Slick vs. Bendix Magnetos

[bullojm1]

Mebbe P-Mag then?

That's my plan....1 slick mag, 1 PMAG. Starting out I am going with 2 slicks because I got them already. Once I recoup some dough, I am going to swap out one of the mags for a PMAG. Pretty much a drop in replacement for the standard mag, + 1 more wire to energize the sucka.

[svanarts]

Hmmm, okaaaay...

Mebbe P-Mag then?

CJ

That would be my vote. I will probably just go with an emag/pmag combo or else an emag/magneto. They bolt right in and don't have any extra wires or firewall penetrations.

I've got Slicks on my RV-4 and they haven't been any trouble. They work, that's about all I can say about them.

[captain_john]

Plus, there's Autolite Annie!



She's soooo HOT!

CJ

[Dan A]

CJ,
I have the lightspeed plasma II on my top plugs and the impulse mag (Slick) on the bottom plugs. They work great together. On cold start-up, I run the boost pump for about 5 seconds and it fires up on the second blade every time. Yes I have the IO 360 M1 from Aerosport with the Silver Eagle (Bendix) injector pump and it works great! For me, the Hot starts work best with the mixture left in ICO and going to rich when the engine fires up, usually after about 3 or 4 turns of the prop. You won't go wrong with that combination.
Dan N742DA

[captain_john]

Dan, cool.

Thanks!

Also, I employ that same technique when starting all FI engines. It works great for me as well!

I will do a half n' half on the ignitions. It sounds like a good plan.

CJ

[Dean]

I am building an RV-7a that I put on a Plasma III and one mag. I am currently flying a Glasair III that has the Electro-Air and one mag. I have no problems flying the Glasair with the Electro-Air. During runup checks I don't experience any rpm drop (none) when just the electronic ignition side is selected. I get the usual drop when I select just the mag. I have had no trouble with the system and no trouble with detonation, hot spots or cylinder head temps. The Glasair floats like a brick so I would not opt for just electronic ignition. I have seen loose wires on other planes that took out the electronic ignition. The one of each scenario gives me the best of both worlds. You will experience increased efficiency as well.

[captain_john]

Dean, good point about loose wires and electronic ignitions!

Say, can anyone nutshell for me the differences between the LS Plasma II and III?

CJ

[Lycosaurus]

I could be wrong about this, but I believe Mr. Bowen http://www.bowenaero.com used Electo-air for awhile. After a long list of problems and failures, he wound up abandoning it. I can't check his website from work, so I may be talking smack. Check into it.

Guy

Hello Everyone (my first post here),

I did find the page where bowenaero says he had recurring problems, and he then decided to swap it out for a mag. No details though.

On the Electro-Air FAQ, they claim that you can save up to 30% in fuel. I find that very hard to believe, as people are reporting about 1/2 gallon per hour fuel savings on electronic ignition. That woudl make it about 6% fuel savings by my calculations. Any one know more about this?

From the Eletro-Air site:

http://www.electroair.net/faqs.html

"What are some typical fuel consumption gains when an EIS is used?
Typically a 10-15% fuel reduction can be expected is when using one EIS. At higher altitudes, the fuel reduction improves even more, in some cases as much as 30%. Also, we have recorded typical gains of an additional five horsepower on 4-cylinder Lycoming engines at low altitudes. At higher altitudes, the horsepower gain increases even more. (High altitude refers to cruising altitudes of 10,000 feet or more)."

[captain_john]

Hmmm, I could definitely agree with an increase in fuel economy, but I dare say that an increase could be had by switching to ANY brand of EI system.

I think that anyone who says that one system is better at conserving fuel is playing with numbers.

The thing that I like about Electro-Air is that all components are individually installed and are all exposed and serviceable and can be readily tested. What I don't like to hear are the couple of stories about people who have used them and didn't like them. I haven't heard those stories from any other EI vendor.

I don't know what this means or how important it is.

CJ

Oh, and Welcome to RB Lyco!