Iridium and Platinum tipped spark plugs Do not gap Do not clean Do not remove The only “maintenance” is replacement. If this step is not done the burrs could heat up until they glow red hot causing detonation. Thus the gap remains constant through the plugs entire life. Remove your spark plugs from the engine or if they are brand new take them out. Wrap Pliers with Tape Grip the ground electrode with the needle nose pliers between where the ground electrode is fused to the spark plug thread and the center electrode. Always use a special spark plug gapping tool to change the gap. Are you really so desperate for 1% increase in horsepower (maybe with a plug) in your car which you can't detect anyway unless on a drag strip and at full throttle and worse MPG? You would have to increase the power to the plug in order for the spark to be able to cross the increased gap. on Introduction. Check out the plugs on this page for an extreme version of this plug mod. The Ethanol they put in our fuels is more harmful to our cars, especially older ones which were never meant to run it, which is why Ethanol is limited to 10-15%, and why there are Flex Fuel E85 (85% gas/15%Ethanol) designed vehicles. Cutting the ground electrode gives you a smaller area for the spark to jump to eliminating reliability. I just wanted to be sure. 6pcs Laser Iridium Spark Plugs PLFR5A11 22401-5M015 for Infiniti FX35 G35 Nissan. The air-fuel mixture has a much higher resistance than the metal of the electrodes so making the gap larger makes the resistance that much more. https://www.hotrod.com/articles/does-side-gapping-spark-plugs-work I changed the gap back to factory specs. Had it in the dealer and asked them to check the fuel system while it was in there and they said there was nothing wrong with it. 6 NEW OE NISSAN ALTIMA MURANO XTERRA PATHFINDER MAXIMA VQ35DE VQ40DE SPARK PLUGS ... NEW 4 X 22401-JD01B FXE20HR11 Iridium Spark Plugs For Nissan Altima NV200 Sentra. He said his mpg went up 6mpg and said it seemed a lot smoother. $19.76. $17.28. Lastly, I googled "Top Fuel spark plug size comparison" and could not really find any major differences compared to your standard engine. 5oz to 10 gallons. While a coin-style tool can be used in a pinch, albeit cautiously, it is far too easy to damage the iridium or platinum metals, which decreases the lifespan of the plug. Iridium spark plugs have extremely fine electrodes while retaining excellent wear characteristics. This means that the smaller area you mentioned actually makes for a better spark. Spark plugs wear out over time as … the flame created will now be able to spread faster resulting in a more efficient burn before the exhaust valve opens. If you have good air/fuel mixture in your cylinder the spark obviously still ignites it from any angle if your engine is functioning properly. Speaking of different fuels racers use and additives like the guy who mentioned acetone, the cost of fuel is directly related to your MPG cost everyone is talking about. 12 years ago Example: manufacture setting 0.035" - 0.010" = 0.025". $15.99. You want the ground electrode to end where the spark plug's center piece begins. You need a feeler gauge to gap your spark plugs properly. A Top Fuel racer is using a MUCH more powerful spark, completely different fuel and may use 11.2 gallons per second which is the same as a 747 plane. When running your automobile and the plugs always seem to be black and oily when you check them, they are fouling because your engine is either burning a lot of oil, or your mixture is too rich, or because you need to be running "hotter" spark plugs. This may be for combustion chamber design as in the case of a rotary engine, or a surface gap design as used in leaner air/fuel ratio’s on industrial engines. Because to reduce pollutant emissions you have to have a not too good combustion like Guy Martin (TT champion and mechanic) explained in one of his videos. It's more than a 100 years later and it's still being used....So There! 4 years ago. That's another thing about the American way: you can have your opinion, you can state it as loudly as you like, and all Americans band together to protect your right to do so. After all the burrs are removed you must set the gap. Free shipping . The spark plug is the life source in an engine. All four of the removed plugs had a .040" gap. Free shipping . Assuming the preset gap is too small, wrap one side of a pair of needle nose pliers with electrical tape to prevent damage to the spark plug when gapping. --------------------------------------------------------------. Keeping it dry CREATES a much bigger, nastier scar and delays the healing process by at least 40%. In this case, you do not necessarily have to buy new plugs. I also have to note if you side gap your plugs it's best to index them also. Then using a feeler gauge of the correct thickness insert it at a 45* angle to check and adjust as necessary until the gap is correctly set. $16.80. Can this be applied in a motorcycle sir ? Didn't mean to change the subject. Follow the money, auto companies and oil companies have the same board of directors or related ones. NGK Iridium IX BPR5EIX-11 $21.75 each Normal spark plugs can be more readily changed, leaving fresh new plugs during your engine's opera-tion more of the time than with the costly iridium plugs. To learn more, please google basic electrical theory and how spark plugs work. DENSO spark plugs are manufactured with a pre-set gap. The center alloys with iridium, and a special U-shaped groove is made on the sides, but not alloyed. NGK: Still ran ok though. If it didn't work then nobody would have continued doing it. As ZakC2 mentioned, dirty, fouled plugs may not be as efficient having a weaker spark. Newer plugs are proven to burn better because they are producing a bigger (fatter), hotter spark. After the burrs are removed you will want to use some alcohol or starting fluid to thoroughly clean the plug to make sure there are no metal filings left. My reference to the Superbowl was, of course, a metaphor. Also a buddy of mine tried it on his Dodge pickup with I think it's a 5.7 hemi. Some engine designs require the spark plugs have the ground electrode placed to the side of the center electrode rather than below as on a traditional plug. Just throwin that in to see if anybody's ever tried that? Also the long-life electrodes in the street plugs is designed for longevity. You need to be careful not to hit the center electrode or the porcelain. Fine iridium tip ensures high durability and a consistently stable spark; Trivalent metal plating for superior anti-corrosion and anti-seizing properties Iridium spark plugs feature a fine wire center electrode that is designed to conduct electrical energy better and increase firing efficiency. 5 years ago Not necessarily, commercials(especially those showcased during the superbowl) are dictated by trends and marketing plans. If anything, increasing the gap would theoretically increase the speed of the burn because you're igniting more fuel initially vs a shorter spark. We base our decisions on hard facts - not just because someone claims it works and its being done by everbody ;-). Ever try 100% pure acetone? Genuine Nissan Value Advantage Hybrid 20" Side Mount Wiper Blade. By doing it yourself you can use a cheap .99 cent plug to save money and increase horsepower. Every car manufacturer uses different spark gaps and levels of spark energy. I would think a side gap would wear the smaller corner of the spark plug electrode faster needing more adjustment and replacement more often. I think you may have misread the article you cited. 3. Iridium’s extremely high melting point is perfectly suited to today’s high-temperature engines, delivering outstanding acceleration, fuel efficiency and durability. Side gapping has been used going back to the First Days of Indy Racing. But as the "chosen" electrode wears (from more use than the others), its gap will widen, causing one of the unused (or less used) electrodes to become the "chosen" one by default. Your HP is measured at full throttle, worst MPG and "perfect" conditions, new and at sea level. Reply Share it with us! Tis the season for tune-ups, my friends! Importance of the Spark Plug Gap When replacing spark plugs, ensuring that the plugs have the proper gap is critical to engine performance. Do not change the gap on platinum, iridium or twin tip spark plugs, as the fine electrodes may get damaged. There is just too much to say about what to do to your spark plugs. Ever read on an ER direction sheet to keep your stitches "clean and dry" - absolute worst thing to do for any wound!! First, a smaller center electrode requires less voltage to jump the gap. Reply 3 years ago, I had a bid problem with my turboed 98 Yam R1 could just not get it to cold start had to send propane gas into the turbo and even so...So finally I found the solution, took out the resistances from the sparkplug caps (20 Kohms...!! I first heard of "Side Gapping" spark plugs here on this forum, it made sense to me so I tried it on a fresh set of plugs. The old plugs had 38552 miles on them. I like consistency. To use a file to remove any burrs left from cutting the ground electrode exposes more of the cu. Change the gap look closely at the plug who comes up with a gap of.028 '' better. 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