So, it sounds like nobody here has any actual experience with these plugs? I bought a set today for a web-challenged buddy who saw the PS article. I tried to talk him out of it. He's not an engineer (I am) but he's a fairly successful gambler. I'll let you know if I learn anything useful.

 

 

Last Friday I had a set of Pulstar plugs installed in my '06 A6. The dyno said I am getting an additional 29 hp (adjusted for altitude). The way it drives, I believe the results. The unadjusted number is 47 hp. Torque is up about the same amount. If I could figure out how to attach the dyno sheet I would post it.
I am at 5000' so the numbers are adjusted for altitude but even so, the change is pretty impressive for $200. Once installed I started getting a "service charging system" message and thought they may have hit the rev limiter during the dyno runs, but the log says they stayed below 6000 rpm. The tech that installed them has figured out that the alternator wire runs so close to the #1 plug that EMFs from the plug is being picked up by the system and causing the message. I have been driving it daily since and the voltmeter shows 14 volts and there are no symptoms of charging system problems. The tech says they have figured out how to shield the alternator wire and that will solve the message problem. I will let you know how that goes.

 

I employ small gnomes to sit inside the engine bay with flint sticks and matches...

 

Can someone find out which NASCAR teams or NHRA Pro Stockers are running these things? They'd pay thousands for 40 or 50 HP. Naw, make that millions. Just think, a 50HP increase on a plate motor at Daytona...................... for $200

 

Who was suppose to be supervising this contractor?
Why did it take $1.1M and 2 years to figure they were not doing their job?
Sounds to me like a couple of people were not doing their jobs.

Thanks for your service

 

I have the deepest respect for Glass Slipper, his knowledge, and analytical skills. Much of what he says makes a lot of sense.

However, we all know that racing engineers have gone to great lengths over the years to improve spark plug and ignition performance by increasing voltage, using dual coils, using dual points, using capacitive discharge systems, etc. MSD makes nothing BUT high-energy ignition systems, and their equipment is used on every race car on the planet. The most extreme example is for supercharged nitromethane engines, which typically use dual magnetos that will put out enough current to light up a small city.

So, I think is somewhat of a simplification to say that all that is needed is a spark to ignite the combustion mix, and that almost all plugs put out the same amount of energy.

Having said that, most of the aftermarket ignition suppliers such as MSD talk about how long their spark lasts, while Pulstar is claiming that their spark is much shorter in duration. Hmmmmmm....

Theory is nice, but results are what counts. Until I see some repeatable dyno or track results from a reputable source, I will remain skeptical. The Pulstar plugs have been around long enough for the performance market to have figured them out. If they really provided significant gains, the sharpies would be running them.

 

Having grown up in the era of originally no TV let alone black and white TV, I learned that it is quite difficult to discover Kryptonite in your own yard let alone your neighbors. Even obtaining a Nuclear Engineering degree in my pursuit of Kryptonite didn't help.

As has been said in several posts. When Ranger, SpinMonster and similar folks start putting them in their cars or CoW starts adding them as part of their tunes, sign me up..

 

This whole thing reminds me of a similar type of debate that occurred on a different web site. In that case, a sleeper poster came on touting his new oil filter that was made of SS screen, filtered down to X microns and was better than paper since "oil does not flow through paper because the oil molecules are XXX microns and the paper is only X microns in size so no way can the oil go through the paper". He insisted that paper filters only trapped particulate as the oil passed by the paper seeing as how it couldn't go through the paper. AND, you only had to buy the metal filter once since it was cleanable, AND of course environmentally friendly since you didn't have a sopping wet oil soaked paper filter to dispose of.

HE went away PDQ. This guy probably will also.

 

Wow.. tough crowd.. It is hard to believe you can get those power gains from just changing out plugs.
I too am skeptical of these claims. The company does offer a money back trial period. All you are out is the shipping. Still... it's seems too good to be true.
I'm sure it probably is..

 

NMCOYOTE posted in this thread also how great the plugs were. In another thread on this same subject he generated a lot of laughter about the "superduper" plugs.
O well think about what P.T. Barnum had to say. It was true then and still true today!

 

Check out our challenge on this thread:http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...1798438&page=2

If they believe in their product at all I think they would welcome this. Until then....I say:

 

I remember "fire injectors" from JC Whitney. Once the mixture is ignited, its over. Don't waste your time with this BS

 

It's not a simplification to say that all that is needed is a spark to ignite the combustion mix...actually, it's a requirement. That's why engineers designed better ignition systems to overcome the RPM/cylinder pressures seen in race engines. Not many people know a Top Fuel dragster loses it's spark plug electrodes at about half track and the engine continues running via detonation...of course that's only about 1.5 seconds.

I didn't mean all plugs put out the same amount of energy, I was just comparing the two on their web site...unfortunately, I didn't make that clear at all when I wrote it and I apologize for the confusion.

 

So they do have a money back gaurantee? I wonder how much they are charging for shipping and "handling".

I would be willing to go to the track. Run a few passes with my stock plugs, then let the car cool, swap these "amazing" plugs in, and do a couple more. If I don't get at least 2mph, then the dyno results nmcoyote are BS, just like most dyno results.

It'll probably be my $20 for shipping (both ways I assume) out the window, but it would probably save everyone on here a lot of time since we wouldn't have to read any of this stuff anymore.

I saw the other thread about the dyno shops calling them out. That probably won't happen, and anyway, I don't care what they do on a dyno. I care what they do at my track.

 

Thats it any company can claim a bolt on or plug in gives you more HP but unless you can feel it in the BUTTO-METER and on the streets and at the track it don't mean squat.

 

From their website:

"Another way that Pulstar™ improves efficiency is by reducing cycle-to-cycle variation. Cycle-to-cycle variation occurs in every engine to some degree and is caused by the dynamics of combustion, load, fuel quality, mixture of air to fuel and many other combustion variables. These variables can cause the spark plug to generate a weak spark and in the worst case, a misfire. This variability in ignition timing robs all spark ignited, internal combustion engines of up to 10% of their efficiency. The powerful spark of Pulstar™ ignites fuel more precisely, which can reduce cycle-to-cycle variation by up to 50%. This is an important contribution to improving fuel economy. "


I may be missing something, but how could air/fuel mixture or fuel quality cause a weak spark??? Oh I get it...somehow the coil and wire monitor the fuel quality and adjust the spark accordingly....give me a break....The FAQ on the site is funny to read.

Lets hope our good intentioned forum members trying these never have to explain to GM warranty reps why the "pulse circuit" plugs that damaged their electrical system should be covered.....

Remember....there are proven ways to get power and mileage, be careful of being a guinea pig with your $50K + performance car.

My feeling is that this is another gimmick that "mysteriously" appears at a time when the American public is paying more per gallon of gas than ever before. Another Tornado Fuel saver, or BioPerformance Gas Mileage Pill. Like Popular Mechanics summed up their article:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/auto...s/1802932.html

THE MORAL OF THE STORY
We've tested nowhere near all of the fuel-saver gadgets on the market, and I'm sure purveyors of others will be waiting in our lobby soon. But not one of the items we tested worked. At all. There's no ignoring the laws of physics, people. Your vehicle already burns over 99 percent of the fuel you pay for. Less than 1 percent is squandered as partially burned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide before the exhaust hits the catalytic converter for the last laundering. Even if one of these miracle gadgets could make the combustion process 100 percent complete, the improvement in mileage resulting would be 1 percent. Any device that claims quantum-level increases needs to be examined with considerable skepticism.

We say caveat emptor (let the buyer beware). But there are plenty of people out there who say: "There's one born every minute." Prediction: Within a few weeks after the appearance of this article, there will be gas-saving gadgets on the market that tout themselves as "Featured in Popular Mechanics." Someone will buy them. Probably not you.

Some other interesting reading here:

http://mlmblog.typepad.com/bioperformance/

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/aut...20060613a1.asp

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/reports.htm

http://autos.aol.com/article/general...12124009990001



"The Better Business Bureau is warning Emerald Coast residents to be wary of gas scams.

With gas prices reaching more than $3 a gallon, a new scam is sweeping the nation advertising “gas saving” products. These scams offer what sounds like practical steps to increase gas mileage. All the consumer has to do is buy a few automotive devices and/or oil and gas additives.

Recently, the Texas attorney general's office filed a suit and obtained a temporary restraining order against a Texas-based company called BioPerformance, Inc. of Irving, Texas. The company – organized as an illegal pyramid scheme – markets a fuel pill it falsely claims will boost gas mileage and save consumers money. The company has failed to provide proof that the product actually saves consumers money and gets them better gas mileage. The company's Web site claimed: "You can save up to 25% or more on fuel with optimal driving conditions."

 

Yes, and I found it interesting that their "feature" in Popular Mechanics is actually just an ad. It can be downloaded in .pdf form from their website.

 

dreamers

 

This "sense combustion chamber conditions thru the wire" is the same crap Nology was peddling to the ricer crowd 10 years ago - very successfully, I might add.

From a pure physics standpoint, the claim of 50x power is total crap. Energy (and matter) can neither by destroyed nor created. 50x more powerful spark means 50x more voltage or 50x more current, neither of which a 12V battery can supply. Finally, there is such a thing as too much spark. An excessively powerful spark actually cavitates thye A/F mixture and blows the O2 and the fuel molecules apart. Take oxygen away from the gas and you've got nothing.