My 2 cents,
Stainless is more susceptible to chaffing and wear than galvanized. This is usually not a problem. The stainless cables on my 185 are nearly 40 years old without ever having any need to be changed. It's tensile strength is also less but is more than enough for our application. It is important that the pulleys be properly lubricated so that the cables do not drag through them. Dragging damages both the cable and the pulley which also changes the cable tension due to the reduction of the pulley diameter. The advantage of stainless is that it is more corrosion resistant than galvanized. Galvanized can easily develop rust in moist environments. This rust can be hidden inside leaving broken strands which can be unnoticed for years until the cable breaks.
Galvanize solution:
Soak thoroughly the galvanize cable in a can with some warm soupy paralketone (sp?) or some other suitable sticky corrosion preventative (like LPS-3). It comes out of the can rather thick so be sure to thin it. Kerosene works (gas does too). You want it to penetrate and coat all of the strands of the cable. Take the cable out of the can and hang up to dry before using. It gets sticky. It will last for years with this treatment.
Cable tension: I will not question your desires for loose cables for light control pressures. That is your choice. However remember what the cables are supposed to do. In this case it is to move the ailerons. The ailerons need to be able to hit their full travel stops in all flight conditions. IE: Gusty crosswind approaches and landings.
Do this: Have a friend hold the stick hard against the stop. This stop is under the floor at the rear stick. You grab the up aileron (be careful how you grab it, since it is more susceptible to fingers than to air loads) and pull it down. Can you pull it away from the up stop on the wing
? If the answer is yes, the tension is
too loose. Full aileron travel depends on the pilot being able to hold it against the stop with the in flight air loads pushing against them. IF the ailerons can be blown away from the up stops, you will not be able to hold the wing down as much as you wish in a crosswind take off or landing. Your ability to pick up a wing while landing in a gusty crosswind on short final will be compromised. How would you feel if you dragged a wing on short final because the ailerons did not hit their stops? Also and I hate to bring this up, if you loosen your cables, earn a hat, and your mechanic or IA didn't catch it, he could be liable. Lose his license, money, life style, etc., etc. Don't jeopardize your mechanic.
The cable from the stick up the front strut to the aileron controls the up stop limitation. If you wish the aileron cable tension to be loose use the adjustment of the balance cable for this purpose. A loose balance cable allows the ailerons to fly up in flight (loosing some short field performance:smile
.