Skywalker
Heliman
Location: West Kentucky
| Tune pipe/mufflersTuned pipes are NOT the same as mufflers.
A muffler is just that, a muffler. Some brands/designs have better flow and db reducing qualities, but they DO NOT ENHANCE the performance of the engine. Instead they hinder, again to varing degrees depending on design. A typical 60 size helicopter muffler is about 8 inches long. In generall they are quiet, require no adjustments to work properly and have little effect on air fuel mix.
A tuned pipe is quite a differrent animal. They are long (12-20 inches) and are designed to INCREASE the performance of the engine. Simply stated, the length of the pipe is adjusted to "tune into" the exhaust pulse coming from the engine, thus harmonically "suctioning" the exhaust from the engine as well as forcing more air/fuel into the engine. This creates what is known as the "power band". This is the rpm range when the pipe is harmonically tuned and is assisting the engine to produce more power. When the engine is operating in this rpm range, it is said to be "on the pipe." Tuned pipes usually do not quiet the engine as much as a muffler. In addition they can be finicky to tune and can make the air/fuel mix more sensitive as well.
There are some new "hybrids" such as the CY muscle pipe that are supposed to offer the quietness of mufflers with a power boost as well yet remaining easy to tune.
I used to run pipes on my planks, but they were a pain. There are better/easier means to getting more power.
Michael |
