SR-20 Fuel Burn

Hello all. Can somebody tell me what the real world fuel burn numbers for the SR20 are? I have a spreadsheet that I created some time ago but I am not sure where I got these figures, or if indeed they are anywhere close to being correct. Here’s what I have:

11.6 GPH at 7-8,000 ft and 155 KTS
8.4 GPH at 7-8,000 ft and 142 KTS

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks!

In reply to:


Hello all. Can somebody tell me what the real world fuel burn numbers for the SR20 are? I have a spreadsheet that I created some time ago but I am not sure where I got these figures, or if indeed they are anywhere close to being correct. Here’s what I have:
11.6 GPH at 7-8,000 ft and 155 KTS
8.4 GPH at 7-8,000 ft and 142 KTS
Any help will be appreciated. Thanks!


My bird does around (depending on the time of the year)

13.5 gph = 152 knots ROP between 4-8k
11.0 gph = 142 knots LOP between 4-8k
9.0 gph = 132k knots LOP 9k and up

Those are just ball parks of the general flows and speeds off the top of my head

fuel burn is in the ballpark. airspeed depends on weight and OAT. I burn 9.6gph at 2630 rpm at 6K LOP doing anywhere between 137 and 149KTAS

When I was coming back from Seattle, I was at 12.5K, 2520 RPM lean of peak and burning 7.6 GPH for 140 knots.

Thanks. Are these significantly different from the book numbers from the POH?

In reply to:


Thanks. Are these significantly different from the book numbers from the POH?


Book numbers in the POH are all ROP (best power). My plane is off the POH numbers by about 4 or 5 knots. That could be the state of cleanliness my plane is in at any given time.

In reply to:


Book numbers in the POH are all ROP (best power). My plane is off the POH numbers by about 4 or 5 knots. That could be the state of cleanliness my plane is in at any given time.


Book numbers also showed a FF of around 11.6 for 75% Best Power. I was never able to get below about 12.7 when I used to fly ROP

Thank you all for your responses. I got a general idea of what to expect.

I see some people run LOP. Don’t you get rough engine operation at LOP?

In reply to:


fuel burn is in the ballpark. airspeed depends on weight and OAT. I burn 9.6gph at 2630 rpm at 6K LOP doing anywhere between 137 and 149KTAS


At that fuel flow you have to be feeling the effect of a mountain wave ( even in the east) Wait a few minutes and itthe A/S will 125 or less. BTDT

Here’s a picture from 2003 with a nice GS. I can’t read the airspeed but it was pretty good. I got to 241KT that day but it was in the decent. Not bad for a SR20

Some do, some don’t. There is a speed hit and you may get the shakes if its too far lean - but the main idea is to be operating the engine in an area where it’ll do less damage over the long term, i.e. lower temps.

In reply to:


Thank you all for your responses. I got a general idea of what to expect.
I see some people run LOP. Don’t you get rough engine operation at LOP?


No. I was running about 83% power 90 Degrees LOP the other day and the engine was purring like a kitten. Join COPA and you will find thousands of posts about LOP operations that will dispell all the myths you learned and accepted as truth.

In reply to:


No. I was running about 83% power 90 Degrees LOP the other day and the engine was purring like a kitten. Join COPA and you will find thousands of posts about LOP operations that will dispell all the myths you learned and accepted as truth.


I am thinking of joining.

Do you need Emax to lean accurately? Also, I’ve heard you need GAMI injectors to distribute the fuel more precisely between the cylinders, or else, they all peak at different points. Since the power to fuel flow curve is pretty steep at LOP this results in a rough operation. That was my limited understanding; I currently rent at wet rates, so I run ROP for best power. If and when I buy a plane I want to learn to operate it more efficiently.

In reply to:


I am thinking of joining.
Do you need Emax to lean accurately? Also, I’ve heard you need GAMI injectors to distribute the fuel more precisely between the cylinders, or else, they all peak at different points. Since the power to fuel flow curve is pretty steep at LOP this results in a rough operation. That was my limited understanding; I currently rent at wet rates, so I run ROP for best power. If and when I buy a plane I want to learn to operate it more efficiently.


If I was renting wet, I would fly balls to the wall ROP as well.

You do not necessarily need GAMI injectors to run LOP well. My plane has stock injectors and the GAMI spread is less than 0.3 GPH.

In my humble opinion, you need E-Max (or some other all-cylinder monitor) to safely and reliably run LOP at high power settings. Others may differ. They are entitled to be wrong[;)]