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Which Engine?

dmat

dmat

Well Known Member
Advertiser
Hey All,

I want to order the finishing kit but it looks as if I need to figure out which engine I want before doing so. Couple of questions:

1) what's the majority of folks running? standard 390 (210hp) or the 390exp119?
2)how much of a benefit is there for those 5hp?
3) Should I just buy an engine from vans now or should I wait till OSH to see what show specials they have?
4) with that said what are the usual show specials?

Thanks,
D
 
I would view the 119 engine as a package. The 5hp helps, but the cowl redesign to incorporate that engine is the big gain. I do not know if this new cowl is now used if you get the standard IO-390 engine. You should ask.

As far as ordering an engine, I’m at 2.6 years on my IO-540 engine order and still waiting. So you decide when you need an engine then order accordingly.

Carl
 
sweet christmas... 2.6 year wait?! I know there has been a logistics issue but that is nuts.
 
Based on the performance gains with the EXP I thought the decision was a no-brainer. Get it whenever you can.
 
Kit

No dog in the hunt because I have an engine. But...

What ever happened to the engine kits? I can't remember who sold them, but it was significantly cheaper and sounded like fun. There was also an option to have a shop like Barret assemble it. I really wanted to go that route but they vanished.
 
I think there are still some left. I’ve gotten 3 “kit” engines from JBA in Florida. All have been flawless. The last one was ordered in Oct ‘21 and delivered less then three months later. As far as I know, Jimmy is still doing the same thing.
 
Does the standard 390exp119 come with the same accessories as the thunderbolt? $12k for port/polish/balance seems high to me.

Thanks,
D
 
dmat said:
Does the standard 390exp119 come with the same accessories as the thunderbolt? $12k for port/polish/balance seems high to me.

Thanks,
D
Click to expand...

Well, you do get the the engine painted any color you want :)

But, that was my conclusion as well. I ordered a plane jane EXP119, and I got it at 9 month later, even though I said I could take it later. So it seems they're pretty caught up on the standard production line.

You can buy a lot of fuel with 12K.
 
dmat said:
Does the standard 390exp119 come with the same accessories as the thunderbolt? $12k for port/polish/balance seems high to me.
Click to expand...

I think Lycoming figured out there some airplane builders with more money than they know what to do with, so in order to help them with this problem, they created the Thunderbolt option. For a few hundred bucks worth of extra labor, they charge you an extra $10-12K. In any other universe this wouldn't make any sense, but when you're already paying over $50K for what is essentially an oversized VW Beetle motor, why not drop another dozen grand for that custom color (covered up by the cowl 99% of the time) and the imperceptible improvements offered by port/polish/balance?
 
And next question, does it make sense to wait till osh for some sort of discount? I don’t anticipate having the plane done in the next year anyway.
 
Supply and demand

I think the MBA types at Lycoming (Yes, they have a few) decided to draw down the lead times at Thunderbolt (They were 4 times what standard build Lycoming's were at) When I purchased my TB for the 14 the delta was less than 4 k and similar for the 10. BTW my 10 TB engine was delivered in less than a year.

Welcome to the new normal.
 
If the delta was at $4k-ish for the TB, I would go for it but $12k seems a bit much.

D
 
EXP 119

Non Thunderbolt for me as well. Too much moola IMO for what you get. If you have deep pockets and plenty of time, knock yourself out. I spent that money on:
Full IFR
Control Approach rudder pedals
Dual B&C alternators
Polished spinner
Full interior

I think I still saved money...
 
wirejock said:
No dog in the hunt because I have an engine. But...

What ever happened to the engine kits? I can't remember who sold them, but it was significantly cheaper and sounded like fun. There was also an option to have a shop like Barret assemble it. I really wanted to go that route but they vanished.
Click to expand...

My RV8 went that way. The TITAN O-360 Experimental kit was bought from ECI and then Mena in Arkansas built it. It always started in less than 2 blade spins and I used Mogas most of the time. Never had any problems with it in over 500 hours, then I sold the plane and it's still working great.
 
Problem is, the 390exp119 model is solely a lycoming engine. No one outside of lycoming can get the sump as it’s proprietary.

D
 
dmat said:
Does the standard 390exp119 come with the same accessories as the thunderbolt? $12k for port/polish/balance seems high to me.

Thanks,
D
Click to expand...

It used to be $5k differential but the Thunderbolt is popular and so thats probably why the differential was increased to $12k
 
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