Caretaker

I put NGK Iridium IX max sparkplugs today in my Sport20. Anyone has experience with those?

I feel it accelerates faster than before around 5500 RPM. Might be the placebo effect, so this is why I'd like to hear your impression.

Tomorrow, I'm putting the Autoexe Sport plug cables..that should be nice..they are 9mm in diameter vs 5 mm for the stock cables.

I'll keep you posted.

CT

hihoslva

It's placebo.

You won't get a "bigger" spark without more energy from the coils. Fancy plugs and wires don't do that.

Would extra thick wiring in your walls and some expensive platinum wall plug make your blender run faster?

Besides, you can't really take advantage of more spark (even if you were getting it) without more air/fuel, too.

~HH

Caretaker

well the Iridium electrode is 0.6 mm only so indeed according to the theory u will have more energy per surface and therefore, yes, a bigger spark.

A bigger spark means you burn completely the air-gas mixture, potentially increasing fuel economy and power. I am not saying it is huge but it maybe can be felt.

take a look at these dyno scores with iridium sparkplugs

If you look at your Protege, you will see a return hose that serves to burn again the fuel that could not be burned completely. Makers do that to decrease emissions, but this decreases power. Some people cut this loop hose for additionnal power.

Caretaker

I posted a series of pictures of the Iridium sparkplugs/AutoExe plug cord installation:

click here to see it

As for the impression, quite surprised! I tested the Iridium sparkplugs alone and after with the 9mm triple wire cord, and it is easy to notice the difference. Tests were done on the same day (morning), 1-hour interval.

I did not do a dyno but I drove the same distance (from 0km/h) 3 times before and 3 times after the changes and recorded the top speed at the finish line.

average before: 134 km/h
average after: 140 km/h

So I believe it makes a difference. The car has manual transmission and was changing gears around 6000 RPM

Tom Slick

actually neither of you are correct.
the coil only generates enough spark to jump the gap at the plug. you could have a 100,000 volt monster coil and with fresh plugs and wires and stock compression it would only produce 20,000 volts because that is all that is needed to jump the gap. if you had high compression and fouled plugs with bad wires then your coil will produce more voltage because the electricity would have a harder time making it's way past the gap to ground.

a smaller electrode actually makes it easier for the electricity to jump the gap. it is easier for electricity to jump from a sharp surface than a rounded one. it actually reduces the amount of *energy* needed for the electricity to jump the gap.
small electrode plugs are nothing new. NGK developed them in the 70's for motorcycles with weak magneto electrical systems because they had a hard time making a good spark with a normal electrode. the problem was the they were not very durable until iridium came along. bosch platnium plugs have a very small center electrode also, it is just shrouded by the insulator. the only benefit of the iridium is the same as platinum, longevity. that is why they are recommended for turbo cars which have a habit of eating plugs.

even NGK claims that a spark plug by itself cannot make more HP, only the proper plug for it's application will be the most effecient.

Caretaker

Well NGK do claim improvement during acceleration and better fuel consumption:

Tom Slick

take a look at NGK's website
if you were to gain .02% in hp and fuel economy you could claim that there was an improvement, the amount gained would be insignificant though.
every plug maker claims their plugs improve acceleration and fuel economy.
even if these plugs did give you some power is would be so small you butt dyno wouldn't be able to tell.

Caretaker

Well I saw that. Maybe we could all buy those plugs and sue them for false advertisement :-)

Here are 5 dyno results with Denso iridium plugs:

click here to see the dynos with iridium plugs

Anyway, I believe it improved performance because I tested it myself. So you can't convince me it doesn't do anything. It may not provide the same effect in all cars, so NGK is not claiming it on the webpage to avoid lawsuits.

kamkiss

I know when i put Bosch Platinum+4 in my Nissan Altima SE (2.4L Automatic) I noticed a difference in acceleration and gas mileage... smoking the tires instead of squeaking them (when stompin' on it) and an extra .6 mpg city, almost double that on highway... so there is an effect... but it hink it was with finding the right plug for the car.

But i have no dyno charts, just how it felt

I noticed nothing when I did the wiring upgrade. The plugs did it. Granted they are the +4 stylr with 4 electrodes... and I prolly would never put them in my MP5 since it's soooooo hot (Platinum has a problem with very high heat and this engine seems to run hotter).

I'm a huge Bosch fan... great parts in general!

What come standard in the P5? Platiunum or not... the dealer said they were standard.