Regarding balance: with the exponent system it's not possible to prevent players from getting higher T/W than stock unless the mass and thrust exponents are exactly the same. If the mass exponent is larger than the thrust exponent, then downscaling will increase the T/W ratio (as now). If the reverse is true, upscaling will increase the T/W ratio. Therefore, I suggest using a mass exponent of 2 for engines if the thrust exponent is 2.