RoAdsZ24

After installing my CAI and catback, the car would sputter at higher rpms. It can be very well described as a hickup at around 4800 - 5000 rpms. I tried disconnecting the battery a few times so the car could "re-learn" the new air flow but this did not help.

My deaper search into the problem revealed that I might be getting spark plug blow out with the faster moving air. With my mods I found that a strange problem, but decided to go with the NGK BKR7E pluge with a smaller gap and one step colder. I know that with my mods I did not need to go one step colder, but i am planning to stage the car and more in the future and it would not hurt anything in the mean time.

Anyway, I install the new plugs and she fires right up. I have been driving with the new plugs for about a month now and have noticed a few things.

First, my gas mileage has increased to over 31 miles per gallon and I am not driving any different than before. Not relying on the in-dash reading, this was calculated based on actual mileage. Not bad!! And it feels like it has a little more zip than the old plugs.

Second, I noticed that the car is running about 10 degrees hotter than it has run in the past. Usually hovers right arount 180 and 185 when it is hot out. Now it is steady between 190 and 200. Is this normal with colder plugs? Does not make sense to me.

rnjmur

When you run colder plugs alot of time it will increase your coolant tempuratures. It does this because the spark plug is pulling more heat from the combustion chamber and transfering it to the coolant, thus causing the coolant to run hotter. With that said, are you noticing the higher temps more at idle or while moving? I never see above 190 when moving and that is only on days that are close to 100 or higher.

RoAdsZ24

190 is moving. when i am standing still in traffic it will easily to over 200. Last week i even saw 220!!! I never saw anything that high before but the car runs stronger than ever. I understand that this is still in the normal operating range, i am only concerned because it is not the norm for my car.

rnjmur

It is fine. The fans don't kick on until 223 degrees, and they don't kick on to high speed until 230 degrees. It is perfectly normal to hit 230 degrees in the summer. My car used to hit 230 degrees everyday when driving in traffic. I used HPTuners to change my fans to kick on at 207, so it never gets hotter then that anymore.