PowerFlow exhaust on Mooney M20J

[BlueSky247]

I bet you could request the gen one exit pipe if you wanted, and there's nothing to say it couldn't be shortened as needed to better suit the individual installation needs and cut down on that drag.

 

I think it would be good to get a used example of the gen2 system and get a good welder/speed shop to go through it. I'm sure there is "repair" work that could be done that would improve their flow.

[Skates97]

On 1/27/2024 at 2:57 PM, philiplane said:

People use a mixture of nickel anti-seize and Mouse Milk to wick into the slip joints at every oil change. It keeps the slip joints slipping, without the hassle of disassembly.

I've seen the nickel mentioned a couple times in the thread but the paperwork they sent with mine stated to use copper anti-seize which is also what was sent with the kit I ordered. 

On 8/22/2024 at 1:58 PM, Stubby said:

Hopefully I'm not beating a dead horse here, but I was wondering if anyone has any pictures of the newer style Powerflow that doesn't look quite so terrible on a Mooney. My J is in for annual right now and I'm going to have to replace the muffler and tailpipe, so I'm most likely going to replace the whole works. The cost of the Powerflow over an OEM set up is noticeable, but not terrible. I'm wondering if, since I'm going to replace everything anyways, Powerflow would be worth it. From what I've read in the numerous posts here, the performance gain on a J minimal, and there is a little more maintenance. I haven't decided either way yet and I guess I'm not even really leaning a certain way yet... What say you?

One of the benefits that doesn't get mentioned much is the reduced chance of CO poisoning. With it's design of solid pipes where the air comes through to be heated instead of the shroud setup there is very little chance of a crack that would allow CO into the cabin heat.

Here's another angle.

[1980Mooney]

On 8/22/2024 at 3:58 PM, Stubby said:

Hopefully I'm not beating a dead horse here, but I was wondering if anyone has any pictures of the newer style Powerflow that doesn't look quite so terrible on a Mooney. My J is in for annual right now and I'm going to have to replace the muffler and tailpipe, so I'm most likely going to replace the whole works. The cost of the Powerflow over an OEM set up is noticeable, but not terrible. I'm wondering if, since I'm going to replace everything anyways, Powerflow would be worth it. From what I've read in the numerous posts here, the performance gain on a J minimal, and there is a little more maintenance. I haven't decided either way yet and I guess I'm not even really leaning a certain way yet... What say you?

 

12 hours ago, BlueSky247 said:

I really wish we had more options in that department. A good header system tuned for our cruising/peak rpm bands would make a nice difference in performance and fuel burns.

It has been discussed many times here.  The issue with PowerFlow on the J models is that the induction and exhaust system on the on M20J is really well optimized ("tumed" as you refer to it) in its stock form.   Whether it was luck or good slide rule/LoPresti common sense engineering of the J, the gains to be rung out over the stock design are minimal.  In 2020, @PT20J highlighted that the PowerFlow rep was at MooneyMax and admitted so much.  Other owners like Wistarmo (who is no longer on MS) reported no improvement when bolting it onto a 1993 MSE.

PowerFlow, founded in 1997, has been putzing around with this for nearly 30 years.  If they can't find more power for the J, either through flow studies/testing, engineering or just plain trial and error, I doubt anyone will.  They were first working on this when the J was still in production.  Certainly no one else will waste time and money for a shrinking fleet.

On the other hand, the PowerFlow has been reported to deliver some benefit to pre-J's because of their sub-optimal plumbing.

 

[BlueSky247]

@1980Mooney I’m just gonna quote the X-Files.
 

“I want to believe.”