Spark Plug Reviews
 

Ok, ever since I had my first FC, I've been using NGK standard plugs. I just went to the NGK site, and they have something called "Laser Platinum" plugs. Has anyone tried these out? There is no price listed for them, but i'm positive that they cost more. So, if anyone has tried them, are they worth the extra cost? One more question, NGK site didnt have much info on the plug-wire sets. How much do they run for an FC? I think flamethrower said he had some on his. I just love the reputation NGK has with the rotary community, so I'd like to have the plug wires also. TY for your time.

I've always used the standard BUR7EQ and BUR9EQ non platinums for spark plug changes.

I change plugs every other oil change (every 3000 miles) to keep things running clean, as our cars can foul plugs rather easily, so it's better that it is the less expensive ones.

B9EGV's all the way! The BUR's suck!

THe only difference with with the platinum, laser and shit like that, is longevity of the plug. It won't give you a more powerfull spark or anything, the new designs just tend to last longer.

I think it was Icemark that said he had good luck with the Iridiums, smoother idle, much longer life, stuff like that. Only drawback was they were something like $35 a pop...

can you clean your fouled up plugs?
haborfreight sells a mini sandblaster for like 10bucks
will this work to clean fouled plugs?

andrew
how is B9EGV's different than the regular ones?

no, you can't clean them with an abrasive. you change the gap. you can dip them in a solevent and wipe them with a rag if they aren't burned or worn out.

I've used NGK copper plugs in every car that I've owned, and I have no problems with them at all..

Sorry, I have to disagree with u there. Besides for 6-7 dollars, I'd rather use them instead of iridium ($35 geez, i'm not rich...yet). I have never experiaenced problems with them. Thanx for the input.

BTW--any info on the laser platinum plugs' price?? Also, are the above mentioned B9/7EGV's the Iridiums?

Hitman suggested for my streetported GT35R using only BUR9EQ all the way up to 1.7bar (of course 98 pump gas good only for about 1.1 bar)

NEVER and I mean NEVER use one of those sandblasters to clean any spark plugs. They use glass bead/sand to clean them. It is nearly, if not impossible to remove all of the abrasive from the plugs. Then you have sand/glass in your engine to gall things up. Don't be cheap, just buy new plugs.

I buy the lasers at napa for around 8 dollars. I think they run better longer.. probably made for mods

Care you qualify your statement?
There are a lot of people using them, especially the B10's - it's a cheap cold plug for the 13B.
The problem is that the "reach" on these spark plugs are shorter than the BUR's.
Mazda had the BUR's designed specifically for the 13B - the reach is an important part of performance.
I doubt these things make more power.
In fact, I bet the BUR's make more power.
The B9's and B10's seem to last long, but do you want to sacrifice power for longevity?


-Ted

Semi surface discharge plugs suck. They take more voltage to bridge and usually make less power. If you have ignition break up at high rpm, often switching from bur to egv's can help it quite a bit. Formula one uses surface dischage plugs because of reliability NOT power.

http://www.sae.org/motorsports/techn...eijan03-f1.htm
http://www.thecarricos.com/ACRE/Docu...ech84-7-11.pdf

Care you qualify that statement?

Yes, more power to initiate the arc is a requirement, but it's easy to do this by going with more poweful coils.
I dunno about the "less power" part - I'm still waiting for dyno proof of this claim.


A CDI box does the same thing.
The question is what is the cause of the problem?
I suspect inadequate (stock) coil power due to the wide gap - usually due to worn spark plugs.
I find dyno runs make on brand new spark plugs hardly ever show this.
The EGV's make more consistent power due to the smaller gap, but does it make more power?


I dunno how this applies to mass produced automobiles.
An F1 engine has very defined parameter to which it needs to function.
This is usually very different versus most street cars.


I don't understand why this was quoted.

"Generally, ignitability by the spark plug can be increased by 1) using wider electrode gap and 2) positioning the electrode as close to the combustion chamber as possible."

I've already mentioned the BUR has a longer reach - this is consistent with #2.
#1 is consistent with the surface discharge gap type versus side electrode type, which goes counter to your claim the EGV's are superior to the BUR's.

I still stand by my claims: the BUR spark plugs are superior for performance if you can keep the spark consistent.
A CDI box easily supports a more consistent spark.


-Ted

The second article was quoted to show the difference in voltage required for air gap vs surface discharge, on the last page i believe in the grapgh that shows the CDI box making 8 PS over the HEI. It also has the required voltage for both plug types at differnt rpms on the same graph.

The first article talks about air gap plugs being superiour to surface discharge plugs (which F1 cars must use due to the vibrations breaking the ground electrode off) period, not just in F1 cars

"Formula One spark plugs are a surface-gap design, which is less efficient than the better-known "J" gap ground electrode on most spark plugs, according to Mark McMurray, Senior Design Engineer, Advanced Development Ignition Products at Federal-Mogul Corp.'s Champion spark plugs division. "

"The surface-gap plug has a 0.060-in (1.5-mm) gap, compared to the 0.035-in (0.9-mm) gap typically specified on an adjustable J gap plug. "That is not an optimal gap configuration for most engines because it doesn't provide good ignitability," said McMurray"

"Nevertheless, the old-fashioned J gap ground electrode is a better design"

Also, if you noticed, mazda switched the Rx-8 back to air gap plugs.

I think the rx8 plugs would be the best solution if they wert 38$ a pop, they are air gap and are the proper length (the trailing plugs are shorter then the leading though?,.. hmm,...)

I'm speaking from the recent experience I had with my FC. I always had ignition problems with my E6K'd FC until I switched from BUR9EQs to B9EGVs. The BURs foul too easily making it impossible to tune. The BURs may work fine on a well tuned engine, but in my situation, with a roughly tuned engine, the fouling resistance of the EGVs makes it easier to tune. I've owned 3 RX-7s and have always used the BURs and always had rough idle problems even on stock cars until I switched to the EGVs. I don't know what effect they have on power, but I'm sure I'll make more power on them than with fouled BURs, that's not to say that I won't try BURs once the car is tuned well, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

The B9EGVs are $5.37 at sparkplugs.com.
http://www.sparkplugs.com/results_cross.asp?pid=B9EGV
And no, they're not iridium.


stockrex:
The B9EGVs are designed for 2 stroke motorcycles, ATVs, etc. They're a non-resistor plug with a conventional ground electrode designed to be foul resistant. Do a search or go to the sparkplugs.com link above and you should find plenty of info. One thing you should be prepared for if you buy some is to have a thin wall spark plug socket to clear the ridge cast into the housings. OR, you can do what I did and get a cheap lawnmower spark plug socket and grind down the end a bit.