So I changed my plugs today, no big deal. I've done plugs many times on my cars, gf's car, etc., i'm not a newb to changing them. One thing that i've always noticed though is that when you take an old plug out, and the electrodes are worn out, the gap is always crazy big. like .042 - .045. but after changing the plugs, there's no noticeable difference in the way the engine runs. (unless there was a bad or damaged plug of course) that being said, if the proper gap for my car is .037, which is what i gap them to, but the ones i took out like always are wore down, and the gap is right around .045., why do we so tediously gap the plugs to a difference of sometimes 1/100th of a milimeter? how can it make a difference between .039 (stock gap for an 05 2.0) and .037? is there really a difference, but it just cant be felt or is there something else to it? maybe it's just picked up on a scan guage, but the difference is so slight you can't actually feel it? who knows, but anyone that knows more about this feel free to chime in.

 

hmmm interested.

 

i dont deal with gapping...iridium FTW

 

Copper's FTW

 

honestly, i dont see how gap does that much. i mean i could see it if it was too smal and not exposing enough spark to ignite, or if it was too big and the current just wasnt jumping.....i guess gap determines the optimal distance so the ohms of the air it is jumping through dont lessen the charge to the point where it will not ingine the fuel....idk, just guessin here

 

plugs play a huge roll in the blue-print/power of the motor.. most people do not realize this and dont even think about it.. but do some research and you will see... plug gaps/types/heat range can have an effect as big as a cam swap

agreed.. copper > *

 

if it has that big of an effect, how can i not notice an almost 10% difference in the size of a gap after the plugs are changed?

 

this is because u dont sit in ur car with hpt and log all day everyday, everytime ur in ur car...for those of us that do this and push our cars to the limit and watch every second for knock and do maf tuning everynight..u can see the difference..but running a stg tune isnt going to allow u to feel the difference on plugs....(this isnt a bash on u)

 

it not as simple as just look and replace like most parts.. thats also why nobody really does anything with plugs but gap and replace.. and i dont see you getting **** over this.. but get 50x mag glass and look at your plug.. 7-8 different areas of the plug will tell you what you need to know and where you can make changes... i mean think about it... air + spark = power... air = we "open" up the car and do this and that for more cfm... but the "spark" side.. what is typical?.. new plugs + gap.. sounds like theres alot more missing to that

nod.. agreed.. unless you tuning.. your not going to see the difference.. thats why you bust out the 50x lens and start plug reading

 

thanks for the answers guys. and no worries, wasn't taken as a bash. that's the answer i was looking for, is there a difference if you have a scan tool hooked up. thanks again.

 

have pics of the plugs you changed today? high quality zoom in pref

 

when ur pushing to the limit..and ur knock free..then all of a sudden 2 months down the road something is throw ur tune outta wack...time to investigate

 

as the gap getts bigger you will start seeing things abnormal on the gauge. I use iridium and love em even though everyone says copper

 

dont worry ive used both..my baby likes iridium

 

mike at new era is actually using iridiums in his stage kit now cause of how it helped my car

 

nothing is wrong with iridium/platinums and what not.. copper is > * everything else b/c Copper conducts electricity better then those.. however the other plugs will last a little longer...

greater spark > pretty name that last longer

 

much easier to produce a spark with iridium plus it s a much stronger and more durable metal

 

no, i didn't keep them.

 

lol not in my car...my cars a materialistic bitch

 

normal... lol.. ever spot on the plug says something..

the metal hook.. the threads.. top and side and bottom parts of the porcelain ... "normal" means the car runs.. but doesnt mean its running perfect

 

yes, i know that. and they looked like what a plug should look like with normal wear. i said in the first post that i'm not a newb to spark plugs, i just have never logged the differences.

 

not bashing ya man.. but if you dont know how to read a plug.. you dont know what normal wear is... that why i said.. normal wear as in the car runs, what you are use to seeing from typical tune-ups... but the motor is still not optimal..
when i pull a plug.. i dont just look at it and say .. rich or lean.. i READ the plug...
i have seen 40+hp difference on a normal "wear" running plug compared to a "read" plug


car was also blown but just goes to show.. lots of power is hidden in the plugs

yes, everycar..

conductivity is spark.. copper has greater conductivity.. so if a iridium plugs makes your car run better then a Copper plug... then there is something you need to be looking into... maybe not major.. but just enough

 

i have charts that show you all the different parts, what they SHOULD like like, and what they look like if they're not functioning properly. also shows you all the different ways they can look, what caused it, and how to fix it. i don't know it off the top of my head, but i always compare to the pictures and descriptions. so i do "read" the plug. i never said i didn't. you just assumed i didn't for whatever reason.

i appreciate the reply, so don't take it the wrong way. the question was not about the plug itself, it was about what effects the GAP of the plug have.

 

u should scan these charts and post them and will get it stickied...i have something simular but not in any condition to put in my scanner

 

not taking it the wrong way.. i just dont think your really grasping what im telling you when i say "reading"... not look at plug and then look at a plug in a book for comparisions...if your charts showed all these things.. you wouldnt be here asking the question now would you?

guess these charts also show how you can read the Timing(initial and total), right level of octane, heat range, rpm range effiency, gap , a/f ratio... just to name a few

just fyi... to tell how your gab is... look at the VERY tip of the "hook".. what color is it compared to the rest of it... if its lighter.. you have to much gap...

just saying...