CK1_RX3

Why isn't anybody in the RX forum running these plugs?

It seems that most in the GS forum (I was just visiting because I was bored) are running them and are happy with the results. Seems to be a safe, relatively inexpensive way to pick up a few extra horses and a debateably significant amount of torque...

Just wondering, and definately curious...

CK1_RX3

My god guys - 23 lookers so far and NOBODY has anything to say? Geez, what's going on around here lately? Maybe I'm just drinking WAAAYYY too much morning coffee relative to everybody else?

Lil4X

Ever since the "magneto intensifiers" of the 30's, the aftermarket has preyed upon false hopes of the gullible. Magical oil and gas additives promise 15% increase in horsepower...or the intake propellers you see on TV today; there seems to be no limit to the technical double-speak of some manufacturers.

When you consider the high level of competition among large spark plug manufacturers, their research budgets, and ordinary market forces (buying out any significant technology), how can a small independent reasonably be expected to produce a demonstrably superior product? And when it fails, will the mom and pop shop foot the repair bill? If you build it, you can sell the patent for millions - why nickle and dime it in the consumer market?

That said, I have a Fish carburetor for sale....

CK1_RX3

I understand marketing hype and consider myself to be a far more educated consumer relative to most that walk this earth... I understand your approach to the topic, and agree with it 99% of the time... Snake oil ain't gonna give you more horsepower.

That said, have you seen the dyno results w/ these plugs? They are posted in the GS forum - just do a search. Now, they definately give you gains and I'd say a dyno's bonafide proof over that as the methodology of the dyno seems fine and dandy. But that's not to say I might not be overlooking a shortcoming of these plugs, which is exactly why I was posting in the first place... to gather data.

Lil4X, are you guessing about the performance, or do you know something I don't?

BTW, what's a Fish Carburetor?

spinteews

haha just in the other post, i have asked this question before also... sorry for the delayed reply but been very busy.

I have these plugs sitting on my desk, no time to install yet either. But once i get time, i'll install asap.

CK1_RX3

Com'on spin, get on it - you OWE it to your RX to feed it more power!!!

Lil4X

Yes, I agree the dyno results look good, but I have difficulty believing that changing a single element of the equation can produce significant horsepower. I guess I'm not convinced of the reliability of "dyno" testing outside of rigidly controlled laboratory conditions. Remember, the dyno results on the "tornado" infomercial show a gain of nearly 20 rwhp. How realistic is that? We need to consider what other variables are at work here, as well as the repeatabity of the tests. As enthusiasts, we are often prone to a little wishful thinking when it comes to hp gains.

The Fish carburetor? One of the great urban legends of the past 75 years... Developed in the '30's, it supposedly used a variable venturi and higher vacuum to produce a more accurate fuel/air mixture. The result was touted to be a large percentage increase in power and 100 mpg! Conspiracy buffs still believe the Fish carburetor was squelched by the big oil companies to ensure their profits....

One of the stories making the rounds a few years ago was the guy that installed so many fuel-saving devices that he drove down the block and his gas tank overflowed!

dmd85059

It might surprise you but the best sparkplug is the good old copper core plug. Copper conducts electricity much much more efficient than either platinum or iridium, and also dissipates heat much faster. The only reason manufaturers use these iridium and platinum is because they last longer than copper. If you're looking for performance, go with good ol' timer copper core! I use NGK "traditional" plugs, which cost about $2 at www.ngk.com and just replace them every 30k miles like the good old day.

mikey00

Looks like the same claims JC Whitney made for fire injector spark plugs 35 years ago.

Lexmex

I ran those plugs and so no improvement whatsover, whether at sea level or at altitude. Had also tried Densos, but am going to give the NGK IX Iridiums a shot.

I have got a racing buddy with a Mazda RX-7 who will not even touch Torquemasters. Most of the racers over at my local track are running Bosch, Denso or NGK.

Even though my RX calls for Iridium, I would be very tempted to try the V-Powers of NGK just to see if I get a gain. However, there are better ways to improve a cars performance than worrying about plugs.

LophatRX

I haven't read the claims made for the Torquemasters, but I can Imagine the same claims are made for Splitfire, Iridium and the many other types of plugs that are different performance plugs.

Changing plug types is fine and dandy. And of course you are going to see some significant changes at first. In the long run you are going to hurt your engine overall. Today's cars especially the high performance and luxury cars are tested rigorously with a specific type of plugs. In general the Japanese and European automakers rely on the data and performance generated by their plug choices.

By changing plugs that offer more spark and fuel efficiency, means you are going to heat up your engine over factory specs. When I was in high school a friend of mine, owned a Toyota Carina, with a DOHC 1600 motor, and had done some alot of performance mods to his engine in the electrical department, to include, Accel supercoil, Bosch Plugs and 9mm plug wires. He then went on a speed run, and was doing about 170 KPH, granted it was the fastest that car would probably ever go in that era. But during his run he melted a hole in the top of his piston and was still doing 170 after, but in the end he had to rebuild the motor because of all that.

Granted he did much more than just changing plugs, but the same goes for the today's cars. So go ahead gain alittle performance for the now, but remember the consequences in the long run. If your car isn't built internally to handle the extra heat and spark, you are going to damage the engine in the long run.

Lil4X

It is interesting that these multiple-electrode plugs continue to sell, despite the fact that their premise seems to violate a number of physical laws. When voltage is applied to the center electrode, the spark will follow the path of least resistance - to the closest split, pin, or whatever arrangement is grounded to the block. With the charge leaking down so quickly across this gap, how will the larger gap be fired? Am I missing something here?

Speaking of weird plugs, I used "surface discharge" plugs in a pair of old Chrysler 2-cycle outboards fairly successfully. Here, the center electrode and the shell were separated by a .040" gap across a flat surface . . .


Drawing by Champion Spark Plugs/Edelbrock

. . . that maintained a permanent gap. They were spec'd by the manufacturer and a key part of their early CCD ignition system (a fixed gap being critical to the discharge timing). They only ran about 20 hours before fouling hopelessly, since they never got hot enough to burn away deposits, even at WOT. Fortunately they cleaned quickly and easily in a bench vise with a few strokes of a wire brush. That old ignition (about 1970) was ahead of its time, but it meant carrying, not just two sets of spare plugs, but an (expensive) spare CCD control unit and a handful of high current diodes, too. I never had a failure out on open water, but all the spares bought me peace of mind. The usual failure mode was failure to start at the pier. I learned to make very fast plug changes that could qualify me for a spot on the Wood Bros. pit crew. . . . of course that was after I HeliCoiled the plug threads in those aluminum heads.

I understand that these plugs are currently being used in some F1 and NASCAR engines. Guess they found a way to keep them hot!

Lexusfreak

How long are the Torquemasters suppose to last compared to the Factory iridiums or platinums? I've personally never heard of these plugs before & can you post the website for them? And what's the price difference?

Lexusfreak

I tried the Torquemaster web site @ www.torquemaster.com which is what the main page is according to several search engines & I keep getting "page cannot be displayed" Perhaps the plugs were so good, the company went out of business? What are some popular auto parts stores in Canada & the U.S. that we can purchase these plugs or is it more complicated than that?

Lexmex

Try this link to them, http://www.extremespark.com/