Do Colder Spark Plugs Make More Power?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ม.ค. 2018
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Trying out the new GoPro Hero 5 and decided to answer a viewer question about colder spark plugs. Do you need colder spark plugs? Will colder spark plugs give you more power? What do spark plugs actually do? - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
One of the purposes of a spark plug is NOT to pull heat from the combustion chamber. The misconception is that the spark plug is used as a sort of "heat sink" to absorb heat from the combustion chamber. That is not what the spark plug does. The spark plug firing end ceramic is passively heated by burning combustion gases - due to the mere fact that it's right in the fire. Because the ceramic gets hot, and the cylinder head that it's screwed into is a lower temperature, it does naturally dissipate it's heat to the cylinder head. Simple heat transfer - hot to cold. A "hot" heat range spark plug simply has a smaller contact area (between the ceramic and metal shell) to transfer heat thru - so the ceramic stays hotter, longer. A "cold" heat range spark plug has more surface area to transfer heat thru, so the ceramic stays cooler. Under normal operating conditions, the combustion temperature in the cylinder will be completely unchanged when going up or down one heat range. Too far up or down and carbon fouling (too cold) or pre-ignition (too hot) can occur. IN those situations, combustion temperatures can change due to the change in combustion - not because the spark plug "pulled" too much heat or didn't "pull" enough heat from the combustion chamber. It's not the way it works. Also, the temperature range you referred to is actually for the firing end ceramic - not the actual combustion temperatures. That is the normal operating temperature range of the spark plug. Actual flame temperatures are hotter. Unfortunately, there is a lot of bad information out there. Just trying to help.
This video actually helped out. I'm running one step colder (tuner advised) and started getting misfires with barely 1000 miles on them. Warrantied the spark plugs out and ran good for a little bit and started doing the same thing. Just going to go back to factory spark plugs.
Not the plugs its bad advice from fake tuner know nothing
Beautifuly explained, thank you
Thanks man. Great help. Same issues faced after changing to colder plug. Harder cold start, misfiring on cold engine. Initially it performed well as you told. Might be because of perfect gap and new plug. Will switch back to stock soon.
now I know why my car has hiccups at cold start.
Great video 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽 You answered all my questions.
Other than bothersome fouling, going too cold will do real damage the engine. Going too hot can and will damage the engine. If your plugs are quickly eroding or even melting the poles, then you need cooler plugs. If pre-ignition is being caused by high plug temperatures, then go cooler; you may hear the knocking or the knock sensors may be signaling your cpu to make changes to reduce knock and thus cutting your power. If plugs are getting too hot, drop 2 ranges. If plugs are wet and/or fouling, then go up one step. Old school and good rules of thumb.
You wrote that either way will damage the engine..
@@greebuh Well, there is that "lesser of two evils" thing. Too low of a heaat range for the plug will foul the plug. Too hot will damage the ceramic and metal and the pre-ignition can damage the engine further.
I noticed by plug gaps open up quite a bit after like 1k miles theyl go from .025 to .030
And at one point one of the electrodes even broke off on a start up they were ngk one step colder
My setup is a 1.6l fiesta st fbo bigger turbo e40 fuel mix 29.45 lbs of boost
Should i go another step colder or go back to stock plugs?
Did you do a video like this for 2 strokes? Bcoz hot n cold plugs really affect 2 stroke performance based on changes in atmospheric temperature.
Nicely done!
I have a 2003 Accord Euro R. Honda recommends ngk 7. I have put ngk 8 which is 1 step colder because no stock for ngk 7.. Unless i went bonkers on top speed, pickup was sluggish. Need a few runs on full throttle to get back in tune. Then i went to a set of used multiple ground copper ngk heat range 7. The good pickup came back. But i dont know whether it is the multiple ground plugs or the oem heat range that pulled back the power.
Does making a gap wider increase heat range and I cannot find anything in the AC Delco plugs
Ok! I have a 350 sbc 10-1 thumpy cam, 750 Dbl pumper Holley! Hei ready to run, Complete brand new everything! Dart block Afr heads Ect! I am using Ngk R5671A-8 Spark plugs, seems to be fouling the plugs black fluffy but not wet plug! I have played with the timing and all adjustments on the carb, and no there are no leaks anywhere! So, was wondering what heat range should I go to hotter or colder?
Decades ago I fouled out plugs on a methanol circle track engine. All we had left was a set of used gas engine plugs so we put em in.
It was like hitting nitrous!
NEVER used Champion race plugs again.
Good Stuff,Great Tips😃👍🏿
What about for a stock lifted truck ?
AFR says stock plugs (hot) can be used up to 9:1 compression, 9:1 to 11:1 one step cold, 11:1 to 13.5:1 two steps cold. When I bought 64 cc aluminum heads for my 350 Chevy which made the compression 9:1. I bought the recommended plugs and I didn't know but they were cold plugs for racing. I drove the car 5 miles, pulled a plug and they were black as coal. Two sets of fouled plugs later I found out I only needed stock, hot plugs..
obviously is an engine is modified for a more bore radius and higher pressure with higher running temperature, it is a good idea to change it for a colder spark plug to prevent autoignition (pre-ignition). colder plugs for an ordinary engine deposits carbon that later turn into hotspots and cause pre-ignition. nice video, thank you.
good job !!!! well done !!!!!!
What about an air cooled harley m8 114 with an upgraded cam?
On my 2 cycle bycicle motor I whent on a cooler plug than the stock one. My performance whent up, though I was not expecting this. I did change the jetting on my carb to be leaner so that the engine run hotter. Maybe I found a comfortable medium.
I could also be that the new plugs fire better than the old ones, was the performance improvements immediate?
Hi, I have raised my cr in my car from 11.0 to 12.0 and where I live there is only low octane fuel. So far the car doesn't seems to knock but do you think I will benefits from a step colder plugs from 6 to 7 ngk ?
What car and what engine/setup do you have? When you say low octane, do you mean 91 only? 12:1 is pretty high for pump gas unless you're GDi, but even that is close to the limit. You would def want to switch to a 1 or 2 step colder plug, but I'd recommend you do some data logging and see if you're knocking or not first. If no knock, then you're probably fine.
Proof positive here, just did software and I was recommended colder plugs, but with ten installed the cold start was so rough, cyclinder 4 misfired constantly. Dropped the stock plugs back in as advised by tuning company and the car behaved very well as performed!😁Thanks, this reinforces that advice
hmmm. I went one step colder per my tuner. rough cold start and same cylinder 4 misfire. lol. bmw btw. wondering if i should go buy and install the stock plugs. already replaced just the cylinder 4 ignition coil myself but the code came back and the car went into limp mode again after i let it idle for 10min.
Liked -very well said !
One thing I have a hypothesis about is on older high mileage vehicles, colder plugs can help a lot, because there's already possibly a lot of carbon buildup on the piston head and cylinder heads, and thus cylinder temperatures will be hotter. Also on cars with timing adjustable via the distributor bolt, you can gain a lot of free power from advanced timing + colder plugs. I think on some older cars, though, that seem to run rich inexplicably and don't rev smooth, it's the carbon build up causing detonation with even stock timing, but then running richer to stop detonation will lead to more carbon build up. I think colder plugs could be a secret weapon to stop and possibly reverse that cycle, as now the car will no longer detonate, and with stichio mix hopefully some carbon will burn off. Just some thoughts, I believe it's an underrated thing to do, and some manufacturers even specify wide heat ranges based on driving patterns. Honda specified NGK 6 on 90s Integras/etc, but said switch to 7 for sustained high speed driving. On some Honda scooters they spec'd from 6-8 depending on usage patterns in the manuals.
colder plugs burn off less carbon so it would be the other way around. If you are burning off carbon the engine will last longer, which would allow a higher mileage vehicle to go for longer.
@@Lodus_musicnice! This is what i thought. Thats why im tring hotter plugs now 👌
Good vid.
Hi, i have a volvo s60 with 1.6cc engine with 150 hp stock, i reprogram the ecu and now i 215 hp 55hp more do i need to go to a colder spark plug?i put hoter instead
Unless you increased boost or raised the compression the stock heat range is correct.
Depends. If you raised compression, increased boost, or went leaner then you need colder spark plugs. A spark plug that is too cold will foul quickly, a spark plug that is too hot can cause pre ignition and severly damage the engine.
I have a 2000 Kawasaki ZX-12R the compression ratio is 12.2 to 1.
I am forced to use 91 octane in California which is sold as premium.
My bike detonates like crazy after I have rode a while as in on the freeway.
When I pull away from a stop in detonates under pulling away from a stop.
At the track I teach at we sell 100 octane Sonoco.
I mix 4 gallons of 91 with 1 gallon of 100 and the pinging goes away.
I have 27,000 miles on the bike and I am the only owner. it is 21 years old.
It gets check my Kawasaki valves are fine and clearance fine.
The bike is 100% stock!
The bike is extremely powerful.
I am using the stock plug “ Heat Range 9”
Would going to a colder spark plug help me?
You have to try and find out by yourself to discover, i think one step colder on iridium plugs wouldn't be bad...just one, each step decreases the temp about 70 degrees Celsius( make-up the convert to F...to see in you way...) inside the chamber
On the bmw 335i twin turbo would it be a good idea to go one step colder?
only if your running e85
Jesus Araujo not yet so what other spark plugs should be good?
Jorge D. Carrillo hell yes we need one step colder on n54 or n55 if you are tuned or more.
I went two steps colder in my 335i n54 im running e40 mix with water methanol injection made a big difference
I went one step colder and smaller gap, along with newer model coils, on FBO and Stage 2 + tune, on an e90 335i. I did it because it was skipping a little whan it was first started and I suspected it was plugs or coils. If I was going to change them, I might as well upgrade to better quality. The new gear does seem to have fixed my skipping issues--Probably just because it is new stuff. I'll have to see if there are long term issues or not. Based on the one step colder per 100 hp, and the quality difference from what I pulled out, I think it was probably the correct choice.
What about when advanced timing?
I got ngk bp5fs as stock but it pings under load. I'm thinking of going bp6fs to prevent the pining will this work for my ford cleveland?
Thanks
Did I miss it? Did you answer the question? Can a colder heat range plug make more power? Assume boost has been added, and the colder heat range plug helps keep cylinder temps slightly cooler.
A colder plug is not going to make any power. When needed, it will allow you to make more power. It's a supporting mod, not a power adder.
@@3point8 makes sense, thanks!
If the spark is old and need to replace yes colder is better when engine hot it start to make boombs
I heard if a Hyundai genesis coupe is ecu tuned should get colder spark plugs.
I heard that there is a God that has a son named Jesus.
and yet we'll never know the true answer to either until it's over 😂😂😂
Seems like _pulstar_ doesn't give much of a fuq 😂 it's 1 or 2... They are like - meh, take any 🤣
Add a low temperature thermostat with it when u wanna go with a cold spark plugs n probably u will need a tune to make it work as it should, well it depends on ur car if it needs it or not
M91: Usually adding a low temp thermostat will cause the engine to become stuck in a warm up mode and run rich because the computer thinks the engine is still cold. Believe it or not, most engines make the most power at 200 degrees F. The factory engineers usually pick the right temp thermostat. Picking the OEM temp range is usually the best way to go. If a car is over heating... it usually needs a bigger radiator. People use those low temp thermostats as a bandade instead of fixing the real problem.
@@fwh79FOXR6 a tune wont fix the problem? B cuz i am going to do a big radiator and strong fans, i want to upgrade the cooling system b cuz am going boosted and i need all the cooling i can get from colder spark plugs to water/methanol injection and of course am going to tune the car to work with the 170 thermostat and get the best of that cold spark plugs
M91: What kind of car are you working on?
@@fwh79FOXR6 mercury marauder 03
What are you planning on using for boost? Blower or turbo?
REST IN PEACE 💫🙏🏾
huh?
PSA: Performance Tuning does NOT include the use of Platinum or Iridium Spark Plugs,
So what if coppers Last only 20,000km when abused, they also don't knock like rare metals with horrible heat conductivity..
They are only meant for Family SUV's which need long service intervals.
Copper plugs in stock heat range perform better than rare metals in 1 step colder
Have a 555 big on methanol NO boost what is a good gap
I got a mustang EcoBoost stock do you think I need colder plugs?
You need different vehicle
colder plug might allow a little bit more air in the engine
but more heat means faster flame propagation
Super grate video thanks. It help me alot maniacal s10 TH-cam.
default spec for my bike is cold spark plug. it's not even a high performance bike wtf.
But cold spark plugs don’t make power if you use a hot spark plug in a high compression engine it won’t dissipate heat and will melt and you don’t want that.
This is so cool! I have been reading about spark plugs and the various types: copper, nickel, platinum and iridium. I didn't know that using a spark plug with a colder heat range would make it hard to start, or make the engine misfire.
I have a 2004 Toyota Corolla. I'm definitely not going to add a turbo charger. It would probably blow up the engine! Back when I was at Western Michigan University, and I had a student job writing computer programs in Dbase 3 Plus, I worked with another student named Peter. He had a Pontiac Sunfire with a turbo charger. One day he told me he had to walk to work, because the turbo charger on his Sunfire seized. I didn't know that if the turbo charger died, you could not drive the car.
He said it was because oil for the engine also circulated through the turbo charger. That was just too much trouble. I remember my dad said, "Every thing you add to a car is something that can break down and give you trouble when you don't need it."
Ha Ha Ha no heat from the cylinder only heat from electrodes
Not bold on. All goes together with other parts and tuning.
How isn't running a fbo gonna benefit you when you install 1 stepped colder plugs, makes no sense. I have a bmw 335i n54 twin turbo with custom "3 chargepipe and bov, catless downpipes, dual cone intake and 7 stepped intercooler. Rule of thumb is every 100 over you upgrade. So around 500hp and up I'd be using 2 stepped colder plugs. I'm at 370hp and it's a must for 1 stepped colder plugs, why would anyone want to run stock plugs on fbo? Makes no sense
Because if you don't need a colder plug, you're just wasting money and pretending that you made a good choice. You need to change when cylinder pressures/temps get to a point where the plug tip is getting too hot. Since you're boosted, cranking up the boost is going to make those conditions happen and it's very likely that you need a step colder at that point. But don't get confused with needing a colder plug to make more power, and a colder plug making more power. It's a supporting mod, not a power adder. Your tune is what made more power, the colder plug simply allowed you to see the full potential from that tune.
The step colder for every 100hp is very basic generalization for people who don't have the ability to actually determine if a colder plug is needed.
Also keep in mind that bolt on's are only making the engine more efficient, which is where the additional power gains come from, but they're not going to increase cylinder pressures or temperatures to a degree of any significance. Boost, timing and fueling are the things that effect cylinder pressures and temperatures.
Yeah but I got a twin turbo engine so it would benefit me
@@GODISGOOD1916 Not unless you've done tuning or upgraded the turbos. What it comes with stock is enough for stock boost / timing.
@@3point8 Wouldn't FBO be considered Tuned, I'm sure it is. Once you Upgrade the Turbos and Outlets after FBO and run MHD stage 2+ you'll need 2 stepped colder plugs. You could use 1 step colder with FBO.