[rebel-builders] 0-320 150hp vs 160hp

[Keith Leitch]

Ben,
I believe the 160 is approved for car gas with the caveat being you use premium fuel ie. 91 or higher octane. If you check the EAA or Peterson STC sites there are a lot of engines elegible.

[Ken]

I also understand that there is a lot of test results and experience
that says this is just fine (if not preferable to 100LL) as long as the
CHT is kept reasonable. Probably a bad idea (detonation risk) for anyone
wrestling with high CHT. I'm not a Lycoming guy though. For the really
cautious keep mostly avgas in one tank for takeoff and climb.

Apparently the STC testing requires fuel preheated to 100*F and some
aircraft require exhaust system mods etc. to keep heat out of the fuel
pump/lines etc. It should be easy to build a cool running fuel system
better than a lot of STC'd aircraft. But just because similar engines
have the STC that may not mean much for a different installation of the
same engine.

Big picture I still expect avgas to soon revert to the equivalent of
unleaded no-alcohol premium mogas which means avoid big bore aircooled
engines with much more than about 8.5:1 compression or turbocharging IMO.

Ken

Keith Leitch wrote:

Ben, I believe the 160 is approved for car gas with the caveat being
you use premium fuel ie. 91 or higher octane. If you check the EAA or
Peterson STC sites there are a lot of engines elegible.

Keith

--- On Sun, 8/15/10, bransom@dcsol.com <bransom@dcsol.com> wrote:


From: bransom@dcsol.com <bransom@dcsol.com> Subject: [rebel-builders]
0-320 150hp vs 160hp To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com Date: Sunday,
August 15, 2010, 12:14 AM


Roland's question reminded me that I've had an engine shopping
question too, that I'd like to put out there. Between the 150hp 7.0
compression ratio engines and 160 hp 8.5, I used to think I'd go for
the 7.0 and run car gas half the time. Now with alcohol in almost
all car gas, that seems not such the good idea anymore. Are the days
of car gas over with for even the 7.0 engines?

If in a pinch, how bad an idea is it to use premium car gas in an 8.5
compression engine, such as just one leg of a trip?

Thanks, -Ben/496R

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