New spark plugs

[Interpol2471]

Has anyone tried or seen these new type multi spark surface discharge plugs?eBay Item number: 150710731530

[vontripper]

nope

[Interpol2471]

They look very good too

[rustynuts]

I've got some plugs in my car designed specially for LPG which are made by the same manufacturer. Can't say I have noticed any difference.

[FloridaMike]

Underwhelmed. Utterly underwhelmed.If this stuff worked, every car and bike manufacturer on the planet would be all over it in a New York heartbeat . . . a five percent horsepower increase just by swapping the spark plugs? No other changes needed? There are automotive engineers who would gleefully sell their grandmothers into slavery for a "free" five percent HP increase.I see this kind of stuff every couple of years - the "splitfire" plug (electrode shaped like a "Y") comes and goes in five year cycles, each time it resurfaces it is absolutely the greatest thing since beer in cans - and it makes NO discernible difference whatsoever, so people stop buying them - they take the money, hibernate for a while, and a couple of years later, hey, great invention, grow hair on a billiard ball, light fires with it, put fires out, glow in the dark, see through clothes, walk on water! Buy now!Then there are magnets to put on fuel lines - except gasoline isn't magnetic so you would do as well putting a magnet on a tree - wood isn't magnetic either. At least the tree doesn't have a steel fuel line to block the magnetic field from ever touching the gasoline anyway, but lets not be pedantic and let reality stand in the way of hucksterism ;-)Again, if it REALLY worked, if ANY of this garbage really worked, it would already be standard equipment on everything from lawn mowers to flying saucers.Unfortunately, if you try these spark plugs out and the heat range isn't correct (because they don't know any better - remember they are marketers, not engineers) and you cook your engine, congratulations, you now own all the melted pieces. Good luck trying to collect from them, it ain't gonna happen.Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but there is no such thing as a free lunch, and this isn't even free.Best Regards,Florida Mike (who's seen a LOT of this crap in 50 years of fiddling with engines)

[Interpol2471]

Crumbs... that told me

[Dell Boy]

i totally agree with Mikes comments.The only worthwhile addition over the manufacturers recommendations that I use is slippery oil additives [WYNNSorSTP] which have saved a couple of 4 stroke engines that ran low or out of oil to the point of seizing but were still left essentially undamaged.I run all my vehicles on these additives except the rotaries.Derek.

[Interpol2471]

I just thought these plugs as they work similar to the old surface discharge type may have been of interest

[FloridaMike]

I just thought these plugs as they work similar to the old surface discharge type may have been of interest

And you are quite correct.Please understand that I am slamming THEM, absolutely not YOU. I think it was Thomas Edison who was talking about the difficulties he was encountering in trying to make a light bulb "Well, so far I know 10,000 ways NOT to make a light bulb . . . " You have to kiss a lot of toads before you find the magic princess.Curiosity is vital, or we'd have no progress whatsoever in anything. We of all people should be open to new ideas ("Triangular rotating piston? Whaddaya, nuts?")The problem *here* is that the vendor has no evident credentials and promises significant, effortless gains for a very minimal outlay of money. (Also, eBay is not exactly a high-trust conduit.) The internal combustion engine has been around for over 100 years. It has been researched very, very carefully and thoroughly by probably over a million talented, well funded and very qualified engineers over the years, and all the low-hanging fruit is long gone. Gains will be made, but they will be incremental, expensive, and technically sophisticated (which also means expensive).Significant changes are still possible, but not in the present configuration. (See "rotating piston" above.) There is talk about laser ignition (replacing spark plugs), there is talk about electrically operated (via solenoids) valves, these engines have been run but presently have major long term reliability issues. The great advantage of them is that they can be computer controlled and the valve opening and duration can be tailored to any number of parameters such as maximum power, maximum economy, minimum emissions, or any combination thereof, and can be changed "on the fly" to suit whatever is required.Alas, a set of unusual spark plugs or a can of mysterious goo you pour into the fuel or crankcase isn't going to be the automotive second coming - this kind of stuff mostly separates you from your money.Yes, it is within the realm of possibility that something significant has been overlooked, but I am not inclined to bet on it. I would also have no objection to having someone prove me wrong, that THIS product really DOES work and here's the proof . . . if so, here's my credit card number!I'd suggest someone try a set (in an expendable engine!!!!) and report back to us. If it works, great, if not, well, I'll keep my eyes open for something that does.With best regards,FloridaMike

[rustynuts]

I was of the belief that surface discharge plugs are more resistant to fouling and that in a rotary have the advantage of being able to place the spark closer to the combustion chamber without fouling the rotor. I wasn't a Wankelist in the days when the original surface discharge plugs were available for the Nortons. Can any of the old sages out there remember if they gave any real advantage?

[FloridaMike]

First time I saw the surface discharge plugs was in 1969 (or so) when they were widely touted as THE answer for plug problems for the Kawasaki 500 and 750 triples. I owned a bike shop and more than a few of our customers rode these bikes. We ordered in several boxes of them, customers bought them, and they made no difference whatsoever . . . so we bought them back.I think the "problem" was fouling, and the SD plug never got hot enough to stay clean. The bikes had CDI electronic ignition which was supposed to eliminate two-stroke plug fouling forever because the CDI was alleged to be so robust that it was supposed to be able to fire a plug that was not only fouled, but actually immersed in oil.So we were zero for three - 1) the plugs made no operational difference, 2) the CDI wouldn't leap tall buildings at a single bound either (even when it worked, which wasn't often), and 3) we lost money when we bought back the uber-hyped surface discharge plugs. Everyone went back to using standard plugs, and in a very few of years all these bikes were blown up or crashed anyway, so the problem went away . . . There may be applications for surface discharge plugs, but this wasn't one of them.Best Regards,FloridaMike

[Interpol2471]

I would love to meet you Mike your outlook on things is fantastic Don't worry about plugs the bike will be in a hedge by the end of the week Brilliant and true ....

[johnbirchjar]

Hi guys,when new, my Classic was (I think)fitted with cd plugs, and when I had to replace them they were about three times the price of ordinary plugs,so on the recomendation of the Norton dealer I put in NGKC8E's,I didn't notice any differance in power or fuel consumption,they last anywhere between 7&10,000 miles so I continue to use them,ride safe, J.B.

[Pike]

I've just bought new plugs for my RX8 - 2 plugs per rotor with different temperatures and completely electrode design. Very strange(Google RE7C-L + images) Do we not use SD plugs on, say, Interpols these days then? I still have a few new SD plugs down the back of the sofa so I haven't had to buy plugs for a while

[Dell Boy]

I have a ice cream tub full of surface discharge plugs bought at great expense between 1988-90 for the early Interpol 2 I commuted into & rode around London all day long.It absolutely ate these plugs. The only good thing was they were easy to change which had to be done very frequently.Cleaning them only got them working for a short while. I reckon sales of these plugs kept Shenstone going!!I run C7`s or 8`s in the commanders & get 20,000 miles plus out of them & when they are cleaned they work satisfactorily again until the electrodes burn away. I like the C7`s best.Derek F.