spark plugs gap

Subafury · Post by **Subafury** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 2:31 pm

did i hear some thing like increasing the plug gap from 0.9 to 1.1 gives u a little more power??
im getting some new plugs in the next few days so just wondering how to give my ea82t some more edge.

Suby Wan Kenobi · Post by **Suby Wan Kenobi** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 3:56 pm

Get some irridium plugs for it they have a needle point on them and are set at 1.1mm. Uncreasing the gap on standard blunt electrode plugs will yield very little unless you upgrade the coil. Even with needle points upgrading the coil isnt a bad idea nor is putting on some new plug leads.

Subafury · Post by **Subafury** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 4:17 pm

yeh well i already have an upgraded coil and i cant afford irridiums at $18 a pop.
so ill get some leads too and see how it goes

tim_81coupe · Post by **tim_81coupe** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 4:30 am

I strongly recommend against both of these ideas given the application. I have found both through my own experiences and those of customers at my old work that Iridium plugs simply do not last the distance in a boosted engine. My EJ20G blew the iridium tips off the plugs in 15,000 odd KM's of use, as did a mate's RB20DET and a customer's supercharged V8 Crummadore. Not only that, but in a turbocharged engine the plug gap should not grossly exceed the recommended gap, as the denser air / fuel charge in the combustion chamber requires more spark energy to cross the gap. Increasing the gap size lessens the effectiveness of the spark; the commonly used term is "blowing out the spark".
Your best bet in the EA82T is to run NGK Platinums. However these do cost more than iridiums, so given the cost restriction I have a more simple solution. Grab some NGK BPR6EY's, from memory you're a parts guy so they shouldn't cost you any more than about $2.50 a plug. The 'Y' suffix indicates a V groove plug, these are more effective than their standard counterparts in that they allow two possible earth points on the ground electrode, giving longer life and better spark.
If you've got your heart set on upping the plug gap grab a higher output coil, some new leads and maybe even go a heat range hotter. Won't give you much though.

fredsub · Post by **fredsub** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 9:07 am

subi wrote:did i hear some thing like increasing the plug gap from 0.9 to 1.1 gives u a little more power??
im getting some new plugs in the next few days so just wondering how to give my ea82t some more edge.

It would maybe ensure better combustion in cruise/idle, but power, nah, it'll probably start misfiring too, been there done that,with ea82t, even a better coil doesn't really help - I can't tell the difference. To really tell any difference you need to do the whole thing and increase spark energy with a cdi.

Tims words "blowing out the spark" is apt - true.

You didn't say what kind of upgraded coil?

Suby Wan Kenobi · Post by **Suby Wan Kenobi** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 4:16 pm

I have had irridiums in my EA82T now for around 30000kms and they still look like new, had them out only a few weeks ago. I run 17psi boost and a larger coil. I thought the same about bigger gaps on boosted engines but thought ill give it a try, cant say ive looked back either. I do know about the mixed results with EJ20Ts and irridiums but i took a gamble and they are worth it.

subanator · Post by **subanator** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 11:36 pm

I remember seeing in the EA82 manual in the Tech Manual section, that 1.1mm gap for EA82T's is recommended OEM setting? I have mine set at that with no problems. But as Tim pointed out to me - DONT reset the gap like I did, as this damages the iridium tip. I may have to change mine now six months later as it runs a little rougher than it used to.

Good tip about the V NGK's Tim, should have got them for the MY.

Shauno · Post by **Shauno** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 2:10 am

subi wrote:yeh well i already have an upgraded coil and i cant afford irridiums at $18 a pop.
so ill get some leads too and see how it goes

haha i could sort some a tad cheaper than that for you dude....

Subafury · Post by **Subafury** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 10:56 am

Quote:
Originally Posted by subi View Post
yeh well i already have an upgraded coil and i cant afford irridiums at $18 a pop.
so ill get some leads too and see how it goes

haha i could sort some a tad cheaper than that for you dude....

yeh i can get em cheaper than that, 18 is just normal retail price.
still a bit much for me atm, maybe next service. so ill pass on the irridiums for now, and go for the BPR6EY's. and if the gap isnt already set bigger, ill make it bigger n see how it goes, as these are pretty cheap plugs.
umm i dont kno what kind of coil i have (no visible brands, signage etc only a number) but is is different from the standard L one. but im guessing the guy who did up my car chucked it in a better one, like everything else:)