Power Flow Exhaust Systems

Have you ever wanted your Cardinal to..
Climb quicker?
Cruise faster?
Burn less fuel?
Overfly more quietly?
Turn heads on the ramp?

If you have ever wished for any of these,
your time has come!

The Power Flow exhaust system uses the engineering of pressure pulses and exhaust gas flow to give your airplane better efficiency and greater power potential.

The carefully engineered exhaust pipes and collectors reduce power-robbing back pressure and use the pressure waves within the exhaust system to increase the volumetric efficiency of the combustion chamber.

The result is a quieter exhaust note, greater power for a given fuel flow and a potentially higher maximum power.

The Power Flow system has recently been approved for the Cardinal 177 (1968) and 177B (1970 -1978)! Check out their press release!

The Power Flow system has other advantages as well. It is built of .049 thousands Stainless Steel, rolled to shape to reduce stress points and fracture potential. The heater system contains absolutely no internal welds, greatly reducing the risk of exhaust gas leaks into the cabin. And the careful engineering of the total system makes it easy to install and easy to maintain.

The Powerflow system is also now available for the RG, a direct reports of the efforts of the Cardinal Flyer community feedback. This system has been proven to provide faster takeoff, climb and cruise as well as increasing heater performance in cruise.

Cardinal Flyers Online is proud to have played a significant role in the certification of the Power Flow system, by helping connect Power Flow with their initial certification aircraft and helping resolve certification problems along the way. We are pleased to welcome Power Flow as sponsors, and to have had the chance to visit with the Power Flow team at our Winter Haven CFO Flyins.

To Contact Power Flow, visit their web site or call them at
1 USPOWER-FLOW (1 877 693-7356) or (904) 253-8833

Let's hear what a few CFO members have to say about the Power Flow system:

It starts before certification, here's Howard's first impression of the system:

From: phacowie@ozline.net
Subject: Power Flow Exhaust

Paul, spent the afternoon with Robin and Darren from Power Flow, learned a lot. They explained the hows and whys of the system, a lot of engineering went into this product. The construction of the system is second to none. If the system works half as good as it looks, it's a WINNER. We made sure that everything fit properly, a few small modifications. I am going to Daytona on Wed. for the final fitting. Cert should take place soon after for the 180 and 150. Howard N18529

Howard was one of the test beds for this certification. Once he got the system on it was time to go flying!

From: phacowie@ozline.net

Run-up with the new exhaust is the same, though the sound is different. The engine is immediately more responsive to throttle. There is a definite increase in the deck angle when climbing at Vy, and between 150-200 fpm improvement in climb, which seemed to hold up to 4000'.

I can attest to the ease of removing the exhaust, which has to be done to remove the lower cowling. Two bolts and clamps are all it takes, so it's not too big a deal. Hope to do more flying this week. More PIREPS to follow.

From: Cwolo@aol.com
Subject: 'nother Power Flow report

After about 8 hrs with the Power Flow exhaust, I can say the 150-175 fpm additional climb rate seems pretty solid (at Vy, gross or thereabouts). Speed at my usual cruise (2550 rpm) is 1-2 kts higher, so about 110-112 TAS.

An interesting sample today- as we were climbing at 700 fpm at 75kts, I lowered the nose to get 95kts, and the climb held at 500fpm. (DA=3500') I thought that was pretty good climb for only 15 kts under cruise. Also, there is more cruise power at 2450 RPM. Used to cruise at 2550 RPM and 110 kts, and down at 2450 would only get 96-97kts. Now we get about 101-102kts at 2450, so it's quieter and more economical. So far I have only seen these numbers on a couple of short flights, but will keep you updated as I fly more.

Haven't had any problems with the unit, seems to be holding up to my frequent removals and installations. It adds about 5 min to the removal of the lower cowl. The other mod that would be nice is a handgrip throttle like a Harley, since it makes a pretty satisfying BRRAAAP when you taxi by people and rev it up.

From: Cwolo@aol.com
Subject: Another Power Flow day

Went under the hood today to try and keep current (just darn hard to find IMC in FL!), and a couple of interesting things came up regarding the new exhaust. Pretty bumpy below 5000', but with about 150 lbs under gross we had no trouble with 700 fpm climbs. There seems to be little fall-off as you ascend to about 5000' in the rate of climb, maybe about 50fpm. Later we got to 6500' where it was smooth, and still were climbing at 500 fpm. This was with 60 lbs less fuel and 5 lbs more lunch.

But, twiddling the whiz wheel gave us a density alt. of a bit over 8500' (I double-checked it). Last time I was at that altitude with the stock exhaust we were getting about 250-300 fpm. A big improvement, and one that keeps ATC happy with your climb rate. Leadville here we come!

Craig