Backcountry Pilot • 185 520 upgrades

185 520 upgrades

Have you modified your aircraft? STC? STOL Kit? Major rebuild from just a data plate?
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185 520 upgrades

So its time for new pistons and rings. Going to go with brand new top end, ported and polished heads. My exhaust is getting punky under the clamps from the stack to muffler.

Supposedly with the port and polish Ill get 2-3hp gain per cylinder, so I'm also looking at a dual exhaust system. The LEES site just looks like a huge sales pitch and I called and the phone line wasn't working lol --are these guys in business?? Big scam was what i was thinking?

I haven't looked to hard yet on the exhausts any recommends?
firebird offline
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Aircraft: C185

Re: 185 520 upgrades

My Bonanza (V35B - IO-520) has dual one-piece exhaust and was ported and polished at overhaul. I only had maybe 20 hours in the plane before the engine was worked over (millennium cylinders), so it's hard for me to tell the difference before and after. I've put 700'ish hours on it and absolutely love the engine. All EGT/CHT's have always stayed within + or - 20 degrees. I fly x-country almost every week and I tend to fly it LOP and cruise around 11-12 gph. EDIT: I typically fly at 10.5K-11.5K with MP at 20" and RPM set to 2300. My trips are typically 4 hours each way (KFTG to KOTM).

Happy to take pictures of the exhaust (if it will help you).

Jim
jaudette offline
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Re: 185 520 upgrades

If nothing else, looks like the LEES exhaust system would require cutting a couple of notches in your cowl flaps to accommodate the dual tail pipes?
hotrod180 offline
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Re: 185 520 upgrades

For a quality exhaust that will last a long time and is well designed.-Check out Acorn Welding in Edmonton, Alberta. I have the full exhaust system with the stc'd muffler without flame tubes on an optimized IO-550. Nice,reliable,free breathing and not too loud. IMHO its the Cadilac of Skywagon exhausts. Do your homework first on the Lees System before you send any money. Ask around the Anchorage guys who know the whole story. Nuff said.

http://www.acornwelding.com
RockHopper offline
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Re: 185 520 upgrades

Acorn is what I'm going to go with. Might get away with just collectors
firebird offline
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