Spark plugs - a general question

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challengergary

challengergary

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Okay, maybe I have too much time on my hands today but I was wondering, do the claims that different spark plug manufacturers make really hold up? The way I see it, if you fill a room with atomized flammable gas and then introduce an ignition source to the equation, aren't the explosive results the same? Would it matter if you used a blowtorch to ignite the room or a match? Not really, you'd still have the gas exploding out at the same rate and at the same heat based on the properties of said gas - not of the ignition source. Considering how small a combustion chamber is in an internal combustion engine, would a dual/split fire spark plug make even the slightest difference in the resulting explosion? Or am I an idiot that cannot see the truth in the marketing?

I know that the different brands may have differing levels of durability and that is not what I am asking. I just want to know if when the spark is introduced to the air/fuel mixture, does it make a whole lot of difference?
 
My personal opinion which may be wrong is a plug with one electrode would fire to the side before the whole chamber. The plugs with the three electrodes that come together and have a hole in the center will send the fire down and out filling the chamber faster.
 
I would say there is a difference due to the speed and efficiency of the spark. I doubt that it would be to the point of being noticeable, but it's right up there with gasket matching, plug indexing, maybe not totally noticeable improvements but would probably show something under a controlled situation, i.e.. dyno.
 
The plugs with platinum or iridium electrodes definately last longer because those materials don't erode away as quickly as the relatively softer steel alloys do. They won't give you any more power or economy than any other new plug.

The multi electrode plugs and the ones with grooves and forks are gimmicks. The spark is going to jump to the point of least resistance once it does it won't jump around and you won't get multiple sparks because of the elecrode design.
 
dgc333 said:
The plugs with platinum or iridium electrodes definately last longer because those materials don't erode away as quickly as the relatively softer steel alloys do. They won't give you any more power or economy than any other new plug.

The multi electrode plugs and the ones with grooves and forks are gimmicks. The spark is going to jump to the point of least resistance once it does it won't jump around and you won't get multiple sparks because of the elecrode design.
Click to expand...

That's kind of what I thought....
 
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