The Classic is our original design from 1999. It is the “ideal” tuned length for this engine. Everybody loves the performance, only a mother (or an engineer) could love the looks.

So, we came up with a compromise: The Short Stack is virtually indistinguishable from the stock Cessna exhaust and will give you about 85% - 90% of the performance gain of the Classic in a much more attractive installation.

If you frequently fly in high density altitude environments, or simply want the biggest possible “Bang for the Buck” we still recommend the Classic. Otherwise, you will be well-pleased with the performance boost you get from the Short Stack.

Polished or Ceramic?

The Ceramic Coated tailpipe is a cosmetic enhancement that hides the heat induced discoloration that is characteristic of stainless steel (think of the "bluing" you see on the muffler of a motorcycle).

This discoloration has absolutely no effect on performance or reliability but the ceramic coating covers it up permanently. Otherwise, the polished tailpipe begins to discolor after a few hours of flying time.

It can be re-polished anytime, but if you are proud of your Cardinal’s appearance and would rather spend your time flying than polishing, the ceramic is a nice feature to have.

Challenger Air Filter?

The Challenger air filter replaces the disposable foam filter media found on most aircraft with K&N's high efficiency reusable filter media which provides up to three times more air flow to the intake manifold of the engine. Our own flight testing has repeatedly confirmed Challenger's published data:

#1.) A definite boost in manifold pressure (up to ½ inch);

#2.) An increase of 1 - 2 knots in airspeed;

#3.) An increase in available power on takeoff.

As mentioned above, the filter media itself is reusable. You just clean it and recharge it (coat it with oil so the dust sticks to it) once a year during annual and you can reuse it up to 25 times or 2,500 flight hours.

Since the Challenger system significantly improves the intake side of the engine at a very reasonable cost, we consider it to be the perfect complement to our Tuned Exhaust System which significantly improves the exhaust side.

Exhaust Fairing?

Designed by Roy Sobchuk and manufactured by Maple Leaf Aviation in Canada, this easy to install fairing is part cosmetic enhancement (streamlines the appearance) and part performance improvement. It slightly reduces the drag of the tailpipe, but more importantly it creates a venturi to improve the air flow through the cowling for better engine cooling / lower CHT’s. The STC and installation instructions are included.

A couple of other important pieces of information:

#1.) We strongly recommend that the aircraft's propeller be dynamically balanced to within 0.2 ips (inches per second) upon installation of the Power Flow System and every two to four years thereafter. If the propeller is dynamically balanced within 25 flight hours of the installation of the Power Flow System and you furnish PFS with copies of the logbook entries confirming this, PFS will extend the warranty on the Tuned Exhaust System from 12 months to 24 months or 500 Flight Hours (whichever occurs first).

Doing so every 2 - 4 years thereafter will dramatically improve the useful life and the reliability of every component that is bolted to the engine, including the Power Flow System.

#2) The Power Flow System has no service life limit. It is designed and built to last several thousand flight hours and will quite likely be the last exhaust system you need to buy for your aircraft. As with any high performance system however, it must be maintained properly. Every 500 flight hours or annually (whichever comes first) the four slip joints on the system must be cleaned and lubricated with high temperature anti-seize compound.

Most Customers have this maintenance performed during the aircraft's annual inspection which adds about 2 hours of labor to the inspection. We have had several of our Tuned Exhaust Systems rack up over 4,000 flight hours of trouble free performance (7,000+ flight hours is the current record in a commercial operation) as long as this maintenance is performed as required.