SonexBuilders.net

Who got the last of the magnesium engine blocks with the reinforcement behind the #3 cylinder? Our serial number is 886 and didn't come with it. The mod shows up in some of the assembly manual pictures, and is almost universally included when the term "supercase" is used in the aftermarket world.

I thought this was an important modification on the mag cases to prevent cracks in that location.

It was determined long ago that a reinforcement piece on the back of the case was unnecessary by the case manufacturer. Early AeroVees had this mod because they were the only cases available "aftermarket" and were intended for very high horse power variants in auto racing. All AeroVee cases come directly from the only manufacturer of VW cases and are modified in the factory to our specifications.

Who is the only manufacturer of VW cases?

The OEM magnesium cases are made only by a single casting house in Brazil. The aluminum super cases have a few different manufacturers. The price that Sonex charges for a modified ready to use magnesium case is actually pretty competitive. CB performance is a little more expensive for a magnesium super case compared to Sonex.

https://www.cbperformance.com/Engine-Cases-s/200.htm

Keith
#554

I imagine it's probably AutoLinea, a member of the Hübner Group.

I thought it was this company. Very clean looking engine. Just no support or distributor in the US. They were on display at Oshkosh and are advertising on display at Sun-n-fun. It would be interesting to see if they have finished their flight testing and are ready to start selling engines. Bolts right on to the Aerovee mount.

http://motorav.com/

Wow, that looks snazzy..... almost like a cross breed between a 0-200, rotax, vw and something new.

lstinthot wrote:I thought it was this company. Very clean looking engine. Just no support or distributor in the US. They were on display at Oshkosh and are advertising on display at Sun-n-fun. It would be interesting to see if they have finished their flight testing and are ready to start selling engines. Bolts right on to the Aerovee mount.

http://motorav.com/

In heard about Motorav at least 5 years ago, again from someone who had seen a display somewhere. I heard from someone who had actually seen one in an airplane, he said the fit and finish was not as good as he'd hoped.

I saw the MotoRav last year at SNF. Was ready to purchase the promised engine at Oshkosh, but alas, they pushed back the production date to about now, so I went with the Aerovee. Took 6 months to finally get all of the parts from Sonex. I wish I had waited.

The MotoRav is about 2.5in longer than the Aerovee from mount to hub. Probably due to the optional alternator pulley on the flywheel.

Looked like a nice unit to me. Especially liked the hydraulic lifters accessible from the outside of the engine, and the one piece crank/prop hub.

I've been watching the MotorAv engine for a while.
If it is what it's portrayed to be, it seems to address pretty much all of the known weaknesses of a VW aero conversion engine, turning it into a true aircraft engine.
I especially like the fact that they've moved the intake/exhaust to the bottom of the heads and all 4 spark plugs to the top. This is just much more suitable for an aircraft engine.

However, here's the thing:
The reason nearly all VW flyers choose a VW engine is cost.
You can buy/build one for around 7K, and you can maintain it yourself sourcing pretty much everything from your local auto/VW specialist.
You can't get much cheaper than that.
I don't think either of these cost advantages still apply with this "VW" engine, there does not seem to be much original "VW" left.
There is no official price on the website but I read on the Zenith forums they cost around 13k...