Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Lee
I've got some PulseStars but they've made no difference in running or economy.
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I've got an extra Pulstar plug, and I ordered a couple E3 3.36 plugs. I plan on hacking one of the ground straps off the E3 and shot welding it to the Pulstar.
That'd give a hot spark and a turbulent flame front that expands faster. The problem with the traditional J-curve ground strap is that it creates a donut-shaped laminar flame front that expands slower, and in high-speed engines, that kills power. Your piston can actually travel faster than the flame front in some cases. A faster flame front lets you retard spark timing, which lowers the risk of knock, reduces heat loss to the cylinder wall, and gives a higher proportion of power pushing on the piston at the right time for maximum mechanical advantage.
Think of it this way... for every degree of spark advance you have, that fuel:air mix is burning, expanding and building pressure in the cylinder, which the piston has to push against BTDC. That's a power loss, and it's a power loss you'll never recover ATDC. So the more you can shift the burn to ATDC, the more usable power you can extract from the engine that would otherwise be wasted. Ideally, the burn would happen nearly instantaneously from about 20 to 45 degrees ATDC for maximum mechanical leverage on the crankshaft, but you're getting into detonation for that to happen.
Now I dare someone to claim the E3 plug is "unicorn", as well. LOL