Mailing List lml@lancaironline.net Message #9165
From: <Epijk@aol.com>
Subject: Re: 345hp lycoming
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 16:38:01 EDT
To: <aaronmay82@lycos.com>, <lancair.list@olsusa.com>
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Aaron:
If you really believe that Zerbach's claim that he can take a stock 260-hp
(presumably parallel-valve) 540 and add a few ceramics, a magic fuel
injector, and raise the compression from 8.5 to 10 and make a 32.6% gain in
power output, then I've got a very nice bridge in Brooklyn which I'd like to
sell you (for a very attractive price, by the way).

I can assure you from actual experience that it takes some doing to even see
an honest 300 HP out of a rated 300 HP, angle-valve Lyc 540 (IO-540-K1A5, for
example). I've never tried ceramics on an air-cooled engine, but
well-documented experience with liquid-cooled engines reveal little, if any,
measurable power gain from the addition of ceramics (there are other benefits
however).

Now many of the 260 HP injected 540's used the Bendix RSA-5 servo body, which
is the same size as is used on the injected IO-360's. However, merely
switching to the larger RSA-10 servo used on the angle-valve 540's will
achieve the same gain in venturi area and MAYBE a measurable gain in HP, and
this with certificated AIRCRAFT hardware instead of some form of unknown
electronics. Trust me when I tell you that making a control computer
airworthy is a challenging project (I know, having worked on the development
of the first jet engine FADEC's).

You mentioned weight. How much does this magical liquid-cooled IO-540 weigh
(the weight of a parallel-valve 260-HP 540 is approximately 400 lbs.) And
aftger you add the weight of the liquid, the plumbing, the heat exchangers,
the ductwork, etc.,  THEN how much will it weigh? (And if you've been told
the liquid-cooled 540 weighs the same as the air-cooled version, do you
believe it?????????).

I think if the expermental community spent a little more time analyzing the
wild claims made by peddlers, there would be lots fewer "Bede" situations.

Jack Kane
EPI, Inc.
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