I have a new 46 straight out of the box that I have ran on a Areas for at least a dozen flights. My tank size in this plane is 4 oz flight time is 3 minutes 45 seconds average is this normal or will it get better fuel milage after a few more flights?

IIRC, Scott has a .46LA in his Ares, and I know Howard's .40's were VF's on tuned pipes. Pretty different animals.

It should be possible to nurse officials out of 4 oz, but might take some more break-in, the .25LA venturi, a ST or Randy Aero NV, and some fuel with 5% nitro/18% oil content (after more running time)...most of which would be synthetic.

I'd wonder what sort of prop would provide enough load for a .46LA and still have ground clearance on an Ares? Did you extend the LG struts? What prop are you currently using?    Steve

My #1 favorite baseline prop for the .46LA is the 11.5 x 4 APC. Some say the RSM 11-6 works very well, some say the TT Cyclone 11 x 4.5 works very well, while others prefer the 12.25 x 3.75 APC. I would not be surprised if the 11-4 APC would be good, especially with the smaller .25LA, or a restricted stock venturi.

Try 3+ layers of pantyhose mesh over the venturi, held in place with a neoprene o-ring. The problem I have with the pantyhose mesh is that it's so stretchy that it's hard to get predictable results. But it's very good to keep dirt & grit out of your engine, so it's worthwhile to at least use one layer. How you obtain the pantyhose stock is up to you, but used is good enuff.    Steve