DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Power Flow officials report that there are not more than 5,000 general aviation aircraft flying with a Power Flow Tuned Exhaust System.
The three leaders in upgrades installed are the Cessna 172/175 airframes with nearly 2000 units, the PA-28 Cherokee with over 800, and the Cessna 177 series, which is now approaching 700 installations.
A tuned exhaust system has a dramatic impact on performance, according to company officials.
WhenPower Flow measured the horsepower of a Lycoming 0-320 A1A, rated at 160 hp, and equipped with an original Cessna exhaust for a baseline, they got a peak horsepower of 133.3.
Trading out the OEM exhaust package at a test cell in California, and replacing it with a Power Flow Tuned Exhaust System, the horsepower peaked at 157.1, a 23.8 hp difference, company officials report.
That extra horsepower translates into more torque, a shorter takeoff roll, better climb and faster cruise at normal settings, officials said, adding the engine also runs cooler.
“It’s the upgrade that works as advertised,” said Darren Tilman, general manager of Power Flow. “We offer our customers a 60-day money back guarantee on every system we ship. In 18 years, fewer than 80 systems (less than 2%) out of 5,000 have been returned.”
Tuning an exhaust system depends on the length of the pipes coming off the exhaust manifold and the “collector” that allows for a more complete evacuation of exhaust gases from the cylinders, company officials explained. That, in turn, allows for a greater amount of gas/air mixture to enter the cylinder before firing, increasing efficiency and boosting power, they continued.
The system is STC’d for 10 of the most popular GA aircraft powered by four cylinder Lycoming O-320, O-360, I/O-360 & I/O-390 engines. Power Flow also makes a system for the O-320 powered Robinson R-22 Beta series and a non-STC’d version of the system for the Experimental/Custom-built market.
