Thread: A look at different types of spark plugs

We start at the copper plug. The original spark plug.





Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity but doesn't offer the life of most other plugs.

A few copper variants have hit our market, the Chinese didn't like the low lifespan of copper and they created a plug that I don't think ever made it to mass production but looks interesting enough.





We've all seen the splitfire.





Not many of us have seen the Halo plug though.





The E3 plug.





A few designs have taken the idea of getting a nice and open path to the combustion chamber just a little bit further.





A company in Mexico makes (made) this Technica plug.





The Torquemaster Plug is available online at a few places. This type of plug uses the surface-gap discharge method. Surface-gap gets its benefits because the spark takes less voltage to travel a long distance over the surface of the plug then it does to go through the air. This gives you more spark exposure area.





A surface-gap discharge plug that is also long life is the Bosch Platinum +2 and 4 plugs.





Then you have your typical Platinum plug.





And your Iridium.



Finally, you have the Pulstar plug. This plug differs from the plugs above by incorporating a peaking capacitor into the plug.

I like this. Any more indepth history on the above plugs? What they were used in? Gimmick plugs like JCWhitney came out with back in the 70's? Legit ones? etc. I want to see and hear more.

Well the main thing with plugs is their interference with exposure to combustion chamber. You can try all kinds of configurations, but it boils down to really the material of the plug and its ability to expose the spark to the combustion chamber. Thats why I like the BRISK plugs so much. They have to be quite possibly the best designed plug I have ever saw.

As for what the plugs were used in, Im not sure, I dont have any info to that effect. The only real gimmick plug I have seen in recent times were the Pulstar plug. I guess there's a chance I could be wrong about it, but I dont think so given the numbers they claim. They would have to send me a set and let me use them to recant anything Ive said about them.

Originally Posted by SyntheticShield

Well the main thing with plugs is their interference with exposure to combustion chamber. You can try all kinds of configurations, but it boils down to really the material of the plug and its ability to expose the spark to the combustion chamber. Thats why I like the BRISK plugs so much. They have to be quite possibly the best designed plug I have ever saw.

As for what the plugs were used in, Im not sure, I dont have any info to that effect. The only real gimmick plug I have seen in recent times were the Pulstar plug. I guess there's a chance I could be wrong about it, but I dont think so given the numbers they claim. They would have to send me a set and let me use them to recant anything Ive said about them.

That gimmick plug JC sold was a 4 prong plug and I thought they called it a splitfire. It was a pretty big joke back in the day. Hmmm I wonder if they are still peddling them along with the tornado? Off to search again. Rainy vaction day FTL

Scotty, what particular model of the Brisk plug do you use? I'm using TR6IX plugs and am ready to change due to poor performance.

Originally Posted by DanGTP

Scotty, what particular model of the Brisk plug do you use? I'm using TR6IX plugs and am ready to change due to poor performance.

He has the GOR15LGS. Don't ask me how I know.

Yeah, and if you wanna know how much power they help you make, search for my tranny carnage thread

Yeah man, those suckers so woke up the engine that I proceeded out on a test drive and shredded my differential...

No thanks, replacing the tranny is enough for me...LOL.

One more question... Where can I get a set?

Looks like an addition to my late spring/summer upgrade list!

What about modifications to standard plugs like Back Cutting the ground strap an indexing.

Well here is some of it already here on the forum.
http://www.grandprixforums.net/side_gap.php

More Useful info lol http://www.aa1car.com/library/reading_spark_plugs.jpg

Ive used sidegapped plugs for a number of years now. In fact I need to sidegap the ones for my Rodeo. But that is the basic design of the BRISK plugs, they get the ground strap out of the way of the spark energy so it can do what it is supposed to how it is supposed to.

Here is a link to some dyno results using the Pulstar plugs in a Dodge Neon. Not the glowing numbers they would have you believe. In fact, I have seen very similar numbers from such plugs as E3's and Sidegapped plugs.

Sparkplugs.com - Spark Plug 411

Here is some more information on the Pulstar Plugs. I have to say, if the dyno results be believed (and I have no reason to doubt them) the plugs give some gains, but they are not gains that would be indicative of the sales pitch. That said, perhaps the Pulstar plugs would perform better in a higher voltage ignition system such as one in which higher energy coils were used, lower resistance plug wires, and perhaps some upgrades to the overall electrical system to make sure maximum voltage was getting to the primary side of the ignition.

However, even with that, I would not yet be able to justify the $150 it would need to outfit a 3800 engine. Now, if they were to bring the cost down to the area of Brisk or E3 plugs or give me a set to try and report back (Id even send them back if they desired) I would certainly do so out of curiosity.

If the horsepower gains could be pushed to 10 - 15 or so, it might be a more viable option. I tried like crazy to get a set of Nology hot wires for my last vehicle because capacitive discharge ignitions make sense to me and I understand the idea and use. But Im having a hard time grasping the Pulstars because of the numbers they use (they just arent possible in a modern vehicle) and I have questions about the reliability with the heat they would be exposed to.


http://www.sparkplugs.com/files/Prin...%20Feature.pdf