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SureFly electronic ignition

kkmarshall

Well Known Member
Decided to give the new SureFly ignition a try. One thing about it,they have made the install/conversion super easy and painless. Have only made a short test flight so far and not at very high altitude but it does start quicker and I am able to go further LOP. Perhaps 10-15 degrees higher CHT at most. Keeping the right non-impulse mag for now. Time will tell,but so far I am impressed with cost
(1500.00) ease of install,and apparent quality construction.

Keith
 
Happy with mine

I have the 6 cyl version. I can run a lot more leaner. To kill the engine I have to pull the mixture out noticeably further.
 
SureFly thoughts

Have 6 hrs on the new ignition including almost 5 hrs of that being a cross country and have been well pleased. Definitely starts better cold or hot and I am able to lean around 3/4 of a gallon less per hr without roughness. Of course that brings with it a reduction in power output but if you want to save fuel and are not in an all-out hurry you can do so. I didn't notice much CHT increase,perhaps 10-15 degrees at most. My Mattituck was configured with a left impulse mag which Slick does not like at all and recommends a 250 hr inspection of the impulse coupler. So you can eliminate that issue for less cost this way than buying a retard breaker mag and Slick Start. And have a (promised anyway)
no maintenance ignition on one side. I am very impressed by ease of install and timing. Reliability,time will tell.
 
MAP hook up?

Decided to give the new SureFly ignition a try. One thing about it,they have made the install/conversion super easy and painless. Have only made a short test flight so far and not at very high altitude but it does start quicker and I am able to go further LOP. Perhaps 10-15 degrees higher CHT at most. Keeping the right non-impulse mag for now. Time will tell,but so far I am impressed with cost
(1500.00) ease of install,and apparent quality construction.

Keith

How did you handle the MAP line? Did you tap a different Cyl. and if so what fittings did you use?

Thanks,

Ivan.
 
I tapped into the unused primer port on #6 as it was closest to the new ignition.
Brass fitting from your local NAPA. Ignition comes with a length of MP hose.
Still quite pleased,definitely starts quicker,hot or cold. Not that it was bad before but just fires off one blade or so sooner.

Keith
 
Keith, What were the advantages/disadvantages over a PMag? Interested in replacing one of my mags and would appreciate pros/cons of the PMag vs the Surefly.

Brian
 
My opinion

Both Surefly and PMAG need 12 volts and manifold pressure run to them.

Once those two items are installed the Surefly is an easy install. Remove Slick mag, install Surefly with cap, spark plug wires, and aviation plugs from Slick and you are good to go. The disadvantage is when you lose 12 volts, you lose Surefly mag. And you continue to use expensive aviation plugs. Surefly is going for certification.

With PMAG, once those same two items are installed, you remove Slick mag, aviation plugs and wires, and install Pmag with new auto plugs and wires. If you lose 12 volts, PMAG continues to run. Each annual inspection you replace auto plugs for $2.50 each. Four cylinder PMAG is likely staying experimental.

Both are good solutions depending on what is important to you.

Any one have any other pros and cons?
 
Thanks Tom. So no additional panel switches for either Surefly or PMag? I can just use my L/R Keyed ignition/starter switch? They both seem pretty easy to install. I like the internal power in the PMag solution. The Surefly website has very little info on their product. Appreciation the info.

Brian
 
Keith, What were the advantages/disadvantages over a PMag? Interested in replacing one of my mags and would appreciate pros/cons of the PMag vs the Surefly.

Brian

Also, there is no pmag for the 6 cyl 540 yet.
I got a free hat at OSH and was told they would be shipping last Aug ... my understanding is the 6 cyl pmag has been a long time coming...
 
Anybody have any info on the advance schedule Surefly uses? Their website is pretty light on technical details.
 
Spent some time with p-mag folks at SnF. They have 200 6-cyl units being assembled now for shipment starting in a week or two. They indicated that the delay has been due to them making a certified version as well as exp version and the software had to include some additional funtionality and testing. 6-cyl p-mag is $1800.

It looked pretty nice.
 
SureFly uses standard L-R start-off switch. You hook up the one wire supplied to 12 power,and yes if you lose 12v,it stops working. That is why they recommend keeping one mag or having a backup battery or alternator if you choose to run 2 units. The regular p-lead will shut down the SureFly for a "mag check" as before.

Keith
 
Pmag

The 6 cylinder Pmag appears to be made of Unobtanium.

It's been "a few weeks" for quite some time...

Kind of like the Deltahawk Diesel...
 
I had the discussion with P-Mag folks about the "three more weeks" for the past year+.

However I think they may be ready this time. I believe this is the first time they have been assembling many units to begin shipping. Proof is in the pudding and we'll see.
 
Six cylinder pMag here at last?

I had the discussion with P-Mag folks about the "three more weeks" for the past year+.

However I think they may be ready this time. I believe this is the first time they have been assembling many units to begin shipping. Proof is in the pudding and we'll see.

I?ll let you know. I got a note from Brad that a few of us that have been pinging him for years will have our sets shipped this month.

I had superb service from his 4 cylinder pMags for over 800 hours (RV-8A) so have been nursing the orginal Slick mags on the RV-10 IO-540 waiting for the 200 series pMags. They are at the 500 hour point next month (conditional inspection month) so I?m hopeful to just replace them with pMags.

Carl
 
Indeed. The endless time on the waiting list for the P200 finally drove me to SDS' CPI system.

...And boy am I glad that happened!
 
and...

The endless time on the waiting list for the P200 finally drove me to the FLYEFII system.

...And boy am I glad that happened!

:D
 
Surefly EI pirep..

Have 6 hrs on the new ignition including almost 5 hrs of that being a cross country and have been well pleased. I am very impressed by ease of install and timing. Reliability,time will tell.

Now that you have had a chance to build time on your new Surefly EI could you give us an updated flight report?

I have recently replaced my LH Slick Impulse Mag with a Surefly EI but have very little time on it. I am running a Light Speed Plasma III on the top plugs and now the Surefly EI on the bottom plugs.

I did notice on my first run-up and "Mag check" that the Surefly showed a significantly higher RPM drop as well as increase in EGT's compared with the Light Speed EI. I am wondering if you or anyone else have seen the same thing?

What is interesting is that in cruise flight at 8500Ft. there is very little difference in the way these two EI's affect EGT, CHT or LOP operations.

I would be very interested to hear from pilots with similar set-ups. Thx.
 
Still very happy with it,hot or cold starts are quicker. I think it has a similar "mag drop" as a conventional mag b/c the timing is not advanced beyond 25 degrees at Runup RPM. Glad I did it and got rid of the problematic impulse coupler (on 540's anyway)
 
Still very happy with it,hot or cold starts are quicker. I think it has a similar "mag drop" as a conventional mag b/c the timing is not advanced beyond 25 degrees at Runup RPM. Glad I did it and got rid of the problematic impulse coupler (on 540's anyway)

Thanks for your replay! I also lost the RPM readout from the Surefly, Jason is working on a fix for that now. I am using a GRT EIS.
 
I?ll let you know. I got a note from Brad that a few of us that have been pinging him for years will have our sets shipped this month.

I had superb service from his 4 cylinder pMags for over 800 hours (RV-8A) so have been nursing the orginal Slick mags on the RV-10 IO-540 waiting for the 200 series pMags. They are at the 500 hour point next month (conditional inspection month) so I?m hopeful to just replace them with pMags.

Carl

Any update on the pmag 200 for 6 cyl? Any in the wild yet?
 
SureFly EI

I am a beta tester for SureFly. After about 50 hours or so on a single unit I went dual EI. I have 2 completely independent electrical systems and feel very comfortable with the setup. I now have about 200 hours total time on the SureFlys. Never had a problem with them and fuel burn, LOP operations, and starting ease have been as described above.

RPM is sensed off one unit, therefore the only squawk at present is that with 2 units RPM drops to 0 when the sensing unit is turned off for mag check on startup. Had the same issue with my Slick/ElectroAir combination on my RV6 and it worked that way for 14 years. They have a fix for this for me to try.

When I installed the engine on my 10 the PMags for a 6 cylinder ?would be available very soon?. That was 6 years ago.
 
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