![]() For these applications, a smaller plug gap is required to allow the plug to maintain the spark across the electrodes with the increased cylinder pressure. Be honest, how many of us drive our hot rods, muscle cars, classic trucks, or race cars in that manner? Exactly! Having too large a gap, especially in performance applications, means at full throttle the plug gap is too wide, creating a weak spark that does not fully ignite the air/fuel mixture. Yes, increasing the plug gap can create a smoother running engine, to a point, as it generally only helps at low speed/light throttle use. ![]() There is no one “wonder gap” that works for everything. However, the truth is that a spark plug’s gap will be dictated by the secondary ignition system’s voltage output, combustion chamber pressures, compression ratio, power adders, and more. It is commonly believed that increasing the gap of a spark plug will create a larger spark and ultimately make more power. Some suggest they are best used with ignition systems that provide multiple spark output capabilities as well, such as those from MSD Ignition and others. The idea behind multiple ground electrodes, be it individual electrodes or a stamped metal plate, is to provide additional sharp edges so that the plug can produce a nice, solid concentrated spark to light the air/fuel mixture. As these edges wear the softer, rounded edge not only increases the spark plug’s gap and the plug’s ability to even fire since the ignition coil cannot provide enough voltage to cross such a large gap, but the rounded edges create spark scatter/jumping. Every time a spark plug fires over the course of a spark plug’s life a little microscopic bit of the electrode’s edge erodes away. While a lot of marketing has gone into various spark plugs with fancy ground electrode designs, the truth of the matter is, when the spark energy jumps from the positive center electrode to the negative ground electrode the sharper the edge on both electrodes the more concentrated the spark energy. We have listed the main benefits and detractors of each conductor type below so that you can make your own informed decision based on your needs and not just “Iridium vs Platinum spark plugs” Internet arguments. These coatings, mainly Platinum and Iridium but even Nickel as well, allow a plug to last a very long time at the expense of a hotter plug and higher initial cost. Spark plug manufacturers have created longer wearing plugs by adding special coatings or welding special tips/discs to the copper conductor’s end. So, while copper is quite efficient at its job, the standard copper plug has a relatively short lifespan. However, unlike standard copper wiring, the copper conductor in your spark plug must survive in the harsh environment of a combustion chamber’s extreme heat and pressure. Almost all spark plugs use copper for the center electrode material, as it is a very efficient electrical conductor (much like your car or home’s electrical wiring use copper). The center electrode of the spark plug carries the conductive material that helps create the spark at the tip of the plug. It is important to not only know the basic plug specifications for your engine (see our spark plug application chart below for more details), but what you should be looking for in a performance spark plug. The more complete the burn, the more efficient your engine becomes and the more power it makes. Therefore, performance spark plugs are available in different heat ranges, conductor types, and more to provide optimum ignition and burning of your air fuel mixture. All these upgrades can and will affect the spark plug’s job of firing the air and fuel mixture in your combustion chambers. They do not consider such hot-rodding updates as advanced timing, higher compression, performance induction, headers, and so forth. These year/make/model designations also only provide data on the original factory spark plug type that was fitted and the parts store brand’s crossover. The typical year/make/model search tool does not work so well when you have a 1929 Ford hot rod with a Gen 1 small block Chevy V8 engine in it from 1963. For starters, we all know how frustrating it can be to grab a set of high-performance spark plugs locally.
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