Yr Right....I suggest you revisit first principles of Internal Combustion Engines....
The key to reliable running was an accurate fuel-air ratio....too rich, wets the plugs and puts the fire out....as you progressively lean the mixture, you reach a point at which it will burn, BUT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THAT BURN ARE UNSTABLE (DETONATION)
continue leaning, you'll get better power, no detonation but excessive heat within the engine
Continue leaning LOP, you've got rid of theSURPLUS ENERGY IN THE FUEL-AIR CHARGE IN THE CYLINDER....So, you get a clean, cool burn with the exhaust being predominantly waste gases.
Your dragster analogy is an entirely different scenario.....very little of the consumed fuel is actually pushing down the pistons...that is self-evident by the huge columns of flame out of the exhaust stacks.
Of necessity, I've tried to give a much simplified account of why LOP is , of itself not doing the damage. hope this gives you something to chew on!
Back to another poster....my European contact changed the starter because he thought the cranking performance was well below par (he was correct) IF the new starter whizzes over the engine, sufficiently fast to lock-out the Impulse mech. THAT IS EXCELLENT!
The piston is travelling sufficiently fast, that the now-advanced spark can ignite the mixture and the piston goes OVER TOP DEAD CENTRE BEFORE the burning mixture can develop enough pressure to knock it back.
Q.....Do you tell all pilots to start on single-mag (impulse) only??
If not, why not?
It was after the starter change that he investigated further, as it still was extremely reluctant to start,despite battery, solenoid, cables, return-path all being OK plus a new, permanent-field starter which punishes the battery far less than the wound field-coil variety.
IIRC, plugs had done under 50 hours they were not a prime suspect until all else had been eliminated.
Another customer lost to Champion. Ask any motoring enthusiast what
the best plugs are...invariably it is NGK Bosch and Denso....Champion are now a poor "also-ran" trading on past reputation......Sad, because pre-war and into the 60's they set the standard and others followed.
I speak from personal experience and as "the man on the Clapham Omnibus" (average joe public!)