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Help!!? 160 hp vs. 180hp

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rumorhasit

$11.25 per seat mile
Joined
Oct 13, 2003
Posts
382
I am currently looking to purchase an airplane. I found several nice airplanes with 160 hp but I live in west texas (desert=hot) and I feel I need a 180hp but I know the fuel burn is different. As far as performance and payload will/can the 160hp get it done? I want to use the airplane for flight instruction and fly xcountry to see family but need help.

Thanks in advance
 
Piper cherokee 160 is what I am looking at. Total time on the engine is 700 and low time airframe. Compression in the 70's....


Thanks again in advance
 
Having flown both the 160 and 180 C-172. In places like ABQ it makes all the difference in the world during climb to have the 180, difference between 400'/min and 700'/min. If you can find it and afford it, I would go with the 180
 
Piper cherokee 160 is what I am looking at. Total time on the engine is 700 and low time airframe. Compression in the 70's....


Thanks again in advance

If your looking in the Cherokee series you might as well find yourself an Archer I or II either can be had for a great price. Good luck!
 
You will never be sitting in a 180 hp airplane saying "I wish this had only 160 hp" except maybe at the fuel pump.
 
Bear in mind that if you're dealing with a fixed pitch prop,then you're not going to see an increase in speed with an increase in displacement, if you're turning the same prop at the same RPM. You can change your climb performance with extra power, but you're not going to get there any faster.
 
True about the fixed pitch prop and I really didn't think about it like that for cruise. As far as maneuvers for instruction, the 180 maybe better but with gas almost 5$ a gal that's a savings of about 15-20$ less overhead. It gets hot around here tho and with full tanks and two American dudes it may get interesting in the summer. I could fly the pi$$ outta this lil thing and then put a 180hp in, is that a big expense for the conversion?
 
Hot and high density a 180 does make a difference. Especially heavy! Keep in mind that these planes were generally under powered to begin with in the interest in keeping the costs down.

There's a reason why o-470's were hung on subsequent variants of 172's and PA-28's!

Ultra
 

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