E3 spark plugs

[Raymond]

I put a set of E3 .46 spark plugs in my car and I am very impressed so far.  I have only burned two tanks of gas since installing them and the fuel economy has improved significantly.  I've gotten 19 mpg averaged over the two tanks in city driving without the A/C on.  I pulled one and had a look.  It's only been 600 miles but there were no deposits on the electrode.  It was dark but clean.  Interestingly, I put a set of E3s in the BMW 325i and got no improvement over the platinum Bosch that I removed.  Has anyone else tried these in a Pagoda?

[Ulf]

If you weren't a gold member I would have hit the "spam-button" - which brand are the fabulous E3's?

Ulf

[mdsalemi]

Ulf,

I'd never heard of them but here they are: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ETP-E3-46/

[jacovdw]

Interesting, the design of the E3 plugs appear to be similar to the 3 electrode plugs manufactured by NGK (ie. BP6ET - note the T-suffix instead of the usual S-suffix).

It is debatable whether these multi-electrode plugs offer any real advantages over conventional single electrode plugs for older engines and individual results may vary greatly between different cars.

On the other hand, modern engines with catalytic converters and complex engine management systems are designed with platinum plugs in mind

[Raymond]

Ulf,
I don't have any financial interst in these.  I would never sandbag this forum for anything.  I just tried an experiment, shared the results, and asked if anyone else had tried them.  Save your cynicism for someone else.  

Everyone else,
If anyone does try them, I'd like to hear the results as this is a place to learn from others experiences.

[Shvegel]

Generally, mutiple tip electrodes have 2 advantages and one big disadvantage. The sparkplugs will last longer due to the fact that you are not wearing the gap on one electrode only so roughly speaking with three electrodes in a perfect world the plugs should last three times as long or more importantly the gap between the center electrode and the closest side electrode will be smaller longer due to the fact that the wear will be spread out among the three electrodes rather than just one.

The second advantage and the one that is probably coming into play in Raymond's case is that if mixture is rich or lean your chance of a missfire is reduced due to the fact the spark has the choice to jump across 3 times as many gaps(path of least resistance). This also comes into play if there is oil in the intake stream. Also they might help efficiency if the firing voltage available is low due to incorrect Dwell or worn points etc. Raymond, I suspect you do not have electronic ignition?

The big disadvantage is there is alot of stuff(3 side electrodes) in the way of the flame front after the spark plug fires so instead of one fire moving across the combustion chamber you will have three which can result in an uneven burn or even an incomplete one.

I have been away from motorized racing for a long time but I would bet unless there is sponsorship money involved the tried and true single side electrode wins out. If I was racing the M130 I would "Index" the side electrode toward the intake valve to keep the plug from being fouled by incoming fuel mixture. The side electrode acts like a fence to keep the incoming fuel away from the gap.

[Raymond]

I have Crane electronic ignition with the red coil and the non-resistor plug connectors.  I don't think spark is a problem.  There is only about 8,000 miles since overhaul.  I was running W8DC plugs that after 3,000 miles had a perfect light tan patina.  I'm not burning any oil. 

I had seen dynamometer data on high compression Chevrolet engines and decided to give these a try.  600 or so miles on one car is certainly not enough to make a judgement.  It's a cheap enough experiment for someone who wants to fiddle with it.  I won't get a chance to drive for a while because I'm starting rehab on heater controls and everything under the dash.  So further yeas or nays will have to come from someone else for a while.

[graphic66]

Are these resistor spark plugs?

[Shvegel]

Raymond,
Trying to figure out why you should experience better mileage and performance with these plugs. Basically a spark is a spark as long as it is a reliable one. I would be interested in the differences in gap between the new and the old. The wider the gap the higher the firing voltage and the Leaner the mixture that can be fired.

[Ulf]

Relax Raymond - have a little sense of humor