Vetterman Exhaust

9/8/08 Update:
Attention active duty personnel and Veterans: I am offering a military discount on your RV exhaust system if you are currently serving in the military or are a fellow veteran. Call me direct and let me know what unit you are or were with. Thanks for serving our great country. Larry D. Vetterman, Vietnam 71-72

Vetterman Exhaust, Inc. has been in business since 1990 and offer exhaust systems for all RV models and engine combinations, from the RV-3 thru the RV-10. We currently manufacture 31 different systems for the RV line.

All systems are manufactured from 321 (industry standard) stainless steel tubing. We do all the bending in-house, which assures that all systems will fit the engine/air frame. We install slip joints in critical locations which help keep system breakage to a minimum Flanges are precision laser cut from Ľ - 304 stainless. Each flange is faced perfectly flat so there is excellent sealing between it, the blow proof gasket and the cylinder.

All welding is done using the TIG process with appropriate filler rod and an argon purge on the inside. The argon purge keeps stress levels and potential breaks to a minimum.

Why is Vetterman Exhaust the best in the industry?

RV exhausts are built for RV’s by an RV builder. We manufacture a quality product that will fit on the engine/aircraft. It is not necessary to modify the cowl or airframe to install any model of exhaust that we manufacture.

We provide enough area for cabin heat capabilities.

We design the system to be flexible so breakage is not a concern on long trips away from home.

We tune our exhaust systems. Our tests show that most popular styles produce the same amount of TAS at 75% or lower power settings while burning about the same amount of fuel.

We stand behind our product. If there is a problem during the 1st 100 hours of operation we usually repair it at no cost.

Yes, we sell direct to the builder. We encourage you to give us a call and discuss which system will be the best for your aircraft/engine combination.

We manufacture exhaust systems for all models of Lycoming, ECI, and Superior engines that builders are installing on their RVs.

Standard 4-cylinder Crossover

Crossover with Mufflers

Standard 4 pipe, ECi cold air plenum, RV-7A system

RV-10 Exhaust System


Muffler Systems	Exhaust Testing	Frequently asked questions.
The 3 into 1 collector muffler system is standard on the RV-10 I-O-540 engine. The standard 0-360/320 crossover system can be ordered with mufflers instead of the 2 inch tail pipes. There are no muffler systems available for injected models. This new system was designed in 2006 with a take apart style ball joint. If noise regulations get stricter, the tail pipes can be removed and a set of mufflers installed. Test show a 6 DB noise reduction with mufflers. Another advantage of the muffler is the increase in cabin heat available. The RV’s up north enjoy a warm cabin even in the coldest winter months.	Almost every system or style of system has been tested before it is produced. No, we don’t have or use a dyno for testing. We install the system on the actual aircraft, flight test it, fine tune it, then produce it. We are often asked to build a system that will produce more HP than anything available and the answer is: If it were possible and we could get it inside of the cowl, it would be on my RV. There is no such thing as a free lunch when it comes to RV exhaust systems. Larry Vetterman Flight Tests (5) Different Exhaust Pipe Configurations On His RV More Exhaust Tests	Got A Question About Heat Muffs? Contact Rick Robbins at www.RobbinsWings.com. What is the correct EGT probe location? EGT probes should be mounted one and a half to two inches below the cylinder port. This places the probes in the flame front which will give the most correct reading. What is the correct torque on the exhaust flange bolts? We recommend 140 to 180 inch pounds. Anytime the exhaust is removed the internal star washers need to be replaced. The blow proof gaskets can be used again when reinstalling the system. How do I keep slip joints and ball joints lubricated? We highly recommend that every time the cowling is removed the exhaust should be inspected and Mouse Milk penetrate be applied to all slip joints and ball joints. Can I wrap my exhaust with automotive type of wrap material and obtain more power? Any material on the exhaust will shorten it's life and failure will occur. We are using air cooled engines and one the best heat sinks on the engine is the exhaust system. The mass air flow comes in and is forced down and around the cooling fins and then is directed over the exhaust system and then exited out the bottom. If the exhaust is covered it cannot aid in the cooling process. Our tests show that any type of wrap on the exhaust makes both the cylinder head and exhaust temperature run higher. The stainless steel used (type 321) will degrade if the surface temperature is over 1250 degrees F. We also did not find a power increase of any kind by wrapping the exhaust. How about ceramic coatings? The jury is still out on them as to whether there is any benefit, however as stated above, they have the same effect as wrapping the exhaust. We do know that once a ceramic coating is applied, the system can never be repaired as it gets into the pores and welding is not possible. How about cooler cowl temperatures with either of the above? Yes, the temperature in the cowl will probably be cooler, but the engine produces so many BTU's of heat so it either is kept cool by the mass air flow or it stays in the cylinder heads.

13020 Bay View Lane Hot Springs, SD 57747
v: 605-745-5932 f: 605-745-6236 e: vetxaust@gwtc.net
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Monday thru Thursday). 8:00 AM to 12 noon (Friday) www.VettermanExhaust.com

The tests were conducted using the Flight Data System (APF 30) in the aircraft. It was my goal to measure True Airspeed, fuel burn, EGT’s, gallons per hour, percent HP, and also monitor engine smoothness with each system. It was assumed that any instrument error would be the same for each system so it was not a concern. It was not a goal to measure the different sounds or noise levels that each system produced. The results on the RV-7A, I0-360 M1B engine, 265 hrs.total time, with ECI Titan cylinders are as follows. All flights were at 8000 ft. density altitude (taken from the Flight Data System) and full throttle

System 1: 4 into 1 collector This system required cutting a hole in the bottom cowl and bringing it out beside the nose gear. I then spent a number hours fabricating a fairing around the collector and tail pipe. I wanted a smooth fairing to get all the speed that I could.

Density Altitude 8000 ft. OAT 23.0 F. RPM 2400 MP 21.9in.
EGT’s #1 1270 #2 1340 #3 1277 @4 1308
IAS 179MPH TAS 202MPH GPH 10.0GPH 71% power
Note This RPM produced a rough engine.

RPM 2500 MP 21.9
EGT’s #1 1263 #2 1322 #3 1265 #4 1298
IAS 182MPH TAS 206MPH GPH 10.6 73% power
Note The engine was smooth at this RPM

RPM 2600 MP 21.9
EGT’s #1 1265 #2 1325 #3 1271 #4 1294
IAS 186MPH TAS 210MPH GPH 10.9 76% power
Note The engine was very smooth at this RPM

System 2: Standard crossover for the M1B engine. No cowl modifications required.

Density Altitude 8000 ft. OAT 8.4 F RPM 2400 MP 21.3 in.
EGT’s #1 1294 #2 1293 #3 1249 #4 1255
IAS 180 MPH TAS 202 MPH GPH 9.4 70% power
Note: The OAT was somewhat lower than in Test #1. Engine was smooth at the RPM.

RPM 2500 MP 21.3
EGT’s #1 1305 #2 1291 #3 1250 #4 1250
IAS 182 MPH TAS 204 MPH GPH 10.2 72% power
Note The engine was smooth at this RPM

RPM 2600 MP 21.3
EGT’s #1 1309 #2 1292 #3 1260 #4 1256
IAS 184 MPH TAS 208 MPH GPH 10.7 75% power
Note The engine was smooth at this RPM. The flight data system oscillated between 208 and 209 MPH so I used the lower number.

System 3: 4 pipe exhaust. No cowl modifications required.

Density Altitude 8000 ft. OAT 32.7F. RPM 2400 MP 22.4
EGT;s #1 1315 #2 1303 #3 1299 #4 1265
IAS 178 MPH TAS 202 MPH GPH 9.8 71% power
Note The engine was smooth at this RPM

2500 RPM MP 22.4
EGT’s #1 1315 #2 1303 #3 1299 #4 1266
IAS 183 MPH TAS 206 MPH GPH 10.4 74% power
Note The engine was smooth at this RPM

2600 RPM MP 22.3
EGT’s #1 1308 #2 1296 #3 1282 #4 1258
IAS 186 MPH TAS 210 MPH GPH 10.9 76% power
Note The engine was smooth at this RPM

The outcome of this test is somewhat in line of my thinking that most exhaust systems will perform about the same at power settings at or below 75%. Fuel burn may vary according to wx conditions and leaning techniques. My assumption is the variance in manifold pressures that were indicated are due to the different OAT’s. Differences in EGT readings may be due to variations in probe locations on each system ie. The actual distance of the probes from the exhaust port.

The factory literature for the 7A shows the top speed is 210 MPH and this test is in line with that speed. We all want to go faster, but in reality a couple more MPH’s are hard to obtain and the answer may not be in the exhaust system alone but a combination of factors. I hope this test will help in selecting the right system for your aircraft- engine combination.

One test that I also conducted was to bring the throttle to idle during approach and landing to see if any of the systems would backfire and pop. I could not get any of the systems to do it as the fuel injection system (idle mixture) is set properly and there are no induction leaks on this engine.