Base91

iTrader: (1)

Has anyone tried the Pulstar spark plug replacement? I read a leaflet about them and it's a plug with a built in capacitor that's supposed to give a much bigger, faster spark than standard plugs. They claim more power and better gas mileage. Anyone used them and seen any difference?

InjectorsPlus

iTrader: (1)

I'm skeptical.

MustangTamer

iTrader: (1)

ive seen them, there like 50 bucks for one of them right? imo i wouldnt waste money on them. if you have 450 bucks then buy a real mod like a good set of headers or a cam. just my opinion though.

InjectorsPlus

iTrader: (1)

NO kidding. I wouldn't even waste money on those four electrode plugs, Iridium, etc.....

Basic AC Delco, NGK, Bosh, whatever will work just fine.

Base91

iTrader: (1)

$50 each??? I didn't even look at the price. I'll pass.

Guest

How is it going to accomplish a bigger or 'faster' spark with a cap? There's no flow of electricity to the plug until its released by the coil, and the intent is when its sent the plug fires so the plug has 0 time to store and release energy. Its pure BS devised to lighten your wallet.

dans89

sounds like a load of crap to me. just like when the E3 "diamond fire" plugs came out. ill just stick with some delco or autolites. thats all my car wants/needs.

TorqueWolf

Seriously buy a MSD setup you will have by far more ignition power than you can feasibly use. Seriously thos things look like ball lightning firing in your engine. you cant get any more ignited than already on fire =p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWOEV...eature=related

Base91

iTrader: (1)

But they have such nice pictures and graphs and everything! And they seem so honest and enthusiastic. I'm concerned the California government (or CARB) will madate them to improve our gas mileage and get us of foreign oil. Don't laugh.

zed

CARB cannot mandate changing anything more than stock, the specs to meet CARB regs are set when a car is new and they can be dropped, but not tightened. So if your car came with cheap AC Delco plugs then anything meeting the same specs or better are fine.

dimented24x7

iTrader: (2)

To play devils advocate: There is a grain of truth in the capacitor part, in that theyre not current conserving like a coil is, but instead are voltage conserving. The capacitor is charged, and once the voltage gets to the point where it can jump the gap, the capacitor will deliver a shorter burst of higher current as it tries to maintain the voltage. The downside is that it likely delays the spark as the capacitor stores the current while the voltage builds to the point where it can jump the gap after the coil collapses, so it could delay the ignition as the spark plug will fire later since the cap has to be charged. That could screw with the advance and make it harder to gauge what the actual spark advance is as the plug now has a capcitive element in it.

They show as 10-13 dollars on their site. A bit spendy for a spark plug.

Base91

iTrader: (1)

That's what you'd think but their leaflet claims the spark propagates faster and larger than a standard plug. I'm doubtful about the return on the outlay. That's a lot of money for a set of plugs.

dimented24x7

iTrader: (2)

Heres someone screwing around with one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYh_q...eature=related

Id be interested in seeing high speed footage of a standard and pulstar firing together to see what the spark actually looks like, and how much the plug delays it.

dimented24x7

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, I dont think it would make much of a difference on a good ignition system. All the spark plug really has to do is kick off the combustion kernal. If a standard plug does it just fine, then a hotter spark probably wont help much since its job is done once the kernal is established.

As for the claim, it is factual in that capacitors will deliver a fast pulse of current as they're not current conserving like a coil. But again, I dont think youd see much difference out here in meatspace.

Base91

iTrader: (1)

I suppose it's one more 'outer limit' items if you've got the money and everything else has been done.

J91

$50 each! Ha! If they worked everyone would use them, buy an MSD setup, they work, everyone uses them.... I know this first hand...

InjectorsPlus

iTrader: (1)

You knew where this was going when he talked about "weak little spark"....

The question is...once the fuel is burned, what's the point? Sigh...gimmicks.

Lots of videos of people trying to justify getting ripped off for a sparkplug.

Snake oil!

J91

So do politicians, televangelists , and conmen!

91phoenix

iTrader: (5)

And just for the sake of arguement, remember the claims of the Splitfire Plugs for better fuel mileage? Talk to a real mechanic and they would tell you that the fuel mileage gains are the same as expected if you put in any good set of plugs new. So what that means is that you only heard one sides claims. What about what can be said for regular new plugs. The tests have been done.
MSD works by giving a hotter spark for a longer time. No spark plug alone can not do that.

jharrison5

I put a set of E3 plugs in my pickup in the spring and have gained 3mpg on average driving around town. Now granted I'm still only getting 16mpg in town but that is in a full size pickup with a V8. I paid $5 per plug for the E3 versus $2 for the standard ones. For $12 extra bucks I will stick with the better mpg and power.

Also to pay $50 per plug is absolutely nuts!

dimented24x7

iTrader: (2)

That guy in the video didnt work for them. It does appear that they offer a stronger spark. But, it goes without saying that spark is one of those diminishing marginal returns things. I can say from experience that a weak ignition will absolutely cripple a motor. Before I had my newer vortec ignition, I had the older stock CC HEI stuff, which generally sucked due to its design. The difference between the two is night and day. But the new vortec ignition already offers a spark comparable to what they show in their ads there, so it likely wouldnt help to make it much stronger current wise.

Id still like to pay the 10 bucks for one and hook up an inductive pickup to a scope and see what it looks like compared to a standard plug, and see how much of a difference there is. Hooking a high voltage capacitor inline with a spark generating coil will increase the "bang" you get out of it, provided the capacitor can reach the break-down voltage, so the basis is sound. But, would it really help with a good ignition, and would it have any unintended consequences with some of the newer digital systems.

Edit: If you read the comments in the video, the guy did mention that the capacitor in the base of the insulator makes them very delicate, and they seem to be prone to snapping at the base as the insulator is no longer solid like a regular plug. That alone would make me not use them, especually with headers and such.

bigdaddyvu

I just replace my plugs in my 87 iroc with pulstar cb1i iridium. also replaced cap and rotor and wires with an addition to an msd coil. I have prevously installed be1i in my toyota made a huge differance. The differance i found in my iroc was idle and throttle responce. Easy start ups (barely crank the key and it starts), smooth idle, no rich smelling exhaust. i do fell abit more power.

dollar for dollar.

Pulstar plugs are great for stock applications if your not going with a sparkbox (msd)

I believe if you just install a MSD box which is a capacitor Discharge and a set of iridium plugs like the bosch fusion or any other brand would be more effective.

84CAMARO28inFL

Dude, i used to live in Columbus, Ohio. North 4th st,
at Wyandotte, then the Hood "West Broad St!"

As to MSD.. how much do they run for the 2.8? And which spark plugs are good, if they do "Need changed" along with Coil, Cap, Dist, Rotor?

Also 8mm wires, not 7mm.. i know this

FL Now. No snow. Burnout, country car city!

3rdgenmaro

iTrader: (9)

You dont need a msd box. And just use ACDelco stock replacement parts.