Mark wrote:
Most are just plain scared to run their engines lean
of peak where they are able to get close to the "advertised" bsfc.
That seems to be the rule. I chatted
yesterday with a hangar neighbor with his beautiful Lancair Legacy with
Continental 550. Does he run lean of peak? “Eh-h, well, I tried it, but
it sounded different, and I hear the valves don’t last as long; so I run
it rich of peak. It’s a few more dollars, but cheap insurance”
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 – 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 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’ll keep runnin’ with
auto fuel – certainly when near my home base. Saves close to $15 for
every hour of flying – including the 6 – 8 cents/ga for the 2-cycle
oil (SuperTech 2-stroke oil, $10.97/ga at Walmart, mix ¾ oz per ga.).
You stated, "But really the biggest motivation
was to do something a little different." As for that statement... I
couldn't agree more, but how do you quantify something like that?