Spark Plug Question

[galaxy]

Couple spark plug learning questions...

Heat range. Seems one step colder is a popular choice, but have also read that's for heavy track use, FI, or some other scenario where you don't have to worry about fouling the plug. Is stock heat range the best option for a normal driven car, minimal HPDE time at best? Any benefit or downside to going one step colder? Do you really risk fouling a plug dirving normally?

Gap. At some point ('19 or so), Ford closed the gap a little. I'm guessing there's no reason the smaller gap isn't retroactive to earlier years?

If it matters...getting a tune, and gonna throw clean plugs in just to make sure everything is tip-top before full send. Curious if the tune matters on the one step cooler decision. (*Note - have talked to two tuners and got two different opinions...so that didn't help very much, now did it, LOL)

Sponsored

 

[pilotgore]

Couple spark plug learning questions...

Heat range. Seems one step colder is a popular choice, but have also read that's for heavy track use, FI, or some other scenario where you don't have to worry about fouling the plug. Is stock heat range the best option for a normal driven car, minimal HPDE time at best? Any benefit or downside to going one step colder? Do you really risk fouling a plug dirving normally?

Gap. At some point ('19 or so), Ford closed the gap a little. I'm guessing there's no reason the smaller gap isn't retroactive to earlier years?

If it matters...getting a tune, and gonna throw clean plugs in just to make sure everything is tip-top before full send. Curious if the tune matters on the one step cooler decision. (*Note - have talked to two tuners and got two different opinions...so that didn't help very much, now did it, LOL)

Stock platinum plugs are fine for 99% of use cases, especially if the car is largely stock. The only time I’ve needed to go one or two steps colder on the iridium plugs was due to turning the boost up on my turbo cars (and timing via tune).

For your use case, going colder won’t harm anything but it likely won’t help either unless you’re going SUPER aggressive with the timing advance.

Spark plugs fail so infrequently in these cars that I’d probably stay stock unless you have a reason to change them. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it ;)

 

[WildHorse]

(*Note - have talked to two tuners and got two different opinions...so that didn't help very much, now did it, LOL)

If staying NA, stock plugs are your best friend. WHichever tuner said go a step colder, drop him/her.

 

[galaxy]

If staying NA, stock plugs are your best friend. WHichever tuner said go a step colder, drop him/her.

Sooooo, funny enough…(not to side track my own topic too bad) I had two questions for two potential tuners. I was actually hoping for the same answer from both. Doesn’t help choice of tuner but it would help the spark plug answer (the other question was about value/impact/worth of JLT intake on the 350). The same tuner that said stay stock heat range on plugs also said not much value added with JLT intake on this car. Other tuner upsold it.

 

[Paul McWhiskey]

To what?

 

[galaxy]

To what?

To what what?? LOL. To clarify, the tuner that recommended one step colder on the plug was the one that recommended the JLT intake was a worth wile, significant upgrade. Is that what you were asking? Sorry...just clarifying.

 

[ice445]

To what what?? LOL. To clarify, the tuner that recommended one step colder on the plug was the one that recommended the JLT intake was a worth wile, significant upgrade. Is that what you were asking? Sorry...just clarifying.

Jlt isn't worth it and neither is increasing heat range. Gen 3 uses range 7 and I haven't even seen anything colder than that. Going from 6 to 7 on a 15-17 car may be worthwhile depending on your power adder or tune but that's about it

 

[Paul McWhiskey]

To what what?? LOL. To clarify, the tuner that recommended one step colder on the plug was the one that recommended the JLT intake was a worth wile, significant upgrade. Is that what you were asking? Sorry...just clarifying.

I think that I wanted to ask what it was being upsold to? Geez, I might have slept too many times to remember what I was trying to ask, but I think that was it.

Sponsored