Opinions on the Franklin Sport 4?

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Slick Goodlin
Posts: 956
Joined: Thu Jan 16, 2020 3:24 am

Hopefully later this week I’ll be looking at an airplane with a Franklin Sport 4 on it and was wondering if any of you have any experience with them.

I know the smaller Franklins in Cubs were said to punch above their published HP and the six cylinders in Stinsons are often said to be a bit of a lump. I know of one guy who claimed that his airplane lost 85 pounds when he switched from a Franklin six to a Continental but that seems a little extreme. Anyways I can’t seem to find any opinions on their 235ci fours. Maybe they were never popular in the first place.

Anyone tried living with one?


Slick Goodlin
Posts: 956
Joined: Thu Jan 16, 2020 3:24 am

I figured they were few but sheesh. Anyone even heard of someone running one of these little guys.
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Colonel
Posts: 2579
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:02 pm
Location: Over The Runway

I've seen Franklins in Stinson, Maules and even a 172 (really) but not lately.
45 / 47 => 95 3/4%
Big Pistons Forever
Posts: 211
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:05 pm

Never seen one in anything anywhere. It is a pretty rare engine and I expect pretty much unsupportable.
Slick Goodlin
Posts: 956
Joined: Thu Jan 16, 2020 3:24 am

Big Pistons Forever wrote: Thu Jul 11, 2024 2:14 am Never seen one in anything anywhere. It is a pretty rare engine and I expect pretty much unsupportable.
Seems that way, eh? It looks like maybe the Sport 4 may have been available for a while as a kit but info is scarce which is likely a sign. Three weeks ago I didn’t even know Franklin made another four cylinder after their 65hp-ish pre-war models.

Oh well, wouldn’t be the only obsolete engine I care for. If I go for it maybe the move is to slowly run this thing out while looking for a good deal on an O-320 or something.
Slick Goodlin
Posts: 956
Joined: Thu Jan 16, 2020 3:24 am

Turns out it’s moot, the plane I was after has a structural repair I’m not okay with.
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