E3 Plugs
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,756
Likes: 267
E3 Plugs
Has anyone tried the E3 plugs in a C5 w LS1 & w/6 spd? My '02 coupe has ~ 34k miles on the OEM plugs and I'm think of changing them over the winter. What's the best plug to use for a few more hp yet maintain good driveability?
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Spark-plugs and or spark-plug wires will NOT increase your HP. If yours are worn OR bad, new spark-plugs and or wires will return your engine to the best HP that it can achieve from what it was delivered with from the factory (minus any mechanical engine wear that has occurred from when it was new)
Its a proven forum fact. Fancy high priced plugs and wires do nothing to improvement performance over stock plugs and wires. GM did a pretty good job designing the ignition system. The stock plugs and wires will support 450+ HP (I can personally attest to that)
People running a heads cam set up or forced induction run Non Iridium plugs. The stock AC Delco Iridium plugs are great plugs and easily last 40-50K miles.
The best spak plug wires for your dollar are the GM Red Performance wires. There very good quality and use some of the best hardware.
BC
Its a proven forum fact. Fancy high priced plugs and wires do nothing to improvement performance over stock plugs and wires. GM did a pretty good job designing the ignition system. The stock plugs and wires will support 450+ HP (I can personally attest to that)
People running a heads cam set up or forced induction run Non Iridium plugs. The stock AC Delco Iridium plugs are great plugs and easily last 40-50K miles.
The best spak plug wires for your dollar are the GM Red Performance wires. There very good quality and use some of the best hardware.
BC
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,704
Likes: 2
Spark-plugs and or spark-plug wires will NOT increase your HP. If yours are worn OR bad, new spark-plugs and or wires will return your engine to the best HP that it can achieve from what it was delivered with from the factory (minus any mechanical engine wear that has occurred from when it was new)
Its a proven forum fact. Fancy high priced plugs and wires do nothing to improvement performance over stock plugs and wires. GM did a pretty good job designing the ignition system. The stock plugs and wires will support 450+ HP (I can personally attest to that)
People running a heads cam set up or forced induction run Non Iridium plugs. The stock AC Delco Iridium plugs are great plugs and easily last 40-50K miles.
The best spak plug wires for your dollar are the GM Red Performance wires. There very good quality and use some of the best hardware.
BC
Its a proven forum fact. Fancy high priced plugs and wires do nothing to improvement performance over stock plugs and wires. GM did a pretty good job designing the ignition system. The stock plugs and wires will support 450+ HP (I can personally attest to that)
People running a heads cam set up or forced induction run Non Iridium plugs. The stock AC Delco Iridium plugs are great plugs and easily last 40-50K miles.
The best spak plug wires for your dollar are the GM Red Performance wires. There very good quality and use some of the best hardware.
BC
100%
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: Auto Tech
E3 = snake oil
that show is an infomercial
Last edited by Neato; Dec 3, 2009 at 09:47 PM. Reason: thought of something else
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
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From: Dyer, IN
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those shows are infomercials
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,147
Likes: 1
From: Mohegan Lake New York
if I put in 16 E3 plugs will I get double the horsepower....HHmmmm 8 hp I wonder how this "GEM" slipped past NASCAR and escaped the scrunity of dragracing some of whowould sell their left nut for 8 hp DUDE WAKE UP HP TV IS ENTERTAINMENT SOME FACTS A LOT OF HALF TRUTHS THAT MOTOR PROBABLLY DID MAKE 8 HP MORE BUT IS THAT A SAE CONTROLLED SCIENTIFICALLY ACCEPTED TEST.... A PROTOCOL THAT ASSURES THE ONLY VARIABLE IS THE SPARK PLUG ...I THINK NOT
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
As hard as GM, Ford, Chrysler, etc tries to get the most HP/TQ out of their power plants,,,dont you think if those E3 plugs or the PLUSE plugs made that much difference, they would all be using them?????
If you were doing a SPARK PLUG dyno test, you should have dynoed a new set of AC Delco Iridium’s and then the other plugs. That would have been a more realistic test. New plugs against New Plugs. Not old against New.
BC
If you were doing a SPARK PLUG dyno test, you should have dynoed a new set of AC Delco Iridium’s and then the other plugs. That would have been a more realistic test. New plugs against New Plugs. Not old against New.
BC
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,869
Likes: 23
From: Oro Valley Arizona
I have never tried a conventional plug (yes, E3's are a conventional plug, just a funny, trick-of-the-week shape sort of like the Split-Fires) and ever noticed any difference at all. I have run Iridiums in a motor with a little cam (similar to the LS7) and they did smooth out the lope a little and tended to run much smoother at idle. No power gain that I could detect but with fewer misfires at idle I am sure they are very emission friendly. I read an SAE paper many years ago that stated the best way to jump a spark is to fire it off a very small, sharp point. At the time, plugs were just starting to show this as the case with pointed, conventional electrodes. The Iridium has heat characteristics that allow the thin wire to not melt away and I think the benefits finally outweighed the cost. We all know that if GM could have saved a couple of bucks per car, the bean counters would be all over it. No expert, just an opinion.
Gary
Gary
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,147
Likes: 1
From: Mohegan Lake New York
The irony of these plugs is back in the days of points and condenser the weakest ignition system these plugs might have actually helped with their multiple grounds to jump to where were they then?the only aftermarket plug I remember was the plugs that were on the back cover of the JC Whitney catalog that showed their plug going 6 mph and a speedo showing a stock plug going 0mph. that add still there?
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: Colman SD
Sorry guy's I did'nt mean to open up a can of worms on the E-3 spark plugs. I do know that my car had a bad hesitation when shifting into high (automatic). I thought my tranny was going out so I went for a ride with the trans. guy a he told me I had a bad miss in #4-5. After changing to the E-3's the miss is gone. I believe Jimmy Johnson runs them in his cars. I know I will be using them in all my cars, Derald
Last edited by Derald; Dec 13, 2009 at 09:07 PM.
