Running lean-of-peak is nothing new. Lindbergh used LOP mixture settings so he didn't run out of gas crossing the Atlantic, and he taught his technique to P-38 pilots in the Pacific.
So, if LOP has been around for at least eighty years, why isn't it more commonly used? Pilots are generally taught to use full rich mixture on takeoff and only lean after reducing power. This is usually done seat-of-the pants by leaning the engine until it gets a bit rough, then enrichening the mixture. In other words, there are probably a lot more pilots running rich-of-peak than run lean-of-peak, even though avgas is ridiculously expensive. There are several reasons why: To do it right, you need an exhaust gas temperature gauge with probes for each cylinder. Also, carbureted engines have poor fuel distribution, and even most fuel injected engines have quite a bit of variation in the amount of fuel that gets to each cylinder. So the conventional wisdom is it is safer to run rich-of-peak EGT than lean. Never mind that a lot of pilots (including Lindbergh) have proven it works.
FWIW, you probably drive a vehicle every day that is running a fuel mixture that is at peak EGT. Most cars with catalytic converters and oxygen sensors run very close to a stoichiometric air-fuel mixture, because that's where the catalytic converter works best.
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Today's Featured Article - Tuning-Up Your Tractor: Plugs & Compression Testing - by Curtis Von Fange. The engine seems to run rough. In the exhaust you can hear an occasion 'poofing' sound like somethings not firing on all cylinders. Under loaded conditions the tractor seems to lack power and it belches black smoke out of the exhaust. For some reason it just doesn't want to start up without cranking and cranking the starter. All these conditions can be signals that your unit is in need of a tune up. Ok, so what is involved in a tune up? You say, swap plugs and file the points....now tha
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