Hey guys,

I plan to SAFC NEO tune my 2001 AP1 with the following support mods soon:

K&N FIPK
Berk HPC Thermal Coated 50mm Exhaust Header
Berk High Flow Catalytic Converter
Greddy TI-C 70 mm Single

What are the pro's and con's of including colder/aftermarket plugs in this build? I was considering one of the following from Ballistics:

Ballistic Spark Plugs
NGK Spark Plug - Laser Iridium
NGK Spark Plug - Laser Platinum
Zex Hyperformance SparkPlugs

Thank you!

Erik

 

im not real sure why u need colder plugs...... With what u have done to you car ist not going to help anything, the whole reason 4 using a colder heat range plug is to protect against preignition AKA the air and fuel mixture ignites befor the spark plug fires.... also known as detonation. The three main reasons 4 using colder plugs are......
1. Forced induction
2. Nitrous
3. Running aggressive igniton timing

Ive been running NGK 2668's (aka BKR8EIX) with my emanage....6$ each from advance auto

 

So as long as the fuel is being tuned and not the ignition timing, running colder spark plugs doesn't make sense?

What about the NGK Iridium plugs? Would they benefit the tune w/support mods?

Cut and paste information below:

NGK Laser Iridium Spark Plugs provide superior ignitability and long service life. Smallest tip diameter available Iridium / Platinum surfaces ensure slow wear rate providing stable idle, superior anti fouling, improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions

FEATURES

* Laser welded Iridium center electrode tip
* Platinum disc welded to backside of ground electrode provides
* long service life
*

 

Only use a colder plug if you are getting or fear getting pre detonation. The only reason you would get that is increased timing, compression ratio or FI/Nitrous.

 

I thought the NGK Iridium was the OEM plug? That is what I run w/o issues.

 

Plugs are not performance parts. Select the plug that fits the application. You can upgrade to iridiums if you want, but the stock copper ngk's are just fine.

 

The stock plugs are platinum I believe.

Copper plugs are nice but have a short life.

 

coppers do misfire more often and age very quickly.

 

Misfire is a function of heat range and gap. The wear may be a factor, but I can buy quite a few sets of copper before I reach the price of iridium's. YMMV.

 

You tell him you are not sure why he would need colder plugs, but at the same time you are running 1 step colder than stock, but doesn't look like you are running higher compression and your mods list shows still being NA. Maybe you are running quite a bit of advanced timing, hence the reason for going with index 8 plugs.