pulstar spark plugs

suprabad

Coitus Non Circum
Jul 12, 2005
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A friend of mine runs these and swears they're great.

He claims that he can run 3-4 degrees more advance (above where he would normally get detonation) without detonation. This is while running Nos at the strip.

Opinions?
 

selfinfliction

New Member
Dec 11, 2007
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drjonez;873710 said:
remember there is no free lunch. if they truly had a breakthrough in plug technology and it increased mileage/hp/tq, wouldn't ALL the OEMs be all over it? don't waste your $$...

upgraded intakes, headers, k&n filters... all those things are proven to help out with power and the big guys don't even consider it. there are hundreds of things manufacturers could do to cars, but they don't for cost reasons.

(i'm not siding with the spark plugs, just stating facts)
 

drjonez

Supramania Contributor
Mar 31, 2005
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www.4cefed.com
suprabad;899255 said:
A friend of mine runs these and swears they're great.

He claims that he can run 3-4 degrees more advance (above where he would normally get detonation) without detonation. This is while running Nos at the strip.

Opinions?

my opinion- he SWEARS.

no data. no proof. no empirical results....only anecdotal. get on the dyno, get to the strip, perform back to back comparisons....
 

drjonez

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Mar 31, 2005
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selfinfliction;899267 said:
upgraded intakes, headers, k&n filters... all those things are proven to help out with power and the big guys don't even consider it. there are hundreds of things manufacturers could do to cars, but they don't for cost reasons.

(i'm not siding with the spark plugs, just stating facts)

not so much facts.

it's the age-old cost-benefit thing....sure long tube headers can make a difference in power, but how much do they cost? sure, a k&n makes 2 more HP, but how much does it cost?

additionally, consider the added NVH from most power adders.....
 

Poodles

I play with fire
Jul 22, 2006
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actually, there is a good reason they don't use K&N airfilters... the oil used can mess up AFM's not to mention a normal paper element protects FAR better then anything else...

Headers aren't cost effective, even so, they use a tubualr manifold on the corvettes that is VERY hard to improve upon.

Aftermarket intakes generally don't pass the much stricter tests that the auto makers put their cars through. Some people are gonna plow through puddles, like to see you do that with a cold air induction intake and see what happens...

Until I see real proof the spark plugs do anything besides delay the firing of the plug (oh, you didn't know it would do that if it's building and releasing a charge just like the coil?), I won't touch em.

Might explain why your buddy can advance his timing a bit since it's slowing down the spark from the coil...
 

Buddafucco

Beef Supreme
Mar 3, 2007
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From the makers of Direct Hits:evil5:
If you need a colder heat range, they don't offer it. Instead you simply add some "direct hits" and your golden! :biglaugh:Hahaha

CAUTION: Pulstar™ model recommendations are for stock, unmodified engines. If you have added an aftermarket turbocharger, supercharger, nitrous or any other product that increases displacement or compression to your engine you will require a colder heat range pulse plug in order to avoid possible damage to your engine. For these applications please see our other great product DirectHits or call us at 888-800-6700 (1-505-842-5201 for International calls).:evildeal:

Man that website is annoying!:eek3dance
 

suprabad

Coitus Non Circum
Jul 12, 2005
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drjonez;899423 said:
my opinion- he SWEARS.

no data. no proof. no empirical results....only anecdotal. get on the dyno, get to the strip, perform back to back comparisons....

Hey doc, I'm just telling you what he emphatically told me.

From what I know of him he’s a straight shooter.
He might be wrong, but I believe he believes it, He’s a competent, seasoned, mechanic, drag racer (and cheapskate).
I can’t picture him throwing money away on something he believes is superfluous.

Personally, I have a tendency to scoff at these kinds of “innovations” too, however he does seem very sincere.
But your right, I have no empirical data and I'm strictly relaying what I was told.

Anecdotal is the best I can do on this, but I thought it was worth mentioning.:icon_bigg
 

Ckanderson

Supramania Contributor
Apr 1, 1983
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Poodles;899595 said:
actually, there is a good reason they don't use K&N airfilters... the oil used can mess up AFM's not to mention a normal paper element protects FAR better then anything else...

K&N has proven more then once that the oil doesnt suck out of their filters.....
 

selfinfliction

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Dec 11, 2007
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Poodles;899595 said:
Aftermarket intakes generally don't pass the much stricter tests that the auto makers put their cars through. Some people are gonna plow through puddles, like to see you do that with a cold air induction intake and see what happens...

do it everytime it rains in my cobalt, the filter is no more than 14-15" off the ground in the fenderwell, right behind the foglight. never once ever had a problem, and i can see all maf/injector/timing and about 40 other readouts in realtime.
 

suprabad

Coitus Non Circum
Jul 12, 2005
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Poodles;899595 said:
Until I see real proof the spark plugs do anything besides delay the firing of the plug (oh, you didn't know it would do that if it's building and releasing a charge just like the coil?), I won't touch em.

Might explain why your buddy can advance his timing a bit since it's slowing down the spark from the coil...

No, I didn't consider that. But it sounds reasonable.

Is it true?

How much delay?

Where are you getting your data?

I'm eager to hear about this, thanks for pointing that out.:icon_bigg
 
Oct 11, 2005
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Thousand Oaks, CA
The delay will be a function of firing frequency assuming a series capacitor is the "breakthru" technology here. Any circuit simulator can help you out on details, but I'll save you some time and just tell you to save your money for something that's actually useful.
 

Poodles

I play with fire
Jul 22, 2006
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selfinfliction;899824 said:
do it everytime it rains in my cobalt, the filter is no more than 14-15" off the ground in the fenderwell, right behind the foglight. never once ever had a problem, and i can see all maf/injector/timing and about 40 other readouts in realtime.

Test vehicles are sprayed from EVERY angle to find leaks or issues like those presented by a CAI mounted filter...

Durability and having to do less warranty claims is really job #1 for a car maker...

K&N's tests are pretty biased considering they did it themselves. Don't get me wrong, I like their filters and have used them myself, but they're not all their cracked up to be.

Good example is mine shrank to the point it didn't fit anymore after a few years, many, MANY thousands of miles shy of their supposed "million mile" usage...

But, like I said, paper filters actually filter the best, so it's a null point...
 

selfinfliction

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Dec 11, 2007
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Poodles;903645 said:
Test vehicles are sprayed from EVERY angle to find leaks or issues like those presented by a CAI mounted filter...

i'm sorry but driving my vehicle backwards at 55mph through 6" puddles is not a concern to me.