Well guys, The misfire in my car has progressed to a considerable level and the reality hit me that using Iridium plugs was a MISTAKE!

I have been looking at these new E3 plugs. Now I know most people will argue that they are a gimmick and aren't worth the extra price, but TBH I wouldn't mind spending the extra cash since they are the closest design to a side gapped plug I've seen and I don't trust myself to sidegap my own plugs. The question I have is what impact would a nickel plated copper electrode have over a solid copper electrode? I seem to have learned my lesson about going for the fancy materials with the Iridiums so I am just trying to get an opinion.

 

Also, what part number would you guys recommend for the plugs (You can just give an AC part number and I can reference it to the E3 part number) for a relatively stock 305 TPI.

The car does have headerback exhaust (Are there any clearance issues with E3 when used with headers?) some flow modifications done to the intake as well as a few other mods, but nothing serious enough to affect spark plug running temp such as compression ratio or FI or Nitrous.

 

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You have GOT to be kidding me.



How is that plug in any way shrouded compared to a normal spark plug where the electrode is directly covered.

And no offense to you, but this whole deal with not being able to get a straight answer is getting really annoying. I went with Iridiums because several people here swore by them, and now I have a car that could be a suitable replacement for a vibrator. Doing a little deeper research, I find out that the ONLY reason platinum and Iridium plugs are used is because they last longer, but actually have a MUCH lower conductivity than copper and foul up extremely easy to boot. 30,000 miles is plenty of time to enjoy plugs before It's time for a change. It seems everyone here has an opinion but no one has a fact.

Can I please get someone who has a FACT!?

 

I just ordered a set of the E3 plugs. Should be here tomarrow. I will see how they are.

 

Just get some regular old AC delco plugs and forget all that gimmick nonsense because thats all those E3 plugs are. They've been making plugs like that or similar to since the 30's, and the ones that are still constantly around and in use are the tried and true normal old school stuff.

The original number should be on the sticker on your car, but IIRC the 85 TPI used R45TS. I'd go with a R43TS or R44TS myself.

 

Well heres the thing. Reading around different forums It's been proven that side gapped plugs do offer (albeit small) a increase in efficiency. Looking at the E3 design these look very similar to the sidegapped concept. Since I don't yet trust myself to do something like grind and gap my own plugs, I wouldn't mind trying out a set. I know for the most part these plugs are a gimmick, but to a certain extent I'd say that they are probably the best of all gimmicky plugs.

I was just trying to see what impact nickel plated copper would have over regular solid copper.

BTW, why would you recommend going a step or two colder over stock? (Or did I interpret that wrong and your saying to go a step hotter?)

 

what exactly are you grinding on a spark plug ?????????????
I have never used anything but a set of feeler gauges on plugs

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but as my auto shop teacher puts it, electricity is lazy, it only works as hard as it has to, so it always takes the shortest route to the center electrode. So I'm not sure if using different elements inside the spark plug makes a difference, according to what firedemon said platinum, though much more expensive than copper (the element), is actually less conductive. But where these E3 plugs do have an advantage, along with other multiple side electrode plugs, is their longevity. Because they have mulitple electrodes to travel from, when the primary shortest electrode they travel along becomes "out of gap" it travels along the next shortest electrode, and so on, until the time has come to probably change the plugs. That's personally the only benefit I see in getting E3 spark plugs, maybe an advocate for the E3's can enlighten me on any other benefits they have experienced. But yeah, the only real benefit I can see is in maintenence.

 

you hit it on the head.
instead of only having one route to the electrode, there are three... when one goes bad, it picks the next one.
a larger gap takes more voltage to gap, but gives a bigger spark. unfortunately, most of us cant supply a bazillion volts, so the gap is pretty much set where it is. longer gaps on low voltage create an erratic spark or no spark.

since i hate changing plugs, i usually just get the best standard electrode plugs i can and keep my engine running right.
IMO the fancy multiple electrode plugs are a gimmick, but who knows. they may be on to something after all

 

gotta make their money somehow though right?

 

I think everyone is missing my point completely. I'm not interested in these plugs because of their multiple side electrodes. If that was the case, I'd waste my money on a set of BOSCH +4's. What draws me to these plugs is the center electrode doesn't have the outer electrode sitting directly over it resulting in a "side gapped" plug.

 

Its not side gapped. The flame front from where the spark travels to where it ends is still blocked from the chamber no matter how you look at it, because that center piece almost completely surrounds the electrode.

 

Hmmm. That is something to think about. But back to my original question. No matter which plug I go with what is the difference between solid copper and nickel plated copper. Gimmick? Why?

 

i have to say its a Gimmick with the whole nickel thing, just using big words to impress nimwits into buying them, o these look cool and have a sweet name, i have the ACCEL headers plugs, they are copper, i gapped them myself and are U-Grooved whatever that does, does but some delco's and be done with it.

 

Quote:

platinum, though much more expensive than copper (the element), is actually less conductive

True.

However ignition voltage is hi with low current.

Therefore the levels we are dealing with doesn’t matter.

If you’re talking street cars, you WANT resistance.

If you’re modified you might want to use solid core depending on the level of mods.

But for stock or warmed over’s one usually uses resistor wires and resistor plugs.

A resistor plug has thousands of Ω.

Resistor wires have thousands of Ω/foot.

The resistance added VIA platinum to a plug is a tiny fraction of 1 Ω.

Platinum plugs have their tips PLATED with platinum so they last longer.

In a street car you could use pencil “lead” for the tip of a plug if it wouldn’t melt/shatter.

 

Was looking around the NGK site and found these:

http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/product...g.asp?mode=nml



Looks pretty much like the design I was looking for, but would these even be usable in a street car? Sorry for my noobishness, but I'm having trouble making sense of the parts catalog...

 

The nickel plating is there to produce longer plug life. The cage will shroude the spark. Side gapped plugs are great for nitrious engines not needed for the street. I recomend AC or Autolight standard copper plugs gapped to .40. The spark will take the path of least resistance. If the gap is to wide the spark will jump else where. 2cents

 

Interesting. Think I will start a new thread on this...

 

when you see copper mentioned in relation to spark plugs, they are not talking about the part of the electrode you can see. they are talking about the core of the plug.
if the exposed part of the electrodes were made of copper, the plugs wouldn't last more than a few minutes.

a few weeks ago i pulled those E3 plugs out of 2 cars owned by the same customer.
one ford, one a Chevy.
both cars had run problems with the MIL on, code P0300 multiple cylinder misfire.
misfire history on the Chevy showed misfires on all cylinders.
the ford got a set of motorcraft plugs, the Chevy got a set of A/C Delcos.
cleared the codes and no more problems.
i see the same problems from bosch and NGK plugs that get put in Chevys.
the fact is, if i have a Chevy come in with a run problem that does not have Delco plugs, they are the first thing i change.

use a set of plain Delcos and you'll be fine.
if your motor is in good condition they'll go 50.000+ miles with no problem.

 

If my memory serves me correctly, the gap on the spark plug faces the piston when installed. The shroud is up toward the top of the combustion chamber. I think this was one point he was trying to figure out earlier. A single shrouded plug has almost 360* of unrestricted view of the combustion chamber. It makes a difference. An AC delco plug will give you the best results hands down.