latest push to their bottom line. All in the name of improved performance and reliability, of course !

Rotax makes money selling engines of course, but I would expect they make far more upgrading and repairing them.

This will be the usual thing that everyone will need to upgrade to remain competitive so pretty much everyone will end up doing it. Or switching to 4-stroke <wink-wink>

Of course, the real kicker is that you will HAVE to run the current spec for nationals and above. These guys know their marketing.

Re: 2015 Rotax Max Evo Engine

Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 8:21 am
by SteveO
My first thought when I saw this was "Ah Sh!t no!", especially since I've only got 2 races on my new 2013 motor.
The greatest thing about the CKRC's Rotax & 4-stroke classes has been the fact that it is a level playing field with a spec engine. If the new engine shows any advantage over the existing ones, that could really affect the racing, causing our own version of 'engine wars', which is definitely not what we need.

In this related video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg1F7a5ZJKo they promise the North American market that existing customers can get the new carb, wiring harness and electric box for under $500. If they keep their word, then I can live with that.
That only leaves out the new con rod, piston & exhaust system which 'appear' to be more related to durability than outright performance, and can be upgraded with the next engine rebuild.

It will be interesting to see if they can hold the less than $500 cost.

Re: 2015 Rotax Max Evo Engine

Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 5:22 pm
by Mark
What about the pipe ? The pipe is a big deal in 2-stroke performance and it's one of the larger cost items.

I'm curious about the con rod too. They say it's lighter and the graphic shows it as 1 piece where it connects to the crank. Does this mean the crank will have to be split to change it -like we used to do with the Yamaha KT-100 ?

Re: 2015 Rotax Max Evo Engine

Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 5:36 pm
by Jaro51
Sorry to dredge up an old post but I'm curious what the consensus is with the EVO vs non-EVO engines at Strathmore. Is it a must have to be competitive? How many other upgrades have been pushed through since 2006 era? I have a virtually new engine and PCR chassis that is from 2006 and I'm wondering if it's at a big disadvantage to the latest and greatest equipment out there now.

Re: 2015 Rotax Max Evo Engine

Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 9:48 pm
by John Kwong
Short answer: A noticeable disadvantage

Long answer: Here is why:

The EVO upgrade was bitter pill bargain when they were offering it as the initial upgrade package. It was the unknown and was marketed as more of a performance equalizer of the FR125 package with added reliability and consistency. The first impressions of the EVO upgraded motors was that these things were true and it wouldn't be much different than a non-EVO engine. Then in testing it was discovered that the motors now revved to almost 15,000 rpm. Also, the power valve was now electronically controlled so that it would be consistent with each session and the carburetor was changed to have a more conventional emulsion tube configuration for better low end response. These upgrades were the game changer for the EVO vs non-EVO motors. At our track we will run the motor to the high 14K for revs but at Warburg they never see those revs for some reason. Gearing for rev out at North Star and torque at Warburg seems the fast way so far.

If I remember correctly, some of those old Rotax motors had fast cylinders that were supposed to be exchanged for more consistently ported "stock" rotax cylinders around 2006. There were a few nonEVO motors that were exceptional for pulling at low RPM but these were in the minority.

You can still find EVO kits for sale on ekartingnews classifieds for cheaper than retail but it is an expensive upgrade now that the promotion is over.

John K

Re: 2015 Rotax Max Evo Engine

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2016 9:28 am
by Jaro51
Thanks John, good info there!