X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Received: from mail-fx0-f168.google.com ([209.85.220.168] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.2.12) with ESMTP id 3527259 for flyrotary@lancaironline.net; Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:39:48 -0500 Received-SPF: pass receiver=logan.com; client-ip=209.85.220.168; envelope-from=fluffysheap@gmail.com Received: by fxm12 with SMTP id 12so4113841fxm.19 for ; Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:39:13 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:received:in-reply-to:references :date:message-id:subject:from:to:content-type; bh=FOaO5KxufvPPhddEqo4qfqmCVafV1ph5eYSkF9E2FZU=; b=dW4p5tRroBn41NkDht/utz0nnhnKbE0VVRMO02UL8E+E0XLjFgZkiYsz8zFvGeSqyD +87NfBRbEaVDOcIa4ZEDpIQz/FJ4edqRXy6a8HrZVoNBwuY7wAt9AwPKc54bzJY7X9eP ZlqH1Cy1b3yDa9JQ2c6LnLtudBMVo/G8uqZzU= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :content-type; b=e0l4qlqc39AgEpomFEM1tnzorBR9IV8wEfoUrCAHjJBz71U2hhbzfKGemjTb3WiKyL gEQIPNADi7xEsHCbOlbWLMkV0pFrEaQCUMOLtM0gBH0N2jiBoSZz1PAlVyj5PHqBKjMr DFJ3wrp853m5zAKuGhjC1k612gT/BJQ97Z/4g= MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.103.176.20 with SMTP id d20mr118564mup.27.1236195553150; Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:39:13 -0800 (PST) In-Reply-To: References: Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 11:39:13 -0800 Message-ID: Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Fuel economy - From: William Wilson To: Rotary motors in aircraft Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=00163641759bd18df00464503459 --00163641759bd18df00464503459 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Best suggestion I have heard is to make a little test tank out of whatever your fuel tanks are made of and fill it full of car gas a couple of weeks before you start running car gas in your plane. Every week or so, or whenever you refuel your plane, inspect the test tank for problems and refill it with fresh gas. As long as your test tank is in good shape, so are your fuel tanks. If you can prove to the state you used your gas for off road purposes you might be able to get a refund on road taxes, making car gas even cheaper than it already is. On Wed, Mar 4, 2009 at 7:27 AM, Al Gietzen wrote: > Mark wrote: > > Most are just plain scared to run their engines lean of peak where they a= re > able to get close to the "advertised" bsfc. > > > > That seems to be the rule. I chatted yesterday with a hangar neighbor wi= th > his beautiful Lancair Legacy with Continental 550. Does he run lean of > peak? =93Eh-h, well, I tried it, but it sounded different, and I hear the > valves don=92t last as long; so I run it rich of peak. It=92s a few more > dollars, but cheap insurance=94 > > > > Alcohol and possible vapor lock are the only issues I know of, and with a > properly designed EFI fuel system, vapor lock isn't an issue. As long as > they don't start blending alcohol in the fuel in my neck of the woods, I'= ll > keep burning mogas and pocketing the difference. > > I did the ethanol test on my auto fuel yesterday. Within the accuracy of > the test, the fuel had between 4 and 6% ethanol =96 consistent with what = Mike > said regarding CA fuels. So I got out my light and little my mirror and > stiff wire with a sharp end; and inspected my fiberglass/EZpoxy fuel tank= s. > No sign of any softening of the surfaces; no sign of anything happening. > Nothing in the fuel filter. So far, so good. > > So I=92ll keep runnin=92 with auto fuel =96 certainly when near my home b= ase. > Saves close to $15 for every hour of flying =96 including the 6 =96 8 ce= nts/ga > for the 2-cycle oil (SuperTech 2-stroke oil, $10.97/ga at Walmart, mix = =BE oz > per ga.). > > > > You stated, "But really the biggest motivation was to do something a litt= le > different." As for that statement... I couldn't agree more, but how do y= ou > quantify something like that? > > I like to put it differently: "But really the biggest motivation was t= o > do something a little better." > > Al G > > > --00163641759bd18df00464503459 Content-Type: text/html; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Best suggestion I have heard is to make a little test tank out of whatever = your fuel tanks are made of and fill it full of car gas a couple of weeks b= efore you start running car gas in your plane.=A0 Every week or so, or when= ever you refuel your plane, inspect the test tank for problems and refill i= t with fresh gas.=A0 As long as your test tank is in good shape, so are you= r fuel tanks.

If you can prove to the state you used your gas for off road purposes y= ou might be able to get a refund on road taxes, making car gas even cheaper= than it already is.

On Wed, Mar 4, 2009 = at 7:27 AM, Al Gietzen <ALVentures@cox.net> wrote:

Mark wrote:

= Most are just plain scared to run their en= gines lean of peak where they are able to get close to the "advertised"=A0bs= fc.

=A0

That seems to be the rule. =A0= I chatted yesterday with a hangar neighbor with his beautiful Lancair Legacy with Continental 550. =A0Does he run lean of peak? =93Eh-h, well, I tried it, bu= t it sounded different, and I hear the valves don=92t last as long; so I run it rich of peak.=A0 It=92s a few more dollars, but cheap insurance=94

=A0

= Alcohol=A0and possible vapor lock=A0are th= e only issues I know of, and=A0with a properly designed EFI fuel system, vapor loc= k isn't an issue.=A0=A0As long as they don't start blending alcohol i= n the fuel=A0in my neck of the woods, I'll keep=A0burning mogas and pocketing the difference.=A0

I did the ethanol test on my a= uto fuel yesterday. Within the accuracy of the test, the fuel had between 4 and 6% ethanol =96 consistent with what Mike said regarding CA fuels. =A0So I got out my light and little my mirror and stiff wire with a sharp end; and inspected my fiberglass/EZpoxy fuel tanks. No sign of any softening of the surfaces; no sign of anything happening. Nothing in the fuel filter. So far= , so good.

So I=92ll keep runnin=92 with auto fuel =96 certainly when near my home base. =A0Saves close to $15 for every hour of flying =96 including the 6 =96 8 cents/ga for the 2-cycle oil (SuperTech 2-stroke oil, $10.97/ga at Walmart, mix =BE oz per ga.).

= =A0

= You stated, "But really the biggest m= otivation was to do something a little different."=A0 As for that statement... I couldn't agree more, but how do you quantify something like that?=A0

I like to put it differently:<= /span> "But really the biggest motivation was to do something a little be= tter."=A0

Al G

= =A0


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