RV-10 Power?

Utah-Jay

Utah-Jay

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Jan 13, 2013
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Jay
Would it be possible to put a IO-550 in an RV-10?
 
Yes, but no need imho. The IO-540 provides plenty of power, and all of the "over the counter " firewall forward parts are for Lycones. It has been done before for sure.
 
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People put Chevy V8s in them - no reason why a 550 wouldn't work with enough wrenching.
 
Geico266 said:
Yes, but no need imho. The IO-540 provides plenty of power, and all of the "over the counter " firewall forward parts are for Lycones. It has been done before for sure.
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No need for more power? Blasphemy! :D
 
Zhunter said:
Would it be possible to put a IO-550 in an RV-10?
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Van's airframes are usually expertly designed with a relatively small range of engine's in mind and AFaIK he actively discourages significant deviations from those. Generally, "excessive" HP is destabilizing and comes with other serious issues like cooling, fuel flow, CG, prop clearance, etc. that need serious expertise to mitigate. IIRC, 260 is the maximum recommended HP and while the 550's extra 40 ponies might not seem like a big leap, remember that the other end of the range is 200 HP.

But to answer your actual question directly, the answer is yes it's possible. Probably just not practical.
 
OK, so it was a dumb question :)

Thanks
 
Zhunter said:
OK, so it was a dumb question :)

Thanks
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Not a dumb question at all. :D

Like Gismo said, the kits are very specific for a series of engines that have been tested for weight and balance, cooling, ect.

Check out the Vans website and their thought on substitutions. It's eye opening. :yes:

Having said all that, this is EAB. Experimental Amateur Built. You can build it anyway you want and fly it as long as it passes inspection by the FAA or DAR and they issue an airworthyness certification.

When are you gonna order your kit? :D
 
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The benefit of extra power depends on where you live. It's always easier to pull the throttle back than to push it beyond full. So if you need extra climb rate, takeoff performance, or fly at high altitudes, you might benefit from it.

As someone who flies a plane with 40 HP a side more than stock, I will say that it is very nice. Takeoff, climb, cruise, etc all benefit. But the plane was also overbuilt and handles the extra power well. 30 years and 5,000 hours since the STC was performed is good proof of that. But every plane is different there, and I don't know enough about RV-10s to say.
 
gismo said:
Van's airframes are usually expertly designed with a relatively small range of engine's in mind and AFaIK he actively discourages significant deviations from those. Generally, "excessive" HP is destabilizing and comes with other serious issues like cooling, fuel flow, CG, prop clearance, etc. that need serious expertise to mitigate. IIRC, 260 is the maximum recommended HP and while the 550's extra 40 ponies might not seem like a big leap, remember that the other end of the range is 200 HP.

But to answer your actual question directly, the answer is yes it's possible. Probably just not practical.
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If it's looking for 260 I'd put an IO-470 in.
 
gismo said:
Van's airframes are usually expertly designed with a relatively small range of engine's in mind and AFaIK he actively discourages significant deviations from those. Generally, "excessive" HP is destabilizing and comes with other serious issues like cooling, fuel flow, CG, prop clearance, etc. that need serious expertise to mitigate. IIRC, 260 is the maximum recommended HP and while the 550's extra 40 ponies might not seem like a big leap, remember that the other end of the range is 200 HP.
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I ran across this very interesting 'white paper' on RV engine selection. Ken is an engineer at Vans.
http://www.vansaircraft.com/pdf/hp_limts.pdf

If anyone knows where I got this, please share. I found it with a search but I can't recall where this kind of Vans information is being posted.
 
Henning said:
If it's looking for 260 I'd put an IO-470 in.
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Me too, but I'm not the biggest fan of Lyconisaurs.

A buttery smooth TCM big bore six and a three blade McCaulley.



Herbert_the_Pervert.png

Mmmmmm
 
Henning said:
If it's looking for 260 I'd put an IO-470 in.
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Apparently Van's or Van's customers favor the IO-540 because they dropped support for Continental installations. Still doable but you'd end up doing a lot more design and fabrication that way.
 
Bill Watson said:
I ran across this very interesting 'white paper' on RV engine selection. Ken is an engineer at Vans.
http://www.vansaircraft.com/pdf/hp_limts.pdf

If anyone knows where I got this, please share. I found it with a search but I can't recall where this kind of Vans information is being posted.
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That looks like an article Ken wrote for the bi- monthly Van's Aircraft Builder's news letter called RVator.

http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/RVator.htm

BTW Ken Kruger is no longer with Vans Aircraft. Ken is an incredible aircraft designer and pilot. He moved onto some thing else more challenging after years of very productive service at Vans. Ken will be missed, I enjoyed working with him on a couple of projects.
 
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gismo said:
Apparently Van's or Van's customers favor the IO-540 because they dropped support for Continental installations. Still doable but you'd end up doing a lot more design and fabrication that way.
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No worries, if I was in the market that wouldn't deter me. Having that 'High' pump that will run the engine is worth the effort.
 
Henning said:
No worries, if I was in the market that wouldn't deter me. Having that 'High' pump that will run the engine is worth the effort.
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Why? The Lycoming electric fuel pump system is superior. The only setting is "High" and turning it on doesn't impact fuel flow unless your mechanical fuel pump is going out.

I don't think the rest of Lycoming's fuel system is superior, by the way, but that part is.
 
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