Originally Posted by dubbleyew eight
look at your rpm dial.
slowly pull out the mixture knob watching the revs. they should increase about 50rpm until optimum mixture is achieved then the rpm will fall off.
push the mixture back in until the peak rpm returns. then screw in (richen) the mixture two turns and leave it at that.
While this is better than full rich, it's still not the best way to do it. Max RPM is best power setting and while it is smart to be on the rich side of best power (for high power settings), it's not the most economic way to fly for normal power settings (75% or below).
For best economy on aircraft without proper engine instrumentation, one of the proper ways is to lean until the engine starts running rough and then increase mixture just a little bit so to have a smooth running engine, which should put you around peak EGT. And since you have cooler temperatures (CHT) than at best power and the engine is running smooth, there's absolutely no harm to the engine (again, below 75%).