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,=2
0the 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?