| A very common way to diagnose and tune-up a | | | | customizing the spark plug heat range to the huge |
| modified or racing engine is by looking the spark plug | | | | power, stress and heat achieved at high RPM. |
| firing tips because its appearance can reveal if your | | | | Due to the same absence of information, they can not |
| engine has a problem that need correcting. But you | | | | either distinguish when the cold racing spark plugs are |
| need to be aware that the same spark plug firing tips | | | | fouling at idle, stop and go, and lower speeds, from |
| appearance can have different root causes: | | | | when has a rich mixture, because both have the same |
| A) Mixture or timing misadjustment or other possible | | | | carbon fouled firing tips appearance; and what is still |
| mechanical troubles. | | | | worst, they can not either distinguish when the colder |
| B) High performance modifications that increase the | | | | racing spark plugs for heavily modified engines are |
| horse-power level, augmenting therefore the | | | | fouling at idle, stop and go, and lower speeds, from |
| combustion chambers temperature and stress at high | | | | when the engines has worn-out piston rings and |
| RPM. | | | | cylinders, because both have the same oil fouled firing |
| C) Colder racing spark plugs fouling at idle, stop and go, | | | | tips appearance. |
| and lower speeds. | | | | Those wrong diagnostics are leading them to wrong |
| Unfortunately, for each spark plug firing tip appearance, | | | | solutions: trying to adjust unnecessarily the air-fuel |
| the traditional spark plug troubleshooting charts only are | | | | mixture when they see carbon fouled spark plugs, and |
| considering as possible trouble causes the first list A. | | | | being bottled without need in overhauling the engine to |
| But in high performance modified engines and racing | | | | repair mechanical troubles that do not exist, when they |
| applications, the list B is usually the main cause of the | | | | see oil fouled spark plugs, instead of avoiding idle and |
| higher temperatures in the combustion chambers that | | | | lower speeds in engines built for run at high RPM, or to |
| generates overheating, pre-ignition and detonation; and | | | | customize the spark plug heat range for these type of |
| the list C is the main cause of fouled spark plugs that | | | | show off usage. |
| generates misfiring, hard starting, black smoke and | | | | Also when the traditional spark plug troubleshooting |
| great loose of power. | | | | charts mention "wrong heat range" or "check for the |
| In spite of that fact, carefully review of almost all the | | | | correct heat range", because it is not enough clear, a |
| troubleshooting charts, reveals that the causes of the | | | | great majority of they are quite familiarized with the |
| B and C lists are not included, or at least mentioned. | | | | concept that "wrong heat range" only could be a spark |
| However when talking on the high performance field, | | | | plug different than the stock or the suggested by the |
| these causes are with extreme frequency the main | | | | manufacturers, ignoring that they should switch the |
| guilty of most of the troublesome spark plug firing tip | | | | spark plug's heat range. |
| appearance. | | | | And, as if was not sufficient with this confusion with |
| As result of this lack of information, never was | | | | the information, until very short time did not exist |
| sufficiently clear that the undesirable spark plug firing tip | | | | method neither tool to perform the important task of |
| might be attributable to an inappropriate spark plugs | | | | customize the heat range of the sparkplug, according |
| heat range. Either never was mentioned strongly | | | | to any specific high performance modification level, so, |
| enough the transcendent importance that have to | | | | the election of the aftermarket sparkplug that best |
| customize the spark plugs heat range, so it was never | | | | works at any RPM load or stress, was left to the |
| taken into account. | | | | intuition, experience and the criterion of each technician, |
| Forasmuch it should not surprise that even | | | | who only had the unfriendly guesswork of |
| experienced engine builders, modifiers and tuners often | | | | never-ending trial and error proofs, testing different |
| confuse an overheated spark plug caused by the new | | | | spark plug sets, with inexact and risky results. |
| level of power at high RPM, with a lean mixture trouble, | | | | But the racing field is no place for mistakes. |
| because the appearances of its firing tip look exactly | | | | Is for that reason that the traditional troubleshooting |
| the same; making wrong diagnostics, and enriching the | | | | charts are not the most adequate guide to properly |
| mixture, instead of customize the heat range to the | | | | and accurately diagnosing your expensive high |
| engine's power. | | | | performance modified or racing engine, risking you to |
| And worst, when the heat excess level provokes | | | | lose your engine and that is still worse, to lose the race. |
| pre-ignition or detonation (which is very frequent due to | | | | What is then the right way to correctly diagnose the |
| the high levels of demands that the racing engines are | | | | spark plugs in the high performance field? |
| submitted) most of the times the traditional | | | | Be sure that, if you are not having real mechanic |
| troubleshooting charts are guiding them erroneously to | | | | problems, you must check the heat range of the |
| believe that their engines are having some mechanical | | | | installed spark plugs, and select the replacement with |
| troubles and therefore they are engaging | | | | the colder heat range better suited to your exactly |
| unnecessarily in repair nonexistent mechanical | | | | high performance modification level. |
| problems, like cooling system failure: or to suppose that | | | | Is it a hard work? It depends. If you are using the right |
| it is owed to a mixture or timing misadjustment, | | | | tool, that allows you to see, confirm, verify, select, and |
| consequently enriching the mixture and/or retarding the | | | | choose the exact heat range you must install in your |
| ignition timing, arriving inclusive to decrease the boost | | | | high performance modified engine, it is a piece of cake! |
| pressure, the nitrous flow, the compression ratio, etc. | | | | Of course if not..... it could be unending, unfriendly, blind |
| losing by this way tons of power, instead of the unique | | | | and risky guesswork. |
| right, simplest, fastest and cheapest solution that is to | | | | You decide! |