<VV> Stoich Operation Re: Emission vs. Mileage

[Mikeamauro at aol.com]

"... During the time our Corvairs were produced, the means of controlling  
A/F were quite crude by today's standards.  So it was much SAFER to design  
our cars so the carbs operated on the RICH side of stoichiometric to be sure 
the  cars never went over to the LEAN side which could bring combustion 
problems  since there was no electronic device to retard the timing..."
 
Frank, let me first say, you are absolutely correct  as to why Corvair were 
engineered to run "fat" on the AF side. With my 67 110  powerglide coupe 
(327 diff with AC), through downsizing the main jets, and  dropping the float 
levels, I've been able to lean out the mixture where the AF  ratio 
consistently runs just a few points either side of 14.7.  I  monitor the AF ratio, 
real time, with in "cockpit" wide band AF gages  (Innovate brand, one for each 
bank). I also use a  Safeguard spark control system set very sensitive. 
Recently,  because of pulled head studs, I had reason to remove the head on one 
 side: after 20,000 miles of use, the combustion chambers looked pristine, 
with  absolutely no evidence of detonation. With this being a Florida-driven 
car  (read: a hot climate) , with a powerglide and a high (3:27) rear and 
air  conditioning (read: the engine gets "lugged" a bit), it seems Corvairs 
can be  driven lean if done correctly. This vehicle gets 18 MGP around town, 
and 26  on the high way (my cruse speed is usually 65-70 MPH). 
 
Cheers,
Mike  Mauro 
**************Make your summer sizzle with fast and easy recipes for the 
grill. (http://food.aol.com/grilling?ncid=emlcntusfood00000005)