il-2 mod. 1943 Fuel Mixture Settings

[Monash]

Hi all,

 

For the IL-2 mod. 1943, the engines mixture control is automatic when the mixture lever is set to 50%.  My understanding is at <50% you can manually lean the mixture, and that setting it to 100% engages the engine boost mode.  I have some questions about how this works.

 

1.  Does the mixture lever have to be exactly 50%?  Or is there some wiggle room?  If so, how much?

2. When flying on expert multiplayer (which I am not yet brave enough to attempt!) is the technochat message indicating the mixture lever position (as a percentage) displayed?  If not, how do you know the lever is exactly at 50%?  (Of course, the importance of this point depends to some extent on the answer to the first question.)

3.  If 100% engages engine boost, what happens in the range 51% to 99%?  

 

Cheers,

 

Monash.

[-TBC-AeroAce]

@Monash I don't know for the il2 specifically, but if you reduce the mixture until the exhaust flames turn blue then increase it a couple of % you are doing the correct thing.

Edited January 22, 2023 by -TBC-AeroAce

[ITAF_Airone1989]

39 minutes ago, Monash said:

Hi all,

 

For the IL-2 mod. 1943, the engines mixture control is automatic when the mixture lever is set to 50%.  My understanding is at <50% you can manually lean the mixture, and that setting it to 100% engages the engine boost mode.  I have some questions about how this works.

 

1.  Does the mixture lever have to be exactly 50%?  Or is there some wiggle room?  If so, how much?

2. When flying on expert multiplayer (which I am not yet brave enough to attempt!) is the technochat message indicating the mixture lever position (as a percentage) displayed?  If not, how do you know the lever is exactly at 50%?  (Of course, the importance of this point depends to some extent on the answer to the first question.)

3.  If 100% engages engine boost, what happens in the range 51% to 99%?  

 

Cheers,

 

Monash.

1) probably should be exactly 50%, but

2) basically all the server leave the technochat on, so it will not be a problem.

And if your first time in multiplayer, mixture will be the last of your concerns ???

( If it's hard don't give up, is not that your are missing some quality as virtual pilot, is just that it's hard! Best advice: find some experience pilot to fly with ?)

3) I don't know, but if you don't read "boosted" in techno I guess your are just making your mixture richer

 

[Dragon1-1]

At ranges we're working with, leaning the mixture doesn't matter in WWII aircraft unless you're really high up. Just leave it at 50%, "automatic mixture control" in that case means it won't flood the engine with fuel if you get to an altitude too high for the current setting. I think this can happen with WWI aircraft, since they don't have any automation whatsoever.

 

IRL, you lean the mixture to save fuel, to extend range and avoid wasting money. Then, you want to run as lean as possible. Having the mixture be too rich actually helps cool the engine, which is good in combat conditions, and it gives you some wiggle room if you lose altitude quickly and get into thicker air, as often it happens in a dogfight. It wastes fuel, would piss off environmentalists if there were any around back then, and it makes a trail of black smoke that can make you easier to spot, but if you're already fighting, that's usually not a concern anymore. So if you're just cruising along, have a long way to go and/or you're low on gas, lean the mixture. If you expect combat, you can set it to as rich as possible without making smoke. When you start actually fighting, park it in full rich and forget about it.

[=FEW=fernando11]

Specificaly about the il2. Any model. Take off and trsnsit to the front line at arround 50% mix (almost all MP server have tecnochat).

 

When aproaching the combat zone, my tip would be, go 100 mix. Forget about it, and controll your boost ON/OFF with the trottle...  use %90 more or less for everything, and %100 if you need to houl ass! Just remeber in this way you will be at emergency power, so afther the danger is gone, go back to 85-90 throttle, or 50mixture.

No mather how you controll your power, not smoking hevily unless you are already im combat is a very good tip... smoke makes you a target, no mater what.

[LukeFF]

8 hours ago, Dragon1-1 said:

At ranges we're working with, leaning the mixture doesn't matter in WWII aircraft unless you're really high up.

 

It also matters if you're flying a Spitfire from England to France and back.

[Dragon1-1]

Or at least it would, if the Spitfire had a mixture control. The version you'd be flying from England to France and back doesn't, only the idle cutoff, which is not interactable.

[Monash]

Thanks all for the help and suggestions.  I'm just getting back into the hobby after quite a few years and the amount to learn is a little overwhelming.  Baby steps, right?!

 

Cheers,

 

Monash.

[LukeFF]

7 hours ago, Dragon1-1 said:

Or at least it would, if the Spitfire had a mixture control. The version you'd be flying from England to France and back doesn't, only the idle cutoff, which is not interactable.

 

The Spitfire Vb is playable with quite a few units in the stock Normandy career.

[RossMarBow]

18 hours ago, Monash said:

Hi all,

 

For the IL-2 mod. 1943, the engines mixture control is automatic when the mixture lever is set to 50%.  My understanding is at <50% you can manually lean the mixture, and that setting it to 100% engages the engine boost mode.  I have some questions about how this works.

 

1.  Does the mixture lever have to be exactly 50%?  Or is there some wiggle room?  If so, how much?

2. When flying on expert multiplayer (which I am not yet brave enough to attempt!) is the technochat message indicating the mixture lever position (as a percentage) displayed?  If not, how do you know the lever is exactly at 50%?  (Of course, the importance of this point depends to some extent on the answer to the first question.)

3.  If 100% engages engine boost, what happens in the range 51% to 99%?  

 

Cheers,

 

Monash.

I leave it at 100%
and keep engine power at 90% to keep boost off

absolutely no need to be running a lean il2
and you will be constantly overheating it 

 

it will probably overheat before your 10min of boost is used - for example

 

use this so you can spend more time learning to fly good
instead of wasting time with engine management 
Another Pilots Notes for Cockpit Photos - Mods - IL-2 Sturmovik Forum (il2sturmovik.com)

Edited January 23, 2023 by RossMarBow

[=MERCS=JenkemJunkie]

For all Il-2's its auto between 50-74% in technochat, above 74 it gets progressively richer, and below 50 it gets progressively leaner. I've found I get better temps and speed at continuous settings using equal RPM and boost (by looking at the gauge, not technochat %) by using auto mix instead of just leaving it at 100 all the time. You also get no smoke trail at lower altitudes with auto mix. Above a certain height auto mix will act the same as 100% in continuous settings and you'll have to lean under 50% to get rid of the smoke trail.

 

TL:DR

Use 50-74% (all the same) when cruising in continuous, then raise it to 100% when you want more vroom vroom in combat. 

[I./JG52_Woutwocampe]

So, if technochat's off, how can you know you are flush on 50%?

 

I assume that irl you would feel it in the lever, but in game?

[=MERCS=JenkemJunkie]

There's no point in having it exactly at 50 unless you have OCD. 50-74 is the same thing. You'll have to eyeball the cockpit lever within that range with technochat off.

[Monash]

Thank you Jenkem, this is exactly the information I was looking for.  Cheers!

[Dragon1-1]

In fact, there's an easy to way to check - look at your manifold pressure. Even without technochat this is quite precise, when boosts engages you'll see it jump up. This is the best indicator of it being on. 

[RossMarBow]

Without technochat 

I would go 100 rpm 100 boost at take off
Then lower mix until boost is off

Then lower rpm and boost down to cruise 

[Dragon1-1]

That's what I do in the 1943 model, which doesn't like taking off at military power when loaded, at least it doesn't in Kuban summer. The earlier ones are lighter and can take off without boost.