mod 1 or 2 kitfox rotax engines

[h-m]

just became owner of a kitfox mod 1 still in pieces. what motors should i be starting to look for? can i go to a rotax 912 or will that be too heavy out front? should i stay more with the 582 rotax or maybe a hirth or hks or something? i like the vw conv but they seem pretty heavy i suppose. what would you guys recommend i look for? i see alot of talk about the 582's is that a good place to start?

thanks all.
micheal

[SkySteve]

Michael,
My model I has a 912 80hp. I love it.

[Av8r3400]

Personally, I'd stick with a known entity.

For a model 1, the 582 is the usual suspect. Good power, good reliability and good support from the engine and kit manufacturer.

As a second choice, if you can swing it, the 912 can't be beat. As Steve has shown it will work, you just need to be careful with weight and setup.



HKS was a great motor but they are gone now, re: no support. Too bad...

VW is way too heavy and has no successful track record in any Kitfox model in their 30 year history.

Who knows about Hirth. Lots of promises but I've seen very, very few flying...

[h-m]

thank you all. so 912 at 140 lbs is doable in the early models huh. that is good to know. if i keep the build light i should be able to swing that. conserve weight wherever i can and try to hit the target min weight list for the dry weight and go with a 912 80 hp out front. i would expect i could gain a few knots by going with the 912. you guys that have flown these birds, is the 582 a good performer also? how is the life on the 912's can one get 1,500 hours out of one before it has to be gone through, i know the overhaul is very expensive compared to the 582's. i am just looking for a decent engine, i will be mostly dorking around building time in my local area, maybe zip a few hours cross country occasionally and i would expect 1 time a year a 1,000 mile cross country. with that in mind 912 the better bet? thanks all?

micheal

[herman pahls]

I fly 2 Kitfox's; a model 2- 950 gross weight powered by a 532/582, and a model 4-1200 powered by a 912s.
The model 1 should have a gross weight of 850 pounds and can be modified to 950 in most cases like mine was.
I have flown the 532 14 years and the 582 3 years but would prefer the 912 engine since it cruises 30-35 mph faster than the 582 on the same fuel burn and has a much longer time before overhaul.
The 912 installation will require several modifications like SkySteve did to handle the additional weight up front and I believe higher than 950 gross weight.
The model 1 and 2's have a never exceed speed of 100 mph because the windscreen starts to cave in plus there may be some other structural issues.
I have also flown my model 2 with a Jabiru 2200-80HP for several years which falls between the 582 and 912 in weight and is a great performer if you get the newer 85HP version and keep the weight in the low 500 pound range.
I have a complete Rotax 532 firewall forward package (with the model 4 engine mount minus the cowl) for sale if you are interested.
Call if any questions
Herman
Oregon
541 404 6464

[Timberwolf]

Technically HKS 700E is still in production. However, not sure how long that will last

http://www.greenskyadventures.com/index.htm