• If You Are Having Trouble Logging In with Your Old Username and Password, Please use this Forgot Your Password link to get re-established.
  • Hey! Be sure to login or register!

ACE Cylinder Sleeves

Relentless

Relentless

Registered User
San Luis Obispo, CA (for now)
One of the most asked questions about our new cylinders is concerning the sleeve. The sleeve is made of aluminum not steel and is coated with a very hard Nykasil Carbide coating. We could have just coated the cylinder bore itself but felt that for a few extra bucks a removable sleeve would be give us more flexibility for design changes and maintenance. If the bore ever gets damaged it is quite easy to remove the sleeve and insert a new or reconditioned one. Why aluminum? Now everything in the cylinder is one material which means we can close down tolerances to levels consistent with modern engine design. Less blow-by, lower oil consumption, better heat dispersion, and increased efficiency of chamber.

Here is sleeve by itself:
8yial1.jpg


Installed:
2ry6jbk.jpg


Note the edge of sleeve, allows a mechanical lock when bolted to case:
30bg1us.jpg


Simple drawing how the rings actually ride on the carbide particles held in place by Nickel coating:
15npo2c.jpg
 
Our cylinders can direct replace any parallel or angle valve Lycoming cylinder for wide deck 320, 360, or 540 experimental engine. Economical? The AX50 or AX40 cylinder and valve train are $2850 ea. With new rods, pins, pistons, and ring packs the assembly is $3500 ea. This is about the same price as a comparable performing Lycoming Angle Valve cylinder that weights 8.5 lbs more.

BUT, I run 91 unleaded fuel in my R409 at a California price of $3.78 gallon, about $1.00 less per gallon than the local self serve. In 500 ours of operation that is a savings of $4000! (8gph x $1.00 x 500= $4000) I would say that is pretty economical… What does your local premium unleaded fuel cost?


Over 2000 hours of operation my AX50 cylinders are a better ROI than my savings account! :???:
 
Last edited:
So, do they make the same power running 91 as they would 100ll, or are you retarding the timing with electronic ingnition?
 
Nice work Kevin I am impressed.This is LONG overdue.Those bores will be nearly indestructible with that surface.In the motocross engines we never even honed them just put another ring in.Bore was so hard it never even wore.Carbide tools would hardly scratch it.Had to grind any port mods.

Bill
 
Yes. I have not seen any difference in hp run 91unleaded fuel. Our peak timing is actually 17 percent advanced. This is due to design of our squish chamber and faster, more efficient burn. Backing the timing off also helps with onset of detonation. Bonus!
 
This is a great question and something we have not established yet. From the hip I would think around $500-$600. We estimated that a complete cylinder overhaul replacing all guides, sleeve, and valve train should be about 1/3 of the cost of new cylinder. As mentioned already in this post however, we are expecting much longer operational life for our components. If a steel barrel cylinder can easily make 2500 hours, we are thinking possibly twice that easily. This is new tech to aviation but well proven in many motorsports.
 
Thank you for your reply and the only thing i would like to here is when you will apply this to the small Continental engines cylinders and induction systems
 
When someone shows up with about 250k to design and build tooling for production. If you know anyone that has large fortune and wants to make it smaller have them call us, we can help.
 
I really appreciate the feedback. This is all very exciting stuff. I have another question. How do you think the cylinders are going to hold up to an more extreme climate, such as Alaska. Just wondering how they will hold up in the really cold weather. In sure it's not a concern, just a question. Thanks in advance. Ron
 
Ron,

All I can say is the technology we are applying here is more like the new Snow Machine ya'll ride up there and less like the 50 year old vw motor under your cowling. ;-)
 
Relentless said:
When someone shows up with about 250k to design and build tooling for production. If you know anyone that has large fortune and wants to make it smaller have them call us, we can help.
Click to expand...
I am currently overseas. I tried to email you on a website (San Luis Obispo Airport related) & had the email bounce back. I went on the ACE website to contact you directly - I filled out my name, subject matter & personal email address. I look forward to hearing from you, Ben Ballinger
 
Anything special on the exhaust valve guide ware and extra oil to top of head for cooling? I think the exhaust valve guides are the major issue with the stock lycoming cylinders.
DENNY
 
We will know very soon how the new cylinders perform in a bushplane in ALASKA..............



FullSizeRender.jpg
 

Attachments

  • FullSizeRender.jpg
    FullSizeRender.jpg
    300.7 KB · Views: 867
DENNY said:
Anything special on the exhaust valve guide ware and extra oil to top of head for cooling? I think the exhaust valve guides are the major issue with the stock lycoming cylinders.
DENNY
Click to expand...

Looks like bronze valve guides.Long used in the race car world.good stuff.

Bill
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Relentless
What ACE-Performance is doing to the Lycoming 320…..
2
Replies
42
Views
37K
julios
J
H
Engine Overhaul woes
2 3
Replies
75
Views
29K
beezerboy
B
M
Engine Options (4S)
2
Replies
57
Views
8K
Mudofficer
M
Patrol Guy
THE LAST FLIGHT
Replies
13
Views
5K
Gunny
Gunny
Patrol Guy
THE LAST FLIGHT
Replies
0
Views
759
Patrol Guy
Patrol Guy
Back
Top