Product Code Database
Rotax is the brand name for a range of internal combustion engines developed and manufactured by the company BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG (until 2016 BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co. KG), in turn owned by the Canadian Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP). Under the Rotax brand, the company is one of the world's largest producers of light piston engines.Bill Gunston: "Rotax", in "Austria", in "Aero Engines," in Jane's All the World's Aircraft, 1995-96, (1995), page 690, , Coulsdon, Surrey, U.K.
Rotax four-stroke and advanced two-stroke engines are used in a wide variety of small land, sea and airborne vehicles. Bombardier Recreational Products use them in their own range of such vehicles. Since the 1990s, Rotax has been the world's dominant supplier of engines for ultralight aircraft and light sport aircraft, and a major producer of engines for other light aircraft.Gunston, W.; " World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines", 4th Edition, Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1998, Page 170.Busch, Mike: "Outside the Box: The Rotax 912 is delightfully different," 1 June 2017, AOPA Pilot, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, retrieved 29 June 2023Pimentel, Dan: "A Deep Dive into Rotax LSA Engines: Phil Lockwood provides insight on the most popular light sport engine," 18 February 2022, Flying, retrieved 29 June 2023 "Troubleshooting the Rotax ultralight aircraft engines," Ultralight News, retrieved 29 June 2023Wanttaja, Ron: "Homebuilt Accidents: Passing the Engine Baton," 19 December 2022, Kitplanes, retrieved 29 June 2023
After the war, under US control, Reform-Werke Bauer resumed agricultural production in the Wels city center near the central station. Rotax was moved to nearby Gunskirchen in 1947, and ownership was transferred by the 1955 Austrian State Treaty to Austria. In 1959, the majority of Rotax shares were taken over by the Vienna-based Lohner-Werke, a manufacturer of car and railway wagon bodies.
In 1970, Lohner-Rotax was bought by the Canadian Bombardier Inc. The former Bombardier branch, Bombardier Recreational Products, now an independent company, uses Rotax engines in its ground vehicles, personal water craft, and .
Two-stroke Rotax model numbers approximated the engine's displacement (in cubic centimeters), and the first two digits (from the 277, on) are very roughly similar to the engine's horsepower (e.g.: The Rotax 447 engine displaces 437 cc, and is rated at ).
Subsequent evolutions of the early designs included the two-cylinder, two-stroke Rotax 377, Rotax 447, and Rotax 503, all in production by 1985 (the last of these, the 503, was discontinued in 2010-2011, by then the most popular engine it its class, and still widely used as of 2023).Johnson, Dan: "What’s Affordable in 2022? A New “503,” Wheeled-Carriages, and Two-Place PPGs," 3 February 2022, ByDanJohnson.com, retrieved 29 June 2023 Later two-stroke designs included the Rotax 532 (circa 1984) and Rotax 582, both of which augmented the air-cooling with liquid-cooled cylinder heads.
Most Rotax two-stroke engines were rated, recommended, or reported with a TBO (time between overhauls) of about 150-300 hours (compared to 1200-2000 hours for government-certified, conventional, four-stroke, light aircraft engines), though later models improved upon that some. "Rotax air-cooled aircraft engine troubleshooting, Rotax 185, 277, 377, 503 troubleshooting reports, Volume 2," Ultralight News, retrieved 29 June 2023
Rotax four-stroke engines differ from conventional four-stroke aircraft engines by their unusually small displacement for the amount of power -- compensated for by higher than normal rotational speed (over 5,000 rpm). To reduce propeller-shaft speeds to normal aircraft propeller rotational speeds, (around 2300-2400 rpm) the engines use a reduction gearbox. They are also designed to accept motor spirit, with up to 10% ethanol content.Twombly, Ian J.: "Does light aircraft equal light maintenance?," 6 May 2011, AOPA Pilot, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, retrieved 29 June 2023
These engines were initially given a 600-hour Time Before Overhaul (TBO), less than traditional light aircraft engines. Service Interval Guide" (for the 912/914), ConAir Sports, via Light Aircraft Association (U.K.), retrieved 11 July 2023 But operational experience and modifications to address specific reliability issues over time gradually extended the TBO to 2,000 hours. An independent 2022 statistical study of U.S. government accident data found that the Rotax 912 family had the lowest rate of failure of the six most common lines of engines used in registered Experimental/Amateur-Built (E/A-B) aircraft.
By 2014, Rotax had produced and sold 50,000 of 912/914 four-stroke engines. Later models increased power, with several variants of the 912 family, and a new Rotax 915 iS.Horne, Thomas A.: "Rotax dials up the power," 21 July 2015, AOPA Pilot, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, retrieved 29 June 2023
The Rotax four-stroke aircraft engine line immediately dominated the emerging category of U.S.-certified "Light Sport Aircraft" (LSAs), powering most of them. One general aviation industry media reporter found that 70-80% of the 66,000 aircraft he'd identified, worldwide, used Rotax four-stroke engines. The 912/914/915 series also powers larger certified aircraft, including the Diamond Katana, and the twin-engined Tecnam P2006T and Leza/Lockwood Aircam.
Can-Am resumed motorcycle production with a series of on-road three-wheel motorcycles, starting with the Spyder, using Rotax engines. As of 2020, there are three models: the Ryker uses the 2-cylinder 600 ACE and 3-cylinder 900 ACE, the Spyder F3 and the Spyder RT use the 3-cylinder 1330 ACE. 1000 V-twin 5sp.
In the motorcycle world Rotax are particularly known for their single-cylinder engines of comparatively small to medium displacement. Several major motorbike manufacturers, who are otherwise renowned for their proprietary but bigger engines, use Rotax engines in their smaller models.
As an example of larger displacements, Rotax developed a 798 cc parallel twin engine with and for BMW, which was built from 2006 to 2020.
Brands using Rotax engines include:
Current models are:
| + Certified engines | Model ! 912 A/F ! 914 F2/F3/F4 ! 912 S/iSc Sport ! 915 iSc A/B - 916 iSc3 B |
Historical models no longer in production include:
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