It should run fine with a new clean HD filter. https://www.hlsproparts.com/HD-type-air-filter-for-Husqvarna-268-272XP-p/h50272.htm
Had my 044 exhaust at 103 and when I took it apart and tweaked it, accidentally went to 101. Still had a lot of torque and a whole lot better acceleration.. Also did other stuff to make it rev quicker so don't know for sure where it came from. Yours will be a whole lot zippier than it was stock regardless.
I second this reocmmendation.
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Run it without the air filter and see if it gets better. It could be plugged up, but I doubt it’s the actual air filter design. Only one I’ve really had trouble with is the 026 sucking the choke closed
Here’s what I did:
What's the tradeoff with lower blowdown? Peaky torque curve?
How's it compare to your Mastermind 044?
Mastermind was at least two seconds faster in the same wood. MOFO 440 hybrid was almost four seconds faster.
Iirc 102 22 78 is what he's said his target numbers are for 044s.
Yeh, No expert but I'd think the shorter stroke would call for less blowdown. I believe popular opinion for an 044 is 20 blowdown minimum. 20-24 window. Going into the high teens might be a difference maker. Did you measure compression?
Didn’t measure compression, but it definitely feels stronger. I put a ring in it less than a year ago, and it honestly hasn’t been run enough to break in the ring since then. I have a feeling the comp will come up over then next 5-10 tanks.
Had to reread it a time or 5, myself. I believe what he's getting at is a higher blowdown number (lower transfer roof) won't cut at as high of an rpm as a lower blowdown number (higher transfer roof). Could be wrong. Blowdown speak makes my 3D dyslexia hurt.
Not contradictory, just that I’m not relaying what I’m trying to say very well. Raising the transfers and raising the exhaust will both make the saw want to operate at a higher RPM. Less bd focuses the RPM range to a smaller, narrower, higher rpm point at which the saw will be happy in. Like the early 562. Stock they were about 103 I believe on the exhaust and only 10–11° of blow down. They would cut very fast at a narrow RPM range but didn’t like to be lugged down at all or they would fall off the pipe
But to make certain we’re on the same page, blow down is the distance from when the exhaust opens to when the transfers open.
That makes sense. It sounds like I may benefit from a couple less degrees of blowdown (raise my uppers a couple degrees) to gain rpm in the cut. It sounds like this could come at the expense of some lugging power (dogged in torque), but may cause the saw to run faster while self feeding in its power band.
