ORIGINAL: tlojak38
ok. thanks for all the input. its not really about the money, but the time, and mess involved in cleaning the plane up. ill see whats available, and also look at an exhaust deflector. now if i do end up changing fuels, a retune is in order, correct? damn, all this, and i still havent put her in the air yet.! oh well, im still having fun.
Well, a re-tune is always necessary, every day in fact. Sometimes, a couple times a day to get things optimized. Atmospheric conditions change from day to day, and in some cases, from hour to hour or even more frequently... but this is not a weather forum, it's about your engine and fuel.
You should tune the engine the first time you start up at the field that day. You get best results that way and become more familiar with the tuning process and have more consistent runs from flight to flight.
Regarding fuel, I've been using S&W 15% nitro content for years now. Not that I am pushing S&W, but it's that I started with it and never changed.. mainly because that was what was available at the LHS and what my instructor used (we seem to follow that path.. radio systems, engines, fuel, and so on), it's just human nature. And, it becomes the best of everything else we could ever get... of course...
The point is, as has been stated, what you have is what you have and what's available to you. Stick with it, unless some major reason prevents you from doing so (your LHS closes down and you go to another that doesn't carry your favorite brand of fuel or some such thing like that).
The main point is, learn to tune daily or more as necessary, and stick with what works for you.
CGr.