just installed new NGK TR5's
 

Well i finally put my TR5's in..I really don't know much about spark plugs only that they assist in burning fuel?? Well I see so many people on the board running them and I figured i'd try them out. Ford was kinda hesitant to install them and told me that my stock plugs should be fine for another 50K miles. I asked another technician, who's definitely into racing, and he told me don't listen to that crap. He told me anytime you have a high performance vehicle and also with a chip, it's best to change out the plugs and especially upgrade to a better plug. He also advocates the NGK's. It took ford 2 hours to installed them. (doesn't seem right:confused: ) is that normal? Well my question is what are the TR5's actually doing over the stock motorcraft platinums? How am i benefiting? I havent really tested the truck out because of wet pavement. My conclusion is , since I have a chip bringing more or richer fuel into the system, the TR5's are giving me a hotter spark to burn up the fuel more efficiently..Does this sound right?? Any imput taken please?? THANKS..:)

No.......the program for ANY chip is leaner than the stock program. That is how you get more power........well that and a tad more timing ;)

--Joe

ohhh ok...i gotcha on the leaner and not richer.. So why is everyone changing spark plugs from the factory motorcrafts? Just for a better spark? I'm clueless and have no idea...Just wanna know whats going on...

I knew that leaning the mixture will make more power, but does anyone know why that is? I mean how can you remove fuel and add power??

(Did you ever blow on a fire?)
More air to the amount of fuel being burned makes it burn faster & hotter! More energy. But if you get your fuel mixture too lean and too hot, it will burn a hole in the top of a piston. Too rich and it will put the fire out. Plug edges need to be sharp. When they get burned off and round, they are less effective. Plus being gapped wider. The little points on the platinum, and iridiums act like sharp edges.

Did I get it right ?

Sammy:
 

Didn't you ever work the bellows at your grandmamma's fire place?

Internal combustion engs. need 13-14 times as much air as they do fuel to get a good 'burn'. Our stock programs must have cut that ratio down to 10-11 parts of air to one part of fuel--way too rich for 'power', but 'safe' as could be.

Dan

99 Zeus,
I went to the dealer to get them installed and they wanted $200. How much did you pay? Notice anything performance wise?

Hey JBL... Yeah thats exactly what i paid 199 bucks. I felt like i was getting ripped off and maybe thats why the tech told me 2 to three hours to do it..More time on labor = more pay...Performancewise it seems like i'm getting a better throttle response with the TR5's...He told me my stock plugs seemed fine but i am getting better crisper acceleration..

we usually charge about 3 hours to do a set of plugs where I work.

not trying to go off on a rant, but in order to do that job it takes probably about $300 dollars worth of snap on tools plus the time to actually do the labor. not to mention some experience and/or serious patience.

(you guys have patience with the trucks that you love, good mechanics have experience instead, because they certainly don't love your vehicle the way you do, even though you expect them to treat it like they do).

some shops charge less, some charge more, but my particular shop charges 59.88 OR MORE per hour, I say or more because believe it or not at A LOT of shops you actually get charged MORE per hour for larger jobs or jobs that take more time to do. ex: if you want a job that pays one hour you pay 59.88 if you want a job that pays 10 hours, you may be paying closer to $70-75 dollars per hour! they do this for one reason, to make more money. conventional wisdom might indicate that you'd get a DISCOUNT for a big job (or a large purchase), that however is NOT the case.

anyway, back to my point, if the tech charges 3 hours, the shop charges the customer roughly $200 dollars based on the grid pricing!

the technician gets (depending on his/her hourly rate) somewhere between $45 and $75 dollars for this job. Minus taxes, health insurance, uniforms, etc and now you the tech only has gets to keep about $35bucks. the shop keeps the other $150 or so.

so I guess my point is this, Is $200 a fair price? well, the tech really only charged you $35 bucks.

can you do your own plugs for $35 bucks, some of you will say YES it is worth it to me to do my own plugs for $35 bucks. Fine, go buy that $300 dollars worth of tools that I told you about WAY BACK UP AT THE TOP OF THIS STUPID POST:D and do your own, now you are only $265 in the hole providing you didn't strip any bolt holes or break anything on your truck.

as for everyone else, don't blame the mechanic for overcharging you, we can't do this stuff for free no matter how "FUN" you think it is to do at home, when it is your job it tends to loose some of the "FUN" factor. If you've gotta blame somebody, blame the shop.

Think of it like this, that 3 hours is now $55 instead of $200 and once that $55 has deductions and taxes removed it is now only like $35.00 dollars that has to cover the tech's time to do the job and pay for his tools. ( I personally have reciepts for $20,000 dollars worth of tools, some have much more, some have less) thats a *****-load of $35 dollar spark plug jobs!

Hey I've got a Lightning to pay for too you know.

So the 3 hour quote doesn't necessarily mean EXACTLY three hours, but it does mean that I have to charge a certain amount of time in order to get paid a reasonable (or not) amount of money for performing this service.

think of it like that next time you get a price quote and maybe it wont' seem like the mechanic was ripping you off so badly.

now the shop on the other hand thats a different story! they are ripping us both off:D

-----------------------------

appologize in advance, I don't know where that one came from.

rough day I guess, I had a grand parent pass away this morning and I just found out, sorry for going off topic a little, i know it's still alot of money, I'm just mad at the world right now, trying to vent.

later,
chris

P.S. I do know that nobody blamed any mechanics for overcharging in this post, like I said, I'm just wound up and defensive I guess.

superfords
Like your analogy. Plus I think you posted here before to get to know your tech. Well, I know my tech and the service manager. Therefore, no questions are asked if my Lightning shows up there.

When you have a good tech, he takes care of you and your Lightning. I have nothing but accolades for him and relationship we have. He has always been ia great guy to talk to and does it right the first time, even lets me watch. Took him 45 minutes Monday after normal hours to put the Iridiums in. He said $40 and I gave him $50 and smiled. Now I do not know if my buds will get my price, but I told him he was definately going to get some more business. (Dan.... you reading this?)

Ron