Spark Plugs for Newbies

[DaleFredriks]

I see people on here all the time talking about gapping their spark plugs correctly or getting 'one step colder' plugs, and I'm curious for an explanation of how relevant those things should be to me running stock tune with just a few bolt-ons (intake, intercooler), and how I drive (daily car, but fairly heavy canyon duty at least once a week).

 

[gtx3076]

I see people on here all the time talking about gapping their spark plugs correctly or getting 'one step colder' plugs, and I'm curious for an explanation of how relevant those things should be to me running stock tune with just a few bolt-ons (intake, intercooler), and how I drive (daily car, but fairly heavy canyon duty at least once a week).

Not really relevant in my experience. Stock gap or even if they opened a little isn't going to blow your car up.

Some people get a fuzzy feeling from going to stock colders or buying plugs with all sorts of claims, but I haven't seen any conclusive evidence that they do a anything better than the stock plugs do even on a car with several bolt ons.

 

[DaleFredriks]

Stage 1
1.) Tune
2.) Oil Catch Can
3.) Spark Plugs gapped correctly
4.) Drop in Air Filter
5.) Front Mount Intercooler upgrade
6.) Upgraded Rear Motor Mount

^^This is one of the main reasons I ask, this is Ron@whoosh's list taken from a different thread for the first mods you need to do, and I know he has been around the platform for a long time and most people respect his opinion.

 

[DaleFredriks]

And I'm also curious as to fundamentally what gapping your spark plugs does in regards to performance of any sort

 

[gtx3076]

And I'm also curious as to fundamentally what gapping your spark plugs does in regards to performance of any sort

So in my experience speaking very broadly, folks that were running high boost, and high rpm usually ran colder plugs, and gapped them tighter. But these were guys that were running larger turbos, and even had built motors. There's no reason to go wider that stock gap under any circumstances for us.

His list is really just encouraging you to look at your hard parts and make sure your car is in good condition before tuning. Checking the gap on your plugs is just a good opportunity to pull them out and inspect them. If one of them was cracked, or coated in oil you shouldn't be tuning anyway.

 

[vmaxbaby]

With my Shelby once I added a larger blower and started running more boost I went cooler plugs and tightened the gap. This was what all the tuners said to do to keep from blowing out the spark when running high boost. Or 5+ pounds of boost over factory. 8 years later still doing the same and I change my plugs every winter since I run boostane in every tank just in case I would ever get bad gas.

 

[green_henry]

I switched to one-step colder plugs when I bought the E30 tune because the tuner specifically recommended them. Good article here: https://gensportunited.com/need-colder-spark-plugs/

 

[M-Sport fan]

8 years later still doing the same and I change my plugs every winter since I run boostane in every tank just in case I would ever get bad gas.

Are the insulators orange (from running the octane additive) when you change them out each year?

 

[M-Sport fan]

Stage 1
1.) Tune
2.) Oil Catch Can
3.) Spark Plugs gapped correctly
4.) Drop in Air Filter
5.) Front Mount Intercooler upgrade
6.) Upgraded Rear Motor Mount

^^This is one of the main reasons I ask, this is Ron@whoosh's list taken from a different thread for the first mods you need to do, and I know he has been around the platform for a long time and most people respect his opinion.

I guess NOT coming from an import/sport compact background at all (save for the two GTIs I've owned new, a LONG time ago), I just do not; buy into, accept, or even care about the whole 'stages' modding/tuning thing.

The only stages I care about are the special ones run at high speed during the performance rallies I attend and volunteer at, and the ones my favorite music acts stand upon when doing live shows (remember those?), which I hope can happen again some where in the future. LOL

 

[Rocketst]

I'll give my take on this because I'm currently in the process of messing with my spark plugs. My spark plugs at two step colder and stock gap were getting heavy carbon build up on them which told me my car was running too rich. Well when I looked back at the tune the car was actually running fuel within parameters which led me to believe my plugs weren't getting hot enough. I tried jumping to a stock plug and stock gap, same thing carbon build up. Then I went back to the colder plugs tightened the gap to .018 and forgot about it (stock gap is .027). It helped and the film was much lighter. I'm just gapped them to .011 today and gonna ride like that for a while. The gaps pretty tight but I'm not getting any flushed look (whiteness) on plugs or blistering so it's fine the way it is and going tighter will help misfires and fouling on my plugs. I'm currently still learning about plugs too and it can be overwhelming. I'd recommend checking out ngks write up on what plugs can look like and what they should look like cuz it was really informative to me. I am running a built engine, aftermarket cams, and well... Aftermarket everything so I do not recommend someone copy me and say well this guy did it so should be okay. The tightest I'd go on a stock car is .025. the reason people need to check their gap is as the electrode gets used up it widens that gap and this widening of the gap will cause misfires which in turn causes the car to run rich because your dumping raw fuel into the cat which also causes you to burn your cat up and discharge more emissions which will probably throw a code. Too many misfires can have detrimental effects on the longevity of your motor.

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[Rocketst]

Also colder spark plugs are for people making much more hp than stock. 1 step colder is generally good for 100 hp over stock 2 steps 200 hp more so on and so forth. The highest I've seen was a 4 step plug for a supra. They basically move the ceramic on the plug further into the jacket so it can dissipate heat faster.

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[DaleFredriks]

I'll give my take on this because I'm currently in the process of messing with my spark plugs.

Thanks for both of these replies, very helpful for me. My takeaway is there is no reason I should worry about anything with the spark plugs other than checking them periodically unless I've got some HEAVY duty mods on.

 

[DaleFredriks]

I switched to one-step colder plugs when I bought the E30 tune because the tuner specifically recommended them. Good article here: https://gensportunited.com/need-colder-spark-plugs/

Super helpful link, tells me all I need to know as a 'barely modded' owner

 

[the duke]

Thanks for both of these replies, very helpful for me. My takeaway is there is no reason I should worry about anything with the spark plugs other than checking them periodically unless I've got some HEAVY duty mods on.

Correct. Unless running ethanol or significant modifications (New turbo) stick with stock. OEM plugs work great. For what it's worth Mountune recommend changing sparkoplugs every 15K miles or so with the MP215 kit (Similiar to COBB reflash). This is likely way overkill and I've never seen anything worrying when I've performed the R&R at these intervals. They're so cheap and easy I see little reason not to.

Note that DI engines are harder on plugs.

 

[SteveS]

There is so much misinformation about spark plugs out there, and while it's the unknowledgeable enthusiasts passing it around on the internet and amplifying it, the tuners are the ones feeding the cycle to start with. Spark plugs are really simple devices and easy to understand.

Gap is simple to deal with, and the only reason it would be included in Whoosh's stage 1 recommendations is that if somehow plugs got installed with the gap completely off, like someone dropped them and crushed the gap, or they somehow got bent to a really wide gap, then performance will suffer for that cylinder. It's just to make sure they are at the correct gap, and the stock gap is correct.

Heat range is primarily where tuners and internet enthusiasts get way wrapped up over nothing. The rush to put "1 step colder" plugs on all the time is useless and a waste of time and money. You choose heat range of plugs based on the temperatures being reached in the cylinder. The stock heat range has been carefully researched for best plug choice. Changing your air filter element or putting on an aftermarket exhaust isn't going to require a different heat range plug, and changing to a colder plug will net you nothing but wasted time and money, and make it more likely that you will have fouled plugs and have to replace them again. The whole tuning scene results in people thinking they are running too rich when they see the fouled plugs, and so they tune leaner, but that isn't the problem. It's the plugs are too cold, and what they need is stock heat range.

Too high heat range plugs will result in overheating, visible at first on plug inspection, and can ultimately result in the electrode melting. That's not good either, but it will not happen with the simple things most people are doing with their engines.

The web pages on plug manufacturer's websites showing how to determine heat range for plugs are easy to understand, and have been correct for a century. There's a lot of experience, and it's mature technology. It's really simple, and the internet and "tuning" have served to misinform a lot of people. I know I won't convince all those guys out there who swear they can feel the huge difference in performance they got from step colder plugs, but it's just not true. Plugs can't get you "better" performance. Only correct performance.

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^I would much rather have a tuner 'tune around' ANY of the supposed 'negatives' of the factory heat range plugs (on a factory snail/bolt-ons), and 'chance losing' a few peak ponies (IF that is even the case/excuse for the colder plugs), than to have hard starting, and heavily fouled plugs/'loaded-up' combustion chambers, especially with year 'round/cold weather use and short tripping on a turbo DI engine.

 

[vmaxbaby]

Are the insulators orange (from running the octane additive) when you change them out each year?

No they look normal and to be honest changing them once a year might be over kill. Every April or end of March I change the oil and put in fresh plugs.. figure they are cheap enough and nice to have fresh plugs for the summer.

 

[Crv]

Anyone have issues with your spark plug sockets seating correctly-I grabbed a husky spark plug socket and with the little recessed position of the plug it spun immediately-I tried my grey pneumatic and same thing-just wouldn’t sit confidently enough for me to put any force on it, I’m on stock plugs and I know they haven’t been abused or rounded off but I’m not trying to buy every thin wall socket to find one that clears....any suggestions?


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[green_henry]

Anyone have issues with your spark plug sockets seating correctly-I grabbed a husky spark plug socket and with the little recessed position of the plug it spun immediately-I tried my grey pneumatic and same thing-just wouldn’t sit confidently enough for me to put any force on it, I’m on stock plugs and I know they haven’t been abused or rounded off but I’m not trying to buy every thin wall socket to find one that clears....any suggestions?


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This one works great for me: https://www.amazon.com/Sunex-884504...1&keywords=Sunex+884504&qid=1592873454&sr=8-1

 

[jmrtsus]

Correct. Unless running ethanol or significant modifications (New turbo) stick with stock. OEM plugs work great. For what it's worth Mountune recommend changing sparkoplugs every 15K miles or so with the MP215 kit (Similiar to COBB reflash). This is likely way overkill and I've never seen anything worrying when I've performed the R&R at these intervals. They're so cheap and easy I see little reason not to.

Note that DI engines are harder on plugs.

Nothing in the MP215 docs say anything at all about spark plugs period. Mountune web site does not either. They do make a marketing statement under the stock Motorcraft plugs listing that they use stock plugs and change them at 10-12K miles for "best performance" but zero reference to the MP215. When I registered my MP215 with Ford Performance for warranty coverage I asked about any changes Ford Performance suggested like oil, plugs and gas. They said the MP215 was engineered, tested and approved for long term use with zero changes in factory required maintenance or operation of the car. The MP215 had to be transparent in the ST with no changes to operation or maintenance for the end user that would require addendum's to existing manuals. Remember on the ST we already get two manuals and Ford did not want another supplement for the MP-215 if it had changes. It is not accurate to say Mountune "recommended" anything based on the MP215 that deviated from Ford's requirements of stock plugs and intervals of 100K.