My partners and I are building a 7A, and want to use one of the Hartzell BA props. We've already talked to Hartzell, and read a bunch of posts on a bunch of forums, but nobody seems to address a very basic question: If we go with an untested engine/prop/etc combination, we are wondering how we would know if we had a vibration problem? Will it be obvious, or something that we won't discover until that first overhaul, or worse, that first blade flying off due to metal fatigue?
At present, we are leaning most strongly toward a Superior XIO-360-B1CD3 engine, or possibly something similar from Aerosport or one of the other shops. This engine has 9.0:1 compression ratio pistons, reportedly delivering 185 hp. It also has dual Lightspeed ignition. Superior's website suggests that there may be RPM restrictions on using this engine with the Hartzell props.
We are also intrigued by the ECi XIO-340 "Stroker," which is an IO-320 engine with 9.0:1 pistons and an extended stroke, reportedly capable of 177 hp, as most of you probably know already.
At present, we are leaning most strongly toward a Superior XIO-360-B1CD3 engine, or possibly something similar from Aerosport or one of the other shops. This engine has 9.0:1 compression ratio pistons, reportedly delivering 185 hp. It also has dual Lightspeed ignition. Superior's website suggests that there may be RPM restrictions on using this engine with the Hartzell props.
We are also intrigued by the ECi XIO-340 "Stroker," which is an IO-320 engine with 9.0:1 pistons and an extended stroke, reportedly capable of 177 hp, as most of you probably know already.