Message text written by Fred Fillinger
>Both Stratoflex and Aeroquip provide detailed info on max bend radius
for their products. I presume you're referring to the (original)
supplied red-striped hose as mediocre, and not aviation-quality hose.
What concerns me about specialty automotive parts, well at least here
in the States, is that quality is unknown, and specs are whatever they
say. Even more demanding racing application may be premised on few
cycles/hours, and there may be other differences that affect
airworthiness we don't know about.
Stratoflex's Safety Guide specifies that excessive ambient heat is to
be insulated from the hose (with other than fireseleeve). In this
regard, Rotax on its 914 uses a metal-foil backed stuff to insulate
coolant hose from adjacent exhaust pipe. So I was thinking it may
satisfactory to wrap the affected area in fiberfrax, with outer wrap
of stainless steel foil, for example. Bright metal reflects 90-95% of
infrared energy.
The hose you're describing may indeed be very good, but for some of us
there's too much "experimental" involved.
<
I am not advocating that silicone hose is superior to Stratoflex or
Aeroquip. However I think that there is little doubt that it is better than
that provided with the kit I feel much happier using a hose with a stated
max temperature of 300C rather than protecting the factory supplied lower
quality rubber hose. I thought that Startoflex and Aeroquip need specialist
connectors at the ends which might be difficult to obtain and fit with the
Rotax metric fittings. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Nigel Charles
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