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Choice between 4 or 8 help!

Well the mission has changed. Showed my wife the picture of the RV-7 and she said, "that looks nice but why don't you build the plane your instructor had. (RV-4). After explaining that the seats ould be tandem, she said thats fine, awesome! Now the question is 4 or 8. My mission is VFR, short cross countries, and economical flying. I'm fairly short 5'8" and only 160. I love the looks of the 4 over the 8. I would also avoid the tip up or slider because I would have a tip over. I was wondering if there has been anyone who moved up from a 4 to an 8 and could shed light on the differences. It is also my understanding that a smaller engine can be used in the 4 and keep up with an 8. Any and all comments are welcome.
 
Oh the beauty of a nice flying RV4. One really nice flying aircraft! The RV8 is a nice aircraft, but in comparing the two, the RV8 is like flying a truck compared to the RV4. If you can get your hands on a nice RV4, hands down I would go for it. :)
 
If you're goign to build then you have to take into account that the -8 kit is pre-punched, and the -4 is considerably more primitive. Not a show stopper of course....but something to consider!

Paul
 
+1 on handling; the -4 is much nicer (but that doesn't mean that the -8 is bad...). And the -8's ground handling is, well, different from the other models that have firewall mounted round legs.

But.... the -8 has a lot more room (I'm well under 160 lbs, & my -4 is still a bit tight), can handle significantly bigger back seaters, & has more luggage capacity.

FWIW,

Charlie
 
You can spend six years and $65-70K building a $40K airplane or spend four years and the same money building a $100K airplane. Your choice.
 
You can spend six years and $65-70K building a $40K airplane or spend four years and the same money building a $100K airplane. Your choice.

Sorry Bill, unless it is an extreme built RV8, you will never fetch 100K in this market. :) Truely cheaper to build an RV4 if you have the time. Heck, RV4 wings skins state on Van's site they are even Pre-Punched. And there is a shortage of NICE RV4's, the right build will bring the $$$$.
 
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Sorry Bill, unless it is an extreme built RV8, you will never fetch 100K in this market. :) Truely cheaper to build an RV4 if you have the time. Heck, RV4 wings skins state on Van's site they are even Pre-Punched. And there is a shortage of NICE RV4's, the right build will bring the $$$$.

OK, make it $80K for the -8. The issue is that they cost about the same to build and yet the -8, on average, demands a significantly higher resale price.

A -4 and -8 of the same (high) build quality will not demand the same money, the -8 will go for more.
 
OK, make it $80K for the -8. The issue is that they cost about the same to build and yet the -8, on average, demands a significantly higher resale price.

A -4 and -8 of the same (high) build quality will not demand the same money, the -8 will go for more.


Bill,

I can build an RV4 15-20K less than an RV8 standard build... too many RV 4 kits out there to buy. No I'm not talking new kit prices.
 
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Who's opinion?

It seams that you are possibly looking for a wife's opinion. In that light, I can tell you that mine definitely prefers the -8 after having owned and traveled in both models.
 
like the fish that got away.

I missed a nice un-touched RV4 kit complete last week for $4200. :(

There will always be those, and unless you are incredibly lucky, it can't really factor into your decision.

I agree with Bill. Less build time, more resale value, but the MAIN THING is to go sit in one, and have your wife sit the back of one.

There was just no way my wife was EVER getting in the back of a -4. Might as well build a -3!;)

The back seat of the -8 is down right comfortable. The only variable is the booster cushion combo to help folks see well.

And just because the -4 wing skins are pre-punched, its NOT the same as a match-drilled kit. Big difference in build time.

But re-think....if your mission is to have marvelous handling, cheaper build and flying cost, and don't care about passengers, then BUILD AN RV-3!!!!

Stealing the tag line from another frequent poster, about the optimum number of airplanes = N+1, where N= the number you have now, and also = S-1, where S is the number where your significant other says NO!, then I think the ideal mix is an RV-7 and an RV-3. Use the RV-7 when you take a passenger, use the -3 for the shear delight and lower cost of flying.

If you can only have one airplane, because S=2, then I would really strongly recommend you consider the -8
 
Hi Matt,

I saw that one for 39K, just thinking 2014 model RV4 cream puff. The last really nice RV4 I saw advertised for sale was here on VAF, a friend of Doug's up near Dallas/Ft Worth. Thinking it was a 2008 maybe, lasted a couple of days @ $65k. It was a NICE RV4! :)
 
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4 v. 8

Unless you're an aerobatics purist, you're not going to tell much cifference in the handling for aerobatics. The -8 does wonderful "gentleman's aerobatics". Loops, rolls, cuban eights etc. are very pleasant and fun to do in the -8.

The back seat of an -8 has much more room than the -4. I've flown in the back of both. My wife has her own GPS to keep up with our position and caries a lot of "junk" to keep her busy while flying. (Counted cross stitch, crossword puzzles, etc). She always says that if she doesn't like what i'm doing, she can always swat me in the back of the head!:eek:

You're never going to convince some people. I would suggest that you build the airplane that YOU want to see when YOU open the hangar door.
 
Unless you're an aerobatics purist, you're not going to tell much cifference in the handling for aerobatics. The -8 does wonderful "gentleman's aerobatics". Loops, rolls, cuban eights etc. are very pleasant and fun to do in the -8.

The back seat of an -8 has much more room than the -4. I've flown in the back of both. My wife has her own GPS to keep up with our position and caries a lot of "junk" to keep her busy while flying. (Counted cross stitch, crossword puzzles, etc). She always says that if she doesn't like what i'm doing, she can always swat me in the back of the head!:eek:

You're never going to convince some people. I would suggest that you build the airplane that YOU want to see when YOU open the hangar door.

I am definitely going to have her sit in both. My wife really doesn't like flying so I have no idea why she would want a tandem, she mentioned that if she doesn't know what is going on... i.e. not sitting next to me it would be better. I'm just not sure if that is realistic. But since my mission is now strictly VFR and short cross countries I may not have to worry about it as much.
Oh and as far as an RV-3 goes which a few people have mentioned I should build, I want the second seat I just don't want to carry any of my "big" friends around :)
 
You get into an RV-8, you strap on an RV-4. I like the -4 better. I am 6' 2", 230 lbs, and the -4 is a comfortable fit for me... it is like a fighter.
 
You get into an RV-8, you strap on an RV-4. I like the -4 better. I am 6' 2", 230 lbs, and the -4 is a comfortable fit for me... it is like a fighter.

Exactly...! :D I like the way you think. :) add the fastback, recessed foot wells in the rear and you've got the finest two seater in all of Van's designs and a prescription for a lot of FUN.
 
My opinions....

The back seat of a -4 is painful to ride in... except for those persons who are already small airplane enthusiasts and for short pleasure rides.

As was pointed out earlier, the back seat of an -8 is quite comfortable.

If you intend to fly a passenger on any cross country trips with any frequency, the -8 wins by a huge margin. The -8 is a wonderful cross-country machine and can not only carry a back seat passenger comfortably, it can also carry a lot of baggage stuff too.

If you're going to fly by yourself 99% of the time, and only occasionally have a passenger for short flights, the -4 is your plane.... the -4 is a pilot's fun machine.
 
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One thing nobody else mentioned is the difference in foot room for the pilot in the -4 vs. the -8. I find the -8's gear towers push your feet together in a way that isn't comfortable. In the -4 your feet are farther apart, and it feels more natural that way. It's a small detail, but it was the first thing I noticed the first time I hopped into the front seat of an -8, and I found it really distracting. Apart from that, I loved everything about the -8... Sliding canopy, more room, etc.

Maybe consider building a Rocket instead... More room in the front and back seats, can still have a raised turtledeck and/or sliding canopy, etc...
 
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