Running lean of peak and fuel economy

(This has nothing directly to do with Bonanzas anymore, so it gets a new
thread...)

On 2008-03-20, Dan wrote:
The JPI is the greatest thing since -- GPS!
Running LOP with GAMinjectors, I can get a lightly-loaded A36 to fly
130 KIAS on 10 gph.

I decided I'd rather know than guess, so I added a fuel flow sensor to the
Zodiac's Dynon D10 EMS. It's already got CHT and EGT sensors and nice pretty
bar graphs for each cylinder, so between the three, I should have all the
information I need to run the O-200 at its most economical.

The aircraft I trained in a long time ago didn't have such fancy
instrumentation. One leaned the engine in cruise by the tried-and-true
method of leaning till it ran a little rough, then back rich until it ran
smooth again. This worked, but wasn't exactly precise.

I'm sure this is a subject of some controversy. Where would I find guidance
on the best approach to managing this wealth of information? I know that I'm
not going to make a difference comparable to getting a Bonanza to run at 13
vs. 16 GPH, but going from 6 to 5 would be worthwhile.
--
Jay Maynard, K5ZC http://www.conmicro.com
http://jmaynard.livejournal.com http://www.tronguy.net
Fairmont, MN (FRM) (Yes, that's me!)
AMD Zodiac CH601XLi N55ZC (ordered 17 March, delivery 2 June)