"sidegapping" Sparkplugs For More Power

[GTR_STEALTH]

Anyone heard or tried this for themselves?

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/844195/save_...ing_sparkplugs/

....im not particularly game enough to try it out myself as it looks a lil el'cheapo, but im sure there's spark plugs out there that are already like that if it is indeed a proven "style" of plug.

Discuss

[RB30-POWER]

the idea is sound in respect to the electrode and tip having the potential to disturb gases around the spark plug firing point in the combustion chamber, its the reason most manufacturers do not recommend spark plugs with multiple tips (usually 2 or 4) around the electrode. (good for plug service life but not performance or economy related to spark because they effectively shroud the spark)

once you cut the tip off, you would loose the iridium or platinum plate on the tip also if this is the type of plug you were using and result would be faster wear rates.

longterm because the electrode tip is flat, wide and designed for a tip directly above it, your making it now jump from one side, it would wear rather quickly and become effectively a wider gap much sooner then if it was left as designed. (the plugs that do jump to the side have multiple tips, so would allow better wear, but the issue as originally said, shrouded spark)

the iridium ix or denso iridium power plugs now have smaller electrodes, v shape tips and tapered tips all to assist in spark performance but still offer a good service life, so to go and try backjard hack jobs would not be worth the tradeoffs IMHO.

[mid life crisis]

i think there would be more gains to be had by using indexing washers myself . you can already buy plugs without the earthing shroud over the plug we use them on out outboards to stop fouling

[RB30-POWER]

zoom tried that a few years back on a couple of cars with various power outputs, one was a gtr from memory, indexing the plugs made zippo difference in power and torque when back to back dyno tested.

[GTR32GUS]

I done this and got an extra 50 kw and used half as much fuel

the way ppl carry on about spark plugs is a joke , a bigger spark is going to get me more power yeah right

[SECURITY]

  GTR32GUS said:

I done this and got an extra 50 kw and used half as much fuel

the way ppl carry on about spark plugs is a joke , a bigger spark is going to get me more power yeah right

ofcorse a bigger spark is going to get you more power. why do you think that running the biggest possible gap in your spark plugs is ideal?

the more fuel you ignite when the spark plug goes off the quicker it will burn the rest of it in the combustion chamber, then the quicker it will push the piston into rotation, which in turn increases your power. you're essentially igniting the greatest amount of fuel before the exhaust valve opens. the quicker thats done, the better.

[r32woohoo]

  SECURITY said:

ofcorse a bigger spark is going to get you more power. why do you think that running the biggest possible gap in your spark plugs is ideal?

the more fuel you ignite when the spark plug goes off the quicker it will burn the rest of it in the combustion chamber, then the quicker it will push the piston into rotation, which in turn increases your power. you're essentially igniting the greatest amount of fuel before the exhaust valve opens. the quicker thats done, the better.

[GTR32GUS]

  SECURITY said:

ofcorse a bigger spark is going to get you more power. why do you think that running the biggest possible gap in your spark plugs is ideal?

the more fuel you ignite when the spark plug goes off the quicker it will burn the rest of it in the combustion chamber, then the quicker it will push the piston into rotation, which in turn increases your power. you're essentially igniting the greatest amount of fuel before the exhaust valve opens. the quicker thats done, the better.

Fuel isn`t hard to burn as long as the plug has spark it will burn , if i got my plugs gapped at 0.8mm then re-gap them to 1.1mm can u look me in the eye and say that i will make ball loads more power

if u can show me a dyno sheet with your power gains after "side gapping" your plugs i will admit im a fool

What u wrote is right but i just dont think i 1/1000 of a bee dick better is worth going on about , just gap your plugs to what nissan say

[-_-StRyDeR-_-]

you wont get "more power" with a bigger spark, but you will get a cleaner, much faster burn. SECURITY was spot on with it, but the gains that you would see would more be better fuel economy over more power.

[rob82]

Makes you wonder what type of plugs and what gap they will run in stratified charge mode with the new DI petrol engines coming out. The bigger the gap the better in any cylinder condition - as long as you can still ionise the gap it really helps in lean conditions. We picked up around 50awkw in a 400awkw subie going CDI - mind you we were really at the absolute limit of the standard subie coils and there was occasionally a missfire.

[GeeTR]

CDI and MSD setups aren't used to keep help u tune into 103.9 Country Classics

As rob said, in times when gap ionization is hard, big boost, lean mixtures, rich mixtures (cold start), low intake charge velocity, WI - i would think achieving the filthiest ball of un shrouded plasma one can muster, would be an advantage. Under normal / lower power figures though; i wouldn't have thought it would make much of a diff, which coincides with testing.

I'm sticking it in my "interweb redneck mod" folder, till i see a single setup that makes MORE power and uses LESS fuel in normal operating conditions, read - "not used to fix an underlying issue"

Edited November 11, 2007 by GeeTR

[grigor]

I'm old enough to remember air travel in DC3's.

On take off, they'd hold the plane on the brakes and rev up the each engine, earth out each magneto and note the RPM drop from running on single ingition.

The pilot noted the power loss from running on 1-mag V's 2 and so long as the RPM drop was within specs, the engine was ready to go.

Twin plug ignition isn't just for safety, the extra power when both magnetos are firing is audible to any air traveller.

You need good spark to make power.

[daisu]

I wouldn't try it with expensive plugs (iridium/platinum) but I reckon it'd be worth a shot with cheaper copper plugs, for experimentation.