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You might call the folks at Lasar with this question.  

When I needed a new exhaust system about two years ago my intention was to go with power flow.  I happened to mention that to the then GM of Lasar who said they provided the test aircraft and found no performance difference.  That’s surprising to me (which is why you ought to call them to be sure I wasn’t talking to someone who just had an unreasonable gripe with them) but his comment was enough to discourage me from purchase.  It doesn’t make much sense to me, though, why a system that demonstrably works on other aircraft wouldn’t on ours.

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Everything I have read indicates the PFS exhaust is more effective on carbureted Mooneys than it is on fuel injected Mooneys and that is it optimized for operation at what I consider to be relatively high altitude, above 10,000’.  Take that for what it is worth but I believe it to be accurate.  
Our C picked up four knots at cruise at 8,000’ DA when we installed our PFS exhaust, but we installed a new roller tapet engine at the same time so it is hard to say what caused what.  Fuel flow went up noticeably, though.  I’m sure we are making more power now than we did before. 
Who is to say if it is worth the extra coin?   I have no idea.  
Jim


I’d like to know as well what the benefit has been across the fleet. I wonder if we created a poll for those who have the PF exhaust and allow them to vote what speed increase if any they saw might help. We would need to know the model it was installed on.

Then again, like all Mooney speed mod topics, my F model does 210 KTAS on 2 tablespoons per hour at FL250.


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35 minutes ago, Marauder said:

 


I’d like to know as well what the benefit has been across the fleet. I wonder if we created a poll for those who have the PF exhaust and allow them to vote what speed increase if any they saw might help. We would need to know the model it was installed on.

Then again, like all Mooney speed mod topics, my F model does 210 KTAS on 2 tablespoons per hour at FL250.


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that's because you exhausted all your fuel trying to get up there and you were in a nose dive coming back down!

 

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4 hours ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

Everything I have read indicates the PFS exhaust is more effective on carbureted Mooneys than it is on fuel injected Mooneys and that is it optimized for operation at what I consider to be relatively high altitude, above 10,000’.  Take that for what it is worth but I believe it to be accurate.  

Our C picked up four knots at cruise at 8,000’ DA when we installed our PFS exhaust, but we installed a new roller tapet engine at the same time so it is hard to say what caused what.  Fuel flow went up noticeably, though.  I’m sure we are making more power now than we did before. 

Who is to say if it is worth the extra coin?   I have no idea.  

Jim

Jim, we need to meet up for a comparison flight. I had a new OEM-style muffler put on in Jan '15, with Hartzell 3-blade air brake and 201 windshield. When the muffler went in, the carb heat box and doghouse were both repaired, and I picked up 6-8 KTAS. Now I make 147-148 KTAS pretty regularly at 7500msl and up.

Are you coming to lunch next weekend at KPIM?

Edited by Hank
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Has anyone tried the power flow exhaust.. display was at sun n fun...DOES IT WORK AS WELL AS MANUFACTURE SAYS


‘78 J, did pre- and post-installation test flights with exhaust as only change (same weight and weather). Documented climb and speed gains consistent with 5-10% more power being developed. Supported by commensurately higher CHTs and fuel burn.

Used to fly with a modified F whose owner had the same experience.

The climb is more useful than the speed but both improved.

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Don't know about the C/E/F models but my understanding was the J model exhaust system had tuned exhaust stacks.  I was with a club that had a DA-40 with PF and it may have improved the performance.  But the system was expensive and a couple items were repeat offender replacements and expensive.  Cracks and what not.

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I have had a PFS on my ‘66E for 7 years and over 500 hours.

I do not have before and after data but I can comment on quality and maintenance.

The pipes are significantly heavier gauge than conventional and there are no internal baffles to disintegrate.

The anti-seize application is not a big deal. The mix box does not come off, the exhaust headers come off to apply the anti-seize. I do mine personally at annual. (ISTM a conventional muffler ought to get the same treatment.)


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On 4/12/2019 at 1:43 PM, RobertE said:

You might call the folks at Lasar with this question.  

When I needed a new exhaust system about two years ago my intention was to go with power flow.  I happened to mention that to the then GM of Lasar who said they provided the test aircraft and found no performance difference.  That’s surprising to me (which is why you ought to call them to be sure I wasn’t talking to someone who just had an unreasonable gripe with them) but his comment was enough to discourage me from purchase.  It doesn’t make much sense to me, though, why a system that demonstrably works on other aircraft wouldn’t on ours.

The guy at the Powerflow booth at Sun N Fun showed me a chart of a J model before and after and said LASAR can back up the claims of performance gains... I was skeptical since I’d heard from multiple sources it was not too much of an improvement on the IO-360 vs the O-360. I didn’t talk to LASAR since I wasn’t really interested, just trying to escape from the PFS sales pitch.

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M20j here, had original exhaust and then upgraded to power flow.

It does make more power and is faster but only measurable in climb at 2700rpm full throttle cruise. No difference at 2400rpm. It makes sense the engine breaths better and appreciably better at higher rpms when there is less time for exhaust to be pushed out. Added 3kts.

Biggest improvement was 20-30f lower chts at any power setting which I would expects as almost any performance exhaust should accomplish.


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