So now that I'm fitting an 0-360 under the hood of my 170 what's the intel on Vetterman and/or Powerflow exhaust system or other make & model,
.

Lyc or Continental?

Lycoming sir

Depends on what'll fit. I have a Power flo exhaust on this O-360, but I didn't install it, so can't testify if there's more power, or??? It exhausts, though.

MTV

My Powerflow recently cracked with 336 hours total time on it. Prop was balanced, system lubed at each annual as per ICA. I did everything right. I sent it back, they covered the “repair”, just reinstalled the unit so we shall see if the repairs/rebuild hold. I was surprised the unit cracked. We discovered it during annual while complying with the ICA (Instructions for Continued Airworthiness).

Husky 0-360

Kurt

G44 wrote:My Powerflow recently cracked with 336 hours total time on it. Prop was balanced, system lubed at each annual as per ICA. I did everything right. I sent it back, they covered the “repair”, just reinstalled the unit so we shall see if the repairs/rebuild hold. I was surprised the unit cracked. We discovered it during annual while complying with the ICA (Instructions for Continued Airworthiness).

Husky 0-360

Kurt

Yours lasted longer then a customer of mine. It lasted 50 hrs, 2 years. It was cracked at the ends of the short welds they use. They covered the "repair" at a local shop, which was sent back with more cracks then it left with. Other large welding shop covered the second repair on warranty. Disappointing for sure, especially the repair. Hopefully it will last longer this time. Helped with the heat and power for sure, and customer service is good. Also on a 360 powered Husky.

Glad I'm asking the hard questions now. How about Acorn I've heard good things but no operational intel.

A1Skinner wrote:

G44 wrote:My Powerflow recently cracked with 336 hours total time on it. Prop was balanced, system lubed at each annual as per ICA. I did everything right. I sent it back, they covered the “repair”, just reinstalled the unit so we shall see if the repairs/rebuild hold. I was surprised the unit cracked. We discovered it during annual while complying with the ICA (Instructions for Continued Airworthiness).

Husky 0-360

Kurt

Yours lasted longer then a customer of mine. It lasted 50 hrs, 2 years. It was cracked at the ends of the short welds they use. They covered the "repair" at a local shop, which was sent back with more cracks then it left with. Other large welding shop covered the second repair on warranty. Disappointing for sure, especially the repair. Hopefully it will last longer this time. Helped with the heat and power for sure, and customer service is good. Also on a 360 powered Husky.

Hmmm, thats funny, they told me they have never seen nor heard of this. I had cracks in the same place as your customer had his. I was going to have it welded here locally buy an expert welder that does a lot of exhaust systems but I didn’t want to give Powerflow any excuses in the future to not cover any future issues. We shall see if it holds.

Mapleflt wrote:Glad I'm asking the hard questions now. How about Acorn I've heard good things but no operational intel.

They were the shop the repaired it for me... haha. Although that is the first issue I've had with them. They are 4 hrs from me and besides this one issue I've never had any other issues with them. If you work with them they can build a pretty sweet balanced exhaust that will give you gains as well. The beauty of OM...

G44 wrote:

A1Skinner wrote:

G44 wrote:My Powerflow recently cracked with 336 hours total time on it. Prop was balanced, system lubed at each annual as per ICA. I did everything right. I sent it back, they covered the “repair”, just reinstalled the unit so we shall see if the repairs/rebuild hold. I was surprised the unit cracked. We discovered it during annual while complying with the ICA (Instructions for Continued Airworthiness).

Husky 0-360

Kurt

Yours lasted longer then a customer of mine. It lasted 50 hrs, 2 years. It was cracked at the ends of the short welds they use. They covered the "repair" at a local shop, which was sent back with more cracks then it left with. Other large welding shop covered the second repair on warranty. Disappointing for sure, especially the repair. Hopefully it will last longer this time. Helped with the heat and power for sure, and customer service is good. Also on a 360 powered Husky.

Hmmm, thats funny, they told me they have never seen nor heard of this. [emoji38] I had cracks in the same place as your customer had his. I was going to have it welded here locally buy an expert welder that does a lot of exhaust systems but I didn’t want to give Powerflow any excuses in the future to not cover any future issues. We shall see if it holds.

Ya, they told me that to. I didn't want the 2 or 3 week down time of sending the exhaust down to them. Sounds like they should have one sitting on the shelf that they can send out whilst doing repairs...

Mapleflt wrote:Glad I'm asking the hard questions now. How about Acorn I've heard good things but no operational intel.

Get in touch with Atlee Dodge in Anchorage. They make quality stuff, and they know what works on those engines.

I THINK Acorn is a repair shop, as opposed to a manufacturer. That said, I’ve had them “repair” a piece of an exhaust system, and the “repaired” part came back new, with one little bit of the original attached.

MTV

mtv wrote:

Mapleflt wrote:Glad I'm asking the hard questions now. How about Acorn I've heard good things but no operational intel.

Get in touch with Atlee Dodge in Anchorage. They make quality stuff, and they know what works on those engines.

I THINK Acorn is a repair shop, as opposed to a manufacturer. That said, I’ve had them “repair” a piece of an exhaust system, and the “repaired” part came back new, with one little bit of the original attached.

MTV

Yoy are correct, they are a repair shop for certified. But for OM or experimental they can start from scratch. Bryce is OM, so they will work with him.

I have the powerflow on my o-320. No big performance gain that I could tell but excellent increase in cabin heat in the winter. Mine also cracked where the pipes join "first ever" they said. I sent it back to the factory and they did NOT cover the repair costs. The original weld was very poor quality. It looked like a seagull shit on it from 4o' away. The repair weld looks a little better but definitely not high quality. We shall see how this holds up.

I guess I'm the lucky one. So far.....(hope I didn't just jinx myself) my Power Flow exhaust is doing fine. Frankly, it doesn't surprise me when a manufacturer has trouble finding good welders. Go down to the Union shop and ask for a welder, and you'll likely come up with a pipeline welder, who hasn't done any "fine" work like ever.

Welding exhausts is a pretty "fine" piece of welding, frankly. One of the reasons I suggested Atlee's shop....they have some of the best aviation welders there.

MTV

mtv wrote:I guess I'm the lucky one. So far.....(hope I didn't just jinx myself) my Power Flow exhaust is doing fine. Frankly, it doesn't surprise me when a manufacturer has trouble finding good welders. Go down to the Union shop and ask for a welder, and you'll likely come up with a pipeline welder, who hasn't done any "fine" work like ever.

Welding exhausts is a pretty "fine" piece of welding, frankly. One of the reasons I suggested Atlee's shop....they have some of the best aviation welders there.

MTV

This is true. I think most of the issue would be solved if they would weld it all the way around though. The short spot welds where the cracks originate from are just stress points.

Not much mention of vetterman. At least in the RV world, where they are used more than any other exhaust, there isn’t much mention of any issues in that community. Not sure if they have anything for your application. I have an o360 in an RV8 with 1300hrs. No issues. One thing of mention is most are straight exhausts with no muffler.

My Powerflow produces a lot more cabin heat than the stock Aviat unit. Like others have stated, I did not notice a performance increase that was notable, maybe a bit but not much.

Kurt

About 800 hours on my powerflow (short stack) that is hung on a CS prop driven by a lyc O-360-A1A and no cracks or squawks to date. I had several hundred hours flying that aircraft and engine/prop combination before adding the powerflow. The tuned exhaust boosted my climb by a noticeable 2-3 hundred fpm at near gross above 6000' msl and shortens my ground roll on my home airport (paved runway, dry, flat, 1950’ msl, 70-80 dF day) by about 150 feet or so. I really don't pay much attention to an added kt or three of WOT cruise since I throttle back once I get to altitude. I've found the engine is very thirsty at WOT. Accepting 10% less cruise speed reduces my fuel flow about 30% and cuts oil consumption back to the negligible range. Besides, who ever heard anyone use "fast" to describe a C172?

FARMAULE wrote:Not much mention of vetterman. At least in the RV world, where they are used more than any other exhaust, there isn’t much mention of any issues in that community. Not sure if they have anything for your application. I have an o360 in an RV8 with 1300hrs. No issues. One thing of mention is most are straight exhausts with no muffler.

So about Vetterman's what more intel can you offer sir ?

Not a whole lot. Do a google search and there is a nice article Kitplanes did on their shop. Vansairforce has a ton of information on vetterman as well. A quick call to Vetterman may be your best bet. There is at least a half dozen RVs running them on the field and there have been Zero issues. Again I can’t speak to other applications. Goodluck.