Colder plugs that are correctly gappedīut you can also help with your plugs – a low-performance engine generally requires hotter plugs, since it needs to retain heat to provide a more efficient burn. This is why we install stuff like more efficient cooling systems and alloy heads. This additional heat needs to dissipate quickly to avoid overheating. However, if you increase performance, the engine’s operating temperature also rises. This is obviously calculated with your engine’s standard level of performance in mind. Your plugs will operate within a heat range. In a modern car, that figure is likely to be 40kV or more, and generated by the coil. This requires a minimum of 14,000V, or 14kV, of electricity. The plug provides the spark, which jumps an air gap from its central electrode to its earth. The easiest and most logical place to start is the spark plugs. Tracing a misfire can be a real headache. It can happen on a standard car, of course, but another likely cause is that you’ve tuned your engine and your components don’t match. The most common ignition fault scenario is that jerking, coughing, and spluttering sensation that drives everyone nuts. Plugs operate within a certain heat range. However, it does help to know what the old stuff did in order to understand why modern systems are better. Hence, there’s a lot less ‘stuff’ in a modern ignition system than there used to be. In turn, making the whole system more efficient and reliable. Although the fundamentals of spark production haven’t changed dramatically over the years, manufacturers have concentrated on removing mechanical discrepancies. The thing is, there’s a million ways to do the job. This pushes the piston back down the bore, turning the crank, and everyone knows you need a spark to do this. That, plus the ability to ignite that combustible charge at the correct time. The fundamentals of any petrol engine are an ideal ratio of air to fuel. You never know, you might discover power you didn’t know you had! With this in mind, we thought we’d take a look at the essentials of ignition systems. Of course, you can bypass this agony by swotting up first. Then it becomes a case of learning very quickly and trying to put it right. That’s until you get a misfire, or worse, a melted piston due to too much ignition and not enough fuel. Many people pay no attention to their ignition system, whether it’s a modified car with a tuned engine or not, until something goes wrong. Find out how to keep it running sweet with our in-depth guide. Also, if too many washers are added, the firing end of the plug will not be as far into the combustion chamber and performance can decrease.Neglecting your car’s ignition system can mean losing power. When washers are added, the spark plug may loosen if the washers don’t crush properly and hold the torque. There are also drawbacks to indexing spark plugs. Indexing spark plugs will typically make only a few more horsepower – usually less than 1% of total engine output. However, without testing different index positions in an engine on a dyno, it is nearly impossible to determine which index increases performance. In most engines, performance will improve when the spark plug gap opens toward the intake valve(s). Indexing is done by placing (usually copper) washers of varying thickness on the spark plug shoulder, so that when the spark plug is tightened, the plug will rotate a certain amount, and gap will point in the desired direction. However, if the gap is too large, and the ignition system can’t provide the voltage needed to spark across the gap, or turbulence in the combustion chamber blows out the spark, misfires will occur. Many think the larger the gap, the better. The added energy allows them to increase the gap, but still have enough voltage to jump the gap. For this reason, most racers add high-energy ignition systems. Most experienced tuners know that increasing the gap size increases the spark area exposed to the air-fuel mixture, which maximizes burn efficiency. The larger the gap, the more voltage is needed to jump the gap. The voltage requirement is directly proportional to the gap size. Those with modified engines must remember that higher compression or forced induction will typically require a smaller gap setting (to ensure ignitability under higher pressure). While plugs are pre-gapped from the factory, the gap may need to be adjusted for the vehicle that the spark plug is intended for. Since the gap size has a direct effect on the voltage necessary to jump the gap and ionize (light) the air-fuel mixture, careful attention is required.
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