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Welcome to the new Power Flow Systems website! Please let us know if you have any issues. email web@powerflowsystems.com. We hope you like it!
Replaces stock part numbers: A1754001-25 N, A1754001-9 N, 2054000-42, 2054000-40, 2054000-31
Complete replacement Exhaust. Bolt-On Horsepower.
Perhaps no other single in Cessna’s line-up of iconic aircraft inspires as much fanaticism among its Owners and Pilots as the Sleek and Stylish Cardinal RG. Our well-proven Tuned Exhaust System (now installed on well over 40% of the entire U.S. Fleet!), gives your RG the performance to match its exciting looks!
Make your Cardinal a faster, higher-flying bird. Similar technology has been used in race cars and motorcycles for years, now it is available for your Cardinal RG. By more effectively emptying the cylinders of spent exhaust gases, our Tuned Exhaust adds 10 - 20 HP to the output of either the I/O-360 or the I/O-390. Thanks to the RG's constant-speed prop, the benefits of that extra power can be seen across the entire flight regime from take-off, through climb-out and in cruise speed.
System immediately gives your Cardinal RG the following improvements:
A 10 - 20 HP increase in the output of either the I/O-360 or the I/O-390
A take-off roll that is 100’ to 300’ shorter
An improvement in the aircraft’s rate of climb by 100 – 150 fpm
Reduced Fuel Burn (.5 – 1.5 gph) at your current cruise speed OR –
An increase of 5 – 7 knots in Cruise Speed for a small increase (approximately 1/2 gph) in fuel burn.
CHT’s that are 15 – 30 degrees cooler across the board.
Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) extremes reduced between cylinders
A Service Ceiling that is 2,000’ – 5,000’ feet higher, with a corresponding improvement in performance at higher density altitudes
No welds in cabin heat area practically eliminating the possibility of Carbon Monoxide poisoning
The Power Flow is a versatile, quality constructed, complete replacement of your entire exhaust system. The entire system is constructed of 321 grade stainless steel and includes minimal structural welds in the cabin heat section for improved safety.
All necessary parts are included for easy installation on your Cardinal. Our RG customers report an average install time of 9 - 12 hours. The system can be installed by one of our dealers, by your local A&P, or you can fly your plane to us for a local installation. Fly in with a standard Cessna 177RG Cardinal, fly out tuned for maximum performance.
Our industry leading 60-day money back guarantee means that if for some reason the performance benefits listed above fail to materialize on your RG, you can return the system to us within 60 days of its installation for a full refund of your purchase price.
Don't just take our word for it - listen to what just some of our happy customers have to say about the Power Flow Systems tuned exhaust on their Cardinal's!
Don't just take our word for it - listen to what just some of our happy customers have to say about the Power Flow Systems tuned exhaust on their Cardinal's!
For lead times and discounts please see the table below
Contact us for AOG Rush availability or take advantage of our:
Short Lead Time Discounts
Long Lead Time Discounts
CFO Member? Let us know.
* Exhaust Kits have a variable lead time, dependent upon our Sales offer and manufacturing capacity - Please refer to the chart below for current lead times and any available discounts. If you need an exhaust immediately, please call or indicate AOG in the “Notes” section of the online order. All other in stock items normally ship within 2 business days of order receipt. Your credit card will not be charged until the order and shipping cost are verified by our Sales Department and confirmed with you.
** Prices are for US and Canadian registered aircraft only. International customers may place an order online and will be contacted by Power Flow Systems, Inc. or a local authorized reseller regarding final pricing.
Polished Finish or Ceramic Coated Tailpipe?
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 Cessna's appearance and would rather spend your time flying than polishing, the ceramic is a nice feature to have.
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.
Still not sure if a Power Flow is right for you and your airplane? For complete peace of mind, check out our:
Maple Leaf Exhaust Fairing
Part cosmetic (streamlines the appearance) and part performance, this fairing option 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 and lower CHT’s. The Maple Leaf fairing also helps in keeping the ram air flow high pressure flowing down through the engine's cooling fins to the low pressure in the lower cowling and exiting. The kit comes complete with STC, all the installation hardware, spacers for test fitting and simple Installation Instructions.
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 testing has repeatedly confirmed Challenger's published data:
A boost in manifold pressure (up to ½”)
An increase of 1 - 2 knots in airspeed
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 your Cessna's 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.
Power Flow Exhaust Cessna 177 RG Product Brochure.pdfWarranty
Warranty
Every Power Flow Tuned Exhaust System comes with an unconditional 60 day (from time of installation) money back guarantee. If you are not totally satisfied, for any reason, you can return the system for a full refund of your purchase price. Fine Print? You just read it.
Power Flow strongly recommends that a Dynamic Propeller balance be performed on the aircraft in conjunction with the installation of the new Tuned Exhaust System. If the propeller is dynamically balanced (vibration lower than 0.20 IPS at a minimum of 2000 RPM) within 25 flight hours of the installation of this 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.
Are you an active member of the Cardinal Flyer's On-line? If not, you ought to be! If so, let us know when placing your order for the CFO Members Only discount!
Cessna Cardinal RG PIREPS, Comments & Reviews
“In my airplane the Powerflow provides substantial benefits in takeoff and climb and a truly remarkable increase in speed. It turns the Cardinal RG into a noticeably different airplane. I'm looking forward to having the extra performance available in short fields, at high altitudes, under heavy loads and on hot days. And the extra cruise speed and/or efficiency won't be hard to take either!”
K. Peterson, Cardinal Flyers
“The fuel flow is dramatically improved, speeds (TRUE) are improved, and the engine runs cooler.”
P. Fisher, WV
“...I do like it, I’m getting impressive numbers. ...I do appreciate the after sales support – very professional and again, I encourage anyone to try Power Flow – they won’t be disappointed.”
L. St. Hilaire, AB – Canada
"A PowerFlow exhaust was installed on my RG last week, and I was amazed at the difference it made! Acceleration and climb were dramatically better, and cruise was somewhere between 5 and 7 knots faster. With two full-sized guys aboard as passengers and full fuel it performed like it used to with only me aboard. I had been worried that the exhaust note would be annoying, but it's actually rather enjoyable - more of a confident snarl during takeoff than a hum. When I bought my RG over two years ago, I accepted that it wasn't as frisky as other Cardinals I had flown because its engine was close to TBO. But the Power Flow exhaust has rejuvenated it. In fact, I was having so much fun flying it that I spent a lot of money on avgas over the weekend! "
J. Peck '77 RG N52044 at Paine Field, Everett, WA
"...my new powerflow exhaust has been installed on my Cardinal RG and I couldn’t be happier. My speed improvement seems to be about 8 kts with slightly higher fuel flows. Matching book speeds, I seem to be able to save about 0.6 GPH. Quite impressive performance. Installation was very straightforward and it fit like a glove. Excellent product!
J. Jeans '71 177RG
“The extra power on climb out with my new tuned exhaust is quite excellent. Next to a turbo conversion, the PowerFlow is the most significant modification to improve the performance of the C177-RG. I have nothing but good things to say about your company. Thanks again!”
A. Petropolis '78 177RG
"For anyone considering Powerflow but undecided. I have had it installed on my RG since late spring and couldn't be happier with it. I won't say the performance increases will pay back the purchase price in the short term, but the emotional high from having a plane that performs so well on such a small fuel burn is very satisfying. In addition, the ability to carry a full load out of short and/or higher fields on a hot day and the added safety when operating high, heavy or hot makes it worth the investment to me.I'm not suggesting anyone exceed the operating limits of the plane, just that this mod gives the plane the performance that it should have, and maybe a little more. Consistent 148 to 150 knots true on 10 gallons per hour and up to 154 on 11+.Best rate climb lightly loaded in excess of 1100 fpm even on the hottest days. Much more on cool days. Full load hot day climbs of 800 to 900 fpm with better in cool weather. Cruise climb sustained at 500 fpm on a hot day to 8000 ft. fully loaded. Quite a bit more if light or cool.I apologize that these are general numbers rather than actual test results. My intent is only to say that the PowerFlow met and possibly exceeded my expectations. An added plus is that Tyler, Darren and all the other folks at PowerFlow are great.
B. Wallen '76 RG
Hey PowerFlow folks, I finally had a chance to really test out the cabin heating capablities of your system for the Cardinal RG. Last Sunday with air temps around 10F on the ground and 5F at 6500', my cabin was nice and toasty. I was comfortable in just shirt sleeves. Best part was the cabin heat was much better on the ground during taxi and takeoff. My PF exhaust works much better the stock (but you guys knew it would). Thanks.
B. Hutchings
This is an excellent product. I recommend it highly to all my pilot friends. There is a noticable improvement in climb performance, especially at higher density altitudes.
A. Petropolis '78 177RG
General Magazine Reviews on the Power Flow Tuned Exhaust
General Magazine Reviews on the Power Flow Tuned Exhaust
“…Power Flow systems offer among the best bang for buck of any mods we’ve reviewed.” – The Aviation Consumer – Feb. 2009
“There’s very little available on the aftermarket these days providing the same return rate on investment.” – The Aviation Consumer – Feb. 2009
“…we are convinced they have a well engineered product and they have made reasonable performance claims.” – Light Plane Maintenance – Sept. 2008
“…the company’s money back guarantee almost makes it a no-brainer to give it a try.” – The Aviation Consumer – Feb. 2009
“I’m not a test pilot but… even I could tell there was a difference. It was that obvious.” Flying Magazine, August 1999
"Although it’s not free, Power Flow has created the closest thing to free horsepower that we’ve seen.” AOPA Pilot, January 2000
“A rate-of-climb increase of about 20 percent is remarkable – not to mention the safety factor increase when leaving high-altitude airports or climbing through cloud layers.” Private Pilot Magazine, December 2000 (click to read)
“…boosts the Lycoming O-320’s output by at least 20HP, while simultaneously reducing fuel flow and lowering CHT’s. Geez, what a deal.” The Aviation Consumer, May 1999
“At the conclusion of the flights, there was no questions that the PFS had improved both climb and cruise performance.” Plane & Pilot,December 2006. (M20 200hp)
“Upon opening the large boxes, I was immediately impressed.” Cessna Owner Magazine, September 2002.
“This is a quantum leap in climb performance.” Cessna Pilots Association Magazine, August 1999
“In the aircraft industry, you see many “mods” claiming incredible changes to performance. It is refreshing to see one that actually lives up to its performance claims.” Cessna Owner Magazine, September 2002.
“The engine gets a more complete fuel burn. The effect in the cockpit is that it will take less throttle to get the same RPM” Aircraft Maintenance Technology Magazine, March 2005
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