DIY spark plug side gapping for increased performance

http://performanceunlimited.com/docu...degapping.html

(this time i checked, it is not copyrite protected and, being posted on internet, is public knowledge).

 

that's an unvalidated claim. the artcle quotes no scientific study or reputable technical data to back it up. today's modern engines are quite precision in terms of performance. altering spark plug performance can lead to increased stress on other ignition parts, resulting in increased overall operational costs.

 

what's not copyright protected? What is written on that site most certainly is. By virtue of writing it, it is copyright protected.

and just because something is on the internet does not make it available for public use.

although in both cases you are safe as you merely linked the page and you are not selling the method.

 

Bring on the Mythbusters! Would be nice to see an unbiased, scientific study on the theory.

 

im sure it could result in a few more horsepower but in a daily driver its not worth doing and probably not even going to be noticable by the driver any more than just replacing worn out plugs with new ones to begin with.
in a race engine small things to get a few extra horsepower like indexing plugs to position the plug in the cylinder correctly is often done to get the most power out of the engine possible, some dragsters sparkplugs dont ever see a 1/2 mile before they are discarded for new ones.

 

Mythbusters ARE soliciting for new ideas! Here we GO.

 

believe me, i have been sending gas mileage ideas to them boys on a regular basis. so far, they did one show with several gizmos and additives, including acetone, and "proved" it to be bogus. they did none of other ideas i recommended. and as of acetone, i have them proven wrong, as i did it for well over a year and on several cars, and not just for 2 minutes run, but with full blown mileage logs etc.
it's not the question if sidegapping, or indexing, or cutting diamond shaped groves into combustion chambers works. it's the question of faith. if i do not believe into A, i'll bash it without giving it a practical test. if i believe in B, i'll praise it even if in reality it does not work.
this is DO IT YOURSELF forum, and i firmly believe, unless you are working at free oil refinery, that with country driven by powers to be in complete stugnation out of personal greed on gas prices, any penny counts. any idea is valuable. i, personally, being a certifiable DIYfer, would have rather tried it myself, and then report to others. out of appreciation to someone's ingenuity and craftsmanship. fortunately, i do have HALO plugs in my truck and my spare one, and that's about as good as it gets in spark plugs realm. can't get ones better, not mass produced yet. but to all those that still drive on autolites - hah, hey, it's 5 minutes job, clean fun, and it might save a buck or two.

 

I'll bite. What makes the Halo plug special?

 

http://www.haloplug.com/

 

Oh yeah.

Hasn't the principle of those plugs been around for years? (like back to the 70's?) I kinda thought those plugs that could send out sparks every which direction, or multiple sparks, were deemed as some sort of gimmick. If not, why wouldn't everyone be using them? Cost? But then one would have to once again, like everything else, weigh initial cost to that of possible fuel savings, or even the value you place on perhaps increased power?

The principle SOUNDS magnificent - I'll say that.

 

i have read somewhere a thourough article on why manufacturers are not introducing these spark plugs, or any other advanced design. reason being is simple:
it's all about $$. per that article, equipment is dated back into 20s and 30s. it is doing it's job paying solid dividends, and ther is no need to kill or change a milking cow. spark plug giants, at least here, do not want to invest into costly upgrades. they do in europe, though.
lsg brisk, HALo plug manufacturer, if you go to their european website, is an old czeck republic spark plug manufacturer. they date back into 1928 i believe.
they are official spark plugs for lamborgini and VW. some of their products are made for marine use, some are made exclusively for racing engines, turbo engines, and can not be purchased by general public, i tried.
HALo plug is a design based on simple principle: create maximum discharge surface for spark. at the same time, due to its design, it is shooting discharge in 3D direction, inbetween the halo poles. it is discharging on poles and on crown. virtually a ball of spark.
i have them in my two vehicles now, had in some i sold. they are made in europe and slowly permiat american market.
they are approximated by a bosch product, that has open halo, due to license/patent issues.
to my knowledge, there are more advanced designes for spark plugs. you can find most of them here:
http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Spark_Plugs
but, as far as i know, and i recheck on this regularly, none of those plugs can be purchassed over the counter yet.
i'll leave data search on HALos to interested. there's plenty of data sheets and research on american lsg brisk site. i buy them for every car i drive. had no troubles in over 4 yrs.
ok, i found the article:
http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directo...orm_Spark_Plug
i, personally, believe that krupa's firestorm plug is better than HALO, but i can't buy them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abwXApkLhbc

 

Until we hear from others, perhaps debunking these type plugs, I guess it be very much our while trying to learn more about them - independent research studies, and all that, regarding performance, mileage, etc.

Sort of reminds me of the dual point ignitions, prior to electronic ignitions, back in the 60's/70's, like Mallory and ACCEL. I guess those products performed, also - but cars usually did not come equipped with those, stock.

 

Never fails, every time gas prices spike or there is a temporary shortage, the steer methane producers reappear. Magnets on the fuel line, spinners in the intake, etc. etc.

 

gas prices do not "spike". they have been steadily going up. i entered the country back in the 1993 and was refilling at 87c a gallon. if it's a spike, it's ohh soooo lengthy one.

as of "spinners in the intake" i drove a car with them. they do work. have my word on it.

most of bashing posts, from what i know, come from folk that never tried anything themselves, but have "opinion" on everything. i speak for myself, as i tried many things. took me 6 mths of research before i invested into HALOs. i'm fiesttight.

this is bunk too, right?
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/..._needle20.html

 

suffice to say that buying aftermarket things that claim to enhance your driving experience is a personal choice. I offer no personal testimony about those things because i don't use them. I can tell you this after working in this industry for almost 30 years, it's an extremely competitive business and the car makers will do anything to get a leg up on the competition. They pay their engineers alot of money to test all that stuff and determine if it should be incorporated into the product...most times it doesn't. the reason being is that the cost to benefit ratio doesn't work for them...if it doesn't sell more cars, then they won't invest in it unless it is legislated. so i say, live and let live...if you have the time and inclination to try all that stuff...more power to you.

 

I once orderd all the fuel saving devices that JC Whitney carried and put them on my '66 Buick Special; had to stop every 50 miles or so and drain some gas from the tank.