ORIGINAL: _Tommy D
I'm glad you made mention of pulling the plug for a look. If I was track tuning a drag car thats exactly where I would at right now <before I made a jet change> or ignition change for that matter.
I do enjoy learning as much as I can about an engine. Specifically understanding why it reacts as it does. Also I understand trying to help someone tune a power system via the net is daunting at best. Heck I could have a tank vibrating/foaming in the air for all we know!
What you say has a lot of truth to it, tuning that is Konrad. I expect a trade off as there is no free lunch in HP for sure. Move the powerband one way, or another and something may end up suffering.
Funny, one ''old-timer'' at the field asked me what size motor was on the Kougar, to which I replied ''46''. To that he asked why a pipe on the motor? My reply was I'm trying to go faster. His retort was I should have just put a 55ax with a Ultra-Thrust muffler on it and been done with it. My reply was ''thats too easy, and expensive!... besides now I get to learn about how to tune a pipe''. He did agree with me the pipe does look kinda cool on the Kougar as well.
=)
A fast Kougar? It really isn't a fast plane with that thick wing. I think Sig marketed it as an advanced aileron trainer. Now to go fast have you thought about dropping down to say an 9X8 prop set up to run in the 18K rpm band. Now that will scare or bring on a smile from the old guys at the field.