was watching TV and came across this.. searched a little and also found this on E3's site.

http://www.e3sparkplugs.com/video.htm

Not to be a hater, but they don't even mention what brand the competitor is.

This post has been edited by oceanax13: Jun 18 2008, 02:22 AM

yah, I found it weird that they wouldn't say the "top competitor"

but still interesting stuff, I wanna buy them now!

Copyright reasons. I am guessing they used bosch. Could be a contract with the competitor they have with them as well.

That test was somewhat impressive. So a 5 hp increase on a 407 hp motor translates to a 1.2% gain.

As a skeptic, permit me to play some games.

According to Wiki,
“The size of this fireball or kernel depends on the exact composition of the mixture between the electrodes and the level of combustion chamber turbulence at the time of the spark. A small kernel will make the engine run as though the ignition timing was retarded, and a large one as though the timing was advanced.”

On the positve, that’s seems to describe the benefit of the E3 plug exactly. The E3 plug has a larger kernel. In effect, the large kernel may serve to advance the timing, which may explain the increased power.

But why does it advance the timing? Does the larger kernel start the combustion wavefront deeper in the cylinder, which means the wavefront must travel a shorter distance to reach cylinder perimeter? Assuming the wavefront moves at the same speed, does this mean it takes less time to complete the burn? If the explosion finishes earlier, is that like advancing the timing? If yes, I can understand how that increases power, provided it doesn’t cause the engine to knock on 87 octane and cause the computer to adjust and nullify any gain.

On the negative side. Do you think that because it worked in that engine it will work the same in ours? I don’t. Wiki stated, “The size of this fireball or kernel depends on the exact composition of the mixture between the electrodes and the level of combustion chamber turbulence at the time of the spark.” Turbulance? Turbulance could make this a near-meaningless test.

I think the following statements are true. If a cylinder has good intake velocity and turbulance, it means the fuel/air mixture should be very even and burn quickly. In contrast, a cylinder with poor turbulance will have an uneven fuel/air mixture. It can be dense in one part of the cylinder and thin in another, and consequently not burn efficiently.

If a cylinder has an even air/fuel mixture, a small hot spark is all that is required for a clean, full burn. The entire fuel mixture burns rapidly and produces maximum power. However if the cylinder has rich and lean spots, a small spark may not work well. This is especially true if the spark tries to ignite a rich area in the cylinder. When the spark goes off, that rich section may not burn quickly and lead to poor combustion.

If one uses a larger kernel in a cylinder that has poor turbulance, the larger spark can make contact with more of the air mixture. This in turn can make more of the uneven air mixture burn together and increase efficiency. It solves a problem and can lead to more torque. However, if you put a large spark in a cylinder with good turbulance, it may not improve the burn as much because it didn’t need any help. A small hot spark was already sufficient for a clean burn.

Back to reality. That video test used a crap engine. By crap, I mean a carbureted, non-pentroof, pushrod, two-valve per cylinder engine, with non-centrally located spark plugs and required 93 octane fuel. In contrast, our cars have fuel injected, computerized, DOHC four-valve per cylinder engines with centrally located plugs, variable valve timing, pentroof combustion chambers and better valve angles for airflow. Our engines are specifically designed to maximize turbulence all over the rpm range. They don’t have any real problems. That old technology performance engine probably had some significant air flow issues and could therefore benefit more from a large spark kernel than our engines. My concern is that our advanced engines may not experience the same 1.2% gain that the old-school performance engine did.

To be fair, although I don’t buy into all of that test, I was impressed and may try these plugs. I definitely don’t expect my engine to benefit as much as that old school performance engine. Instead of a 1.2% gain, I may get only a .6% gain. A .6% gain on my I4 engine translates to 1hp. Not a big deal.

With regard to brake fuel consumption however, the E3 used 3.2% less than the comparison plug. (That actually sounds like a lot.) But again, I doubt our engines will benefit the same way. Even if our engines get only 1/4 of that gain, it still translates to a .8% gain in fuel mileage. That means a 25-mpg car will get 25.2 mpg. If you put 15,000 miles per year on your car, that .2-mpg difference will save you 5 gallons. At $4.00/gallon, that’s $20. That just paid for the plugs. Its worth a try.

This post has been edited by Blue07: Jun 18 2008, 09:43 AM

Why does E3 offer different plugs for the 06 V6 Sonata (E3.64) and the 07-08 V6 Sonata (E3.48)? Don't all three have the same engine?

I have the 06 V6 and after viewing that dyno test I am seriously thinking about getting these plugs. I just want to make sure I purchase the correct set.

This post has been edited by tfike110: Jun 18 2008, 03:37 PM

I was thinking the same thing? When I get to work today I am going to check out EPC

This post has been edited by v33sonata: Jun 18 2008, 11:48 AM

Improvements made in the years after the initial model release? (puts on flak jacket)

Wiki = everyday people writing what "they" think is correct. Not that I'm second guessing this one, just in general. Sure, if enough people correct it then over time it will probably be gospel. Think of the "million monkeys with a million typewriters" analogy.

I take it with a grain of salt just like everything else on the web. :grin: :offtopic: Sorry.

Large, high horsepower carburated engines being compared to a much smaller, more efficient but low output engine like ours is comparing apples to handgrenades.

These plugs seem cool, but no one in Canada seems to carry them and E3 doesn't seem to answer emails so they look like they're goin on the snakeoil list for me.