Ferrari 412i - Better Spark Plugs ?

Willy,

Peaking caps have been around for a long time - this is not a new concept.

This company has been around a long time as well. This is their latest incarnation - peaking cap in the plug. The last version was called Direct Hits, which was a cap that you screwed onto the top of the plug.

If your engine is tuned perfectly, the peaking cap will give you 1.5 - 2.5% gains at peak hp and possibly a little more at low speed. You will see no change at peak torque. In many cases a short duration peaking cap type discharge will actually be counterproductive.

Buy a set of N-D iridium/rhodium alloy electrode plugs with the narrow tips and wider gaps; this is a better investment.

Regards,

Art S.

 

Art,

Who is N-D??
I'm very happy w/my NGK iridiums.

Bruce

 

Bruce,

N-D is Nippon Denso. NGKs are just fine as well. I would not change them.

If you are intent on spending money on spark plugs, and if you can find them; get the extra fine point, double iridium variety in either brand . They will allow you to run a wider plug gap without stressing the coil.

Regards,

Art S.

 

Snake oil.

Just use a high quality spark plug. "Goofy" spark plugs with big claims date back to the 1920's and Western Auto. ALL have proven to be of little value.

Irridium plugs burn extremely clean, therefore they are used in locations extremely hard to access.

Larger plug gaps mean higher voltage, therefore lower energy. I would always gap your plug according to the cylinder compression levels. Bigger is not always better.

 

Jeff,

Your comments are not necessarily correct.

Iridium plugs work just like any other plug. The iridium alloy is just much more durable than inconel (old style plug material) or platinum. Because the iridium alloy is much more durable, the electrodes can be made with much finer tips. These very fine tips create higher field concentrations which allow for breaking a wider gap for a given voltage. This allows for a beneficial wider gap to be used.

My other response in this thread addresses your other comments.

Regards,

Art S.

PS. You are correct that gimicky plugs have been around a long time, I have one from the brass era that has a spinning propeller for a center electrode

 

Art,
Wider gap = higher voltage. Higher voltage = lower spark energy/duration. Ohms law.

Other than higher milage between tunings, larger gaps bring very little to the table.

I am no Ferrari expert, but do rebuild/recurve distributors for muscle cars/race cars as a hobby.

Regards, Jeff H.

 

Jeff,

I am aware of Ohm's law. I am also aware of other things related to ignition.

Question: Why do fresh plugs work better than old plugs? Hint: Its not the gap size.

Cheers,

Art S.

www.knite.com

 

Interesting reading. I am sure "Boots" Mallory would be proud. Good luck with your adventure.

 

+1, the NGK and N-D seem to tolerate a wider fuel setting range. I have never had problems in carb'd cars running NGK. Bosch have a tetndency to foul and miss if they get contaminated. Champion are about good enough for a lawn mower, but not a snow blower.