Any non geared starter will undoubtedly be superior to a geared lightweights except for weight. The reason for the starter adapter problems with the original geared starters was the friction causing the adapter spring to stay engaged--not the speed of the starter motor itself. The newer sky techs appear to solve this issue but they do not spin the prop as fast as my prestolite boat anchor.
Looking at tempest specs I think they are positioned against the geared starters with no obvious benefit from a boat anchor unit. Any starter can be friction tested by simply measuring torque in ounce inches and comparing with a target of 3-5 oz-in maximum. The good shops who rebuild the boat anchors will get that figure for a few hundred bucks and a core which is probably a few hundred less than a new 24v tempest. I would expect the boat anchors and tempest to both be excellent units on the large continentals.
Paul
Friction expert, rubs people the wrong way frequently.
Gang,
I just got off the phone with Bill Ward (really friendly guy who was very generous with his time) of Aerospace Components, the company that builds the PowerFlight starter for Tempest. He tells me their product:
- Uses roller bearings instead of bushings to reduce internal friction
- Is so low friction it can be turned by hand
- Produced higher torque than stock
- Requires lower amperage while turning (20% for the 12V; more for the 24V)
- Has up to 50% lower peak inrush amperage
The only real drawback I noted is the weight; it's significantly heavier than the lightweight offerings of other manufacturers. Mr. Ward warned me, however, that many people are reporting the lightweight starters are prematurely wearing their starter adapters. He attributes this to the fact they (the lightweights) incorporate an internal gear which results in the starter turning some 17,000 rpms, which is higher than the starter adapter was designed for.
If anyone has any experience with the Tempest starter please share.
Thanks,
--Mark