Ok guys i go some sparkplug questions. i was at work today looking for stuff for my truck, and I came across some pulstar spark plugs. Ive done abit of reading and they seem to be living up to the claims. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with them because I ordered a set and want to know what yalls opinions are on them. Thanks guys

 

Well, looks like PT Barnum was right...

 

I would not run anything but Motorcraft.

 

A spark plug only ignites the fuel/air mixture. Nothing else. No spark plug can create a stronger or more concentrated spark than the single arc on your basic spark plug all else held constant. The strength and duration of the spark comes from the ignition system upstream. Car manufacturers have to deal with CAFE regulations on fuel efficiency, so if there was a simple, cheap way to get more power out of the same amount of fuel assume they have already done that.

 

That is true, but plugs are built differently, different materials, different coatings, different tips, etc. Some last longer and cause few problems, some don't. Just ask those that tried E3s.

 

Agreed

 

True. I was speaking only to buying a plug that claims to increase performance. Take that out of the equation and the decision comes down to the factors you named, in which case Motorcraft Platinum is hard to beat. I've pulled stock plugs out of 200k+ Tauruses that weren't awful...

 

The difference in spark plugs comes first to heat range then to materials use for longevity.
There is no plug that can 'add' power that was not available 'in the mixture' as long as combustion can be initated.
The super plugs of late are made using very hard materials.
This makes way for sale pitch and the reality of not having to change plugs for 100,000 miles vs the old days of 15 to 25,000 miles.
Today if you use the 'low price plugs' expect shorter life.
The upside to it is if plugs are changed more often you get peak performance more of the time but costs over the long term will add up to more expense.
I can tell from experience that a new plugs installed errodes significently the first 500 to 600 miles.
This has been proven here on this board time and again as well as I have seen it happen.
Here is how it can show.
The drivability complaint is shudder between 45 and 60 mph.
The owner changes spark plugs and says 'ah' that's it, fixed only to see the issue return about 500 miles later.
What happened? The plugs erroded bringing back the original problem of a faulty coil with weak output.
Why? The new plugs have sharp edges on the ground strap and the tip.
They make it easier to allow a spark to breakdown the gap mixture meaning less voltage is needed.
As soon as the errosion advances far enough the voltage requirements go up.
The faulty coil can no longer supply enough voltage to reliabiliy fire that cylinder and missfire returns.
Here is the real cause of the specific condition>
In that driving range the EGR opens.
When this happens the A/F ratio goes into the 20 to 1+ range requiring more coil voltage than the faulty coil can deliver.
Bottom line is you have two areas that must be working 'beyond' these limits to reliably fire the mixture everytime.
The coils and the plugs.
Use of lesser plugs is ok but expect to change them more often.
.
Why 8 coils?
We advanced from single coil per 8 cylinders to waisted spark systems to seperate coils to increase coil dwell time and energy output to be able to fire mixtures in these very lean ranges.
This was driven by emissions requirements and very lean mixtures when called into play.
On these motors, when the EGR opens, the fuel is cut back, exhaust is fed back into the intake making the ratio very lean so coil output and plug performance must be tops.
The ignition timing is also advanced at this time because the flame speed, after combustion is initiated, become much faster so requires advanced timing or you would feel an overall drop in power.
As this sytem is designed, it's operation is transparent to the driver unless there is a fault.
Good luck.

 

If you can get a good price for them, I'd be interested to see how they perform. If I wanted to blow money on plugs, I'd try the Denso Iridiums first.

 

bingo!!

 

Yes,,,,,,,,,,

 

I work for oreillys so I do get a price break, and I have been very curious to how they perform. If they dont live up to my expectations i will be warranting them and getting ngk laser iridiums. Keep in mind the are the pulstar iridium plugs ill be using

 

I’m not sure which spark plug is the best one to use but I go back to a saying “If it’s not broken don’t fix it” in my case.
Any time I’m going to change the spark plugs on a friend or relatives car, I think which is the best spark plug to use?
I’ve been using Bosh platinum in my trucks and cars for 18 plus years and have never had a problem.
I had a 1997 ford explorer for 6 years, I put plugs in the first year and had it for 5 years till I sold it with the same plugs, no problems (150,000 plus miles).
I’ve had two dodge trucks and now back to a ford truck (152,000 miles). All the same result so far, I put Bosh platinum split fire at the first sign of plug problems and I’ve been lucky that I have not had to replace any of them. My cousin put them on his Chevy truck and barely made it 40 miles and had to replace them.
The thing that I like besides them working good is that I know I do not have to replace them for years (100 to 150,000 miles, my experience).