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MOP
06-14-2010, 07:38 AM
I have read my eyes bleary on Platinum, Iridium and now Pulstar. Basically Platinum and Iridium perform the same but the Iridium's will last twice as long as Platinum! Pulstar has a pretty convincing rap and a 30 day 100% money back if you are not totally satisfied. Not thinking so much about the boat but our Audi and maybe even my sub. Has anyone tried the Pulstar plugs?

Planetwarmer
06-14-2010, 04:22 PM
I wonder if any material is really better than the other, or if is all just a bunch of marketing crap.

The plugs on a standard top fuel dragster cost 70 dollars each. I bet if I spent 70 dollars on each plug my 330 HP rated engine would still only put out 330 HP if im lucky.

MOP
06-14-2010, 05:12 PM
Spent a bit of time researching various plugs along with their dyno runs, the Pulstar's do add a smidgen of extra power no question but @ $25 each now way. The Iridums are the best followed by the Platinum's, the Iridiums will fire at much higher cylinder pressures then the Platinum's. One engine builder is getting 1.850 HP out of a blown small block read the link the Iridiums made a tremendous difference!

http://www.automedia.com/Iridium_Spark_Plugs/pht20010101ds/1

For us normally aspirated guys Platinum will do the job, the tiny tip concentrats the spark for better firing under load, but power benefits are almost unnoticeable.

tmh
06-14-2010, 08:26 PM
If the plugs last twice as long you may never change them again. Even a slight improvement would justify the cost over time.

HOWARD O
06-14-2010, 09:27 PM
In the midst of trying to chase down a completely different problem, I had put in new plugs. I had unknowingly fixed the original problem but the boat was still running for crap because I had a crack in one of the new plugs. But sometimes it would run perfect! ARRRGGGHHH!!! AC/Delco, by the way. I was pulling my hair out....and I don't have much to begin with. Having discovered the bad plug, it is now running better than it ever has and oh, what a feeling.

I just wonder not about better performance, but just a better build quality of spark plugs. I've never encountered a new, broken spark plug before. I would've been much further ahead had I not changed the old plugs to begin with. :shocking: I might just change them out with something more expensive for piece of mind. :party:

Cuda
06-15-2010, 06:04 AM
Imho, it's all marketing hype. I buy whatever plugs are on sale, except Champion.

CHACHI
06-15-2010, 06:23 AM
Local engine builder was chaseing a 7 hp difference between two motors he built, (spec type motors). Swapped out a low buck ignition for a high dollar MSD...........
no difference, still 7 hp short. Finally found the difference in the heads. They were the same Chevy heads on both motors.

His conclusion on the ignition, as long as you have spark, it makes no difference for horesepower.

Ken

MOP
06-15-2010, 07:11 AM
The Pulstar plugs from what I gleaned from some of the articles only last about 50,000 where as standard Platinum's go 100,000 or more the Audi had 144,000 on the original Bosch Platinum's. The concentrated spark from the tiny tipped plugs does make for better overall running but no noticeable performance gains, that being said I may just try a set of Platinum's in the boat.

gcarter
06-15-2010, 07:15 AM
FWIW, I found and installed a set of Denso Irridium plugs in the Minx for less than $10.00 each which I found on eBay.
How can you argue w/that?
The Minx's purchaser called me one day and asked about changing plugs. I told him what it had, and suggested he find something else to tinker with.
If anyone has seen any of these plugs, the center Irridium electrode is very thin and extremely hard.

hdsadey
06-15-2010, 07:21 AM
i've been told for years that there is one manufacturer of plugs and that at the end of the assembly line they get different markings of brands. don't know how true that is but i'm a firm believer in Delco in GM, Motorcraft in Ford, etc. also just because it came out of a box doesn't mean they are any good, keep it simple, don't overlook a solution to your problem because you just replaced the part and since it's brand new it has to be in good working order!

HOWARD O
06-15-2010, 09:26 AM
also just because it came out of a box doesn't mean they are any good, keep it simple, don't overlook a solution to your problem because you just replaced the part and since it's brand new it has to be in good working order!


NOW you tell me! :bonk: :kingme:

Cuda
06-15-2010, 01:55 PM
I had a Champion blow the electode right out of a plug.
A four stroke engine only need four things to run: Intake, compression, ignition, and exhaust. Of course they have to happen at the right time, hence a camshaft.

thehow33
06-15-2010, 08:51 PM
i've been told for years that there is one manufacturer of plugs and that at the end of the assembly line they get different markings of brands. don't know how true that is but i'm a firm believer in Delco in GM, Motorcraft in Ford, etc. also just because it came out of a box doesn't mean they are any good, keep it simple, don't overlook a solution to your problem because you just replaced the part and since it's brand new it has to be in good working order!

there is some truth to what you are saying.....my neighbor worked for a company which I cannot remember at the moment, but he said there were only a couple of companies that make all of the spark plugs. his company made AC-Delco and quite a few more.

mphatc
06-15-2010, 08:57 PM
MOP, for the Audi run the recommended Bosch plug . .

as for the rest . . I'm trying to solve a problem in my shop with a supercharged Corvette right now. It's suffering from spark blow out! Combustion pressures are higher than the ignition system is designed for . .
we're going to explore lower boost as the engine was perfect before the blower in it's stock configuration . . even a small change in CR at 7-8 lbs boost.

I deal with many brands of engines and various types of plugs. Not all will function and work in any engine!

As an example, Platinum plugs won't work in an old BMW . . but do work in the same engine in a newer model car that utilizes a different ignition system.

In my 400 hp Ford in the Donzi I am using Bosch plugs from a BMW application because of physical space / size constraints with the CMI header adapter plates on the AFR heads. These heads have different from stock plugs. I tried various plugs from numerous cars and found that the standard Bosch works best with the Mallory ignition. Platinums skipped like crazy!

YMMV . . .

Mario L.

GeneD
06-16-2010, 06:49 AM
Wow...good thread.
My experience has shown me on regular Mercruiser motors...the MR43T and the MR43LTS are the Gold Standard.
Stainless steel plated, and they last forever.
Fresh water guys might not care about the stainless, but us saltwater guys need it. I see guys using auto plugs in marine engines quite frequently, but over time, it becomes hard to get those suckers out after a coating of corrosion has formed. And I wonder if that corrosion has an effect on grounding ability.
On another note, I bought some platinum plugs for my Explorer. After a week, the car started running like crap. And I drove it like that for quite a while until I checked the plugs one day and broke one. I went to Carquest to get a replacement and ended up buying a whole new set of double platinum as they didn't have the regular ones. The crappiness disappeared and hasn't come back.
A similar situation occurred to my partner. We replaced the plugs in his Aerostar with platinum, and not only did it run like crap, but it ran worse than before we changed the plugs. The misfires come and go. I'm trying to talk him into the double platinum seeing how it cured my car...but as of yet...he's unconvinced.
I think spark plugs do make a difference, and that there are differences in plug materials that are better for some engines.
But in the end, I think the MR's work just fine with the Merc Thunderbolt ignition. And that the Thunderbolt ignition is just fine for most all performance engines.

Pismo
06-16-2010, 12:26 PM
Love those MR43's plus the NGK BPR6FS as well.

thehow33
06-16-2010, 05:39 PM
I talked to my neighbor who worked for Denso and then accel. He said they made ac-delco and motorcraft and the copper core autolite along with a few others. He also said ngk's are better than ac-delco's because they have a wider heat range. One interesting thing is he knows how to look at a plug and tell exactly how a motor is running at idle through wot, whether its flattening out at wot.

lastly, he said on high performance motors he said a spark plug can add 5-7hp. He knows for a fact that its the truth because of running lots of motors on the dyno and track testing.

HIGH LIFE
06-17-2010, 06:45 PM
Last year I went to by plugs for a pair of Merc 300X motors... almost $20 ea. and they are the only plugs I can use in these motors per service manual. "HIGH LIFE"