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Side gapping spark plugs

7K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  CovertRussian 
#1 ·
#2 ·
Unfortunately, you will spend more energy attempting to side gap your plugs than you will save by doing so. The benefits in your application are virtually nil.

All your mixture needs is a spark. It doesn't have to be particularly big. It just needs a spark at the right time.

Hot ignition systems, side-gapping, and other ignition improvements are necessary for supercharged, high-compression or high RPM engines where the increased cylinbder pressure results in increased resistance and an overall hostile environment to electrons shooting a gap. The stock ignition system in your application is more than adequate to do the job as it comes from the factory.

If you buy four NGK plugs as specified in your application for about two bucks apiece, gap them properly and install them with a little anti-seize, plus install the new cap, rotor, and wire set from the other thread, you're good to go for at least another 30K miles when you should take a look at the plugs.
 
#5 ·
I've already replaced my plugs, etc. I was just wondering if anyone has tried this.
Maybe on one of the hi-po boards but not on the GA16i board. I think we were both concerned you'd be wasting time attempting it when you could be out driving your car.

A modification like that works best with a small bore, high compression dome-piston engine where the compressed fuel/air mixture is spread out thinly across the piston top and the dome "shrouds" part of the mixture.

On a positive note, a plug, wire, cap and rotor change has given me more than 15% better fuel efficiency :)
There ya go. Enjoy driving your Sentra and enjoy the fuel savings too.
 
#6 ·
Well i thought about this since i seen it on here, and decided to try it just for kicks. I got me a new set of NGK's and used a dermal cutoff tool and gaped them to 0.44" i took it up the road and noticed a good improvement in top end torque. also smother idle.

Just to let you know this was on the ga16de and had spark plugs that were less than 6mo. old. I will let you know if my millage changes. But for now, i dont see anything BAD about it. They might not last as long but i am willing to find out how long.
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
To those haters, this is a great "free" mod. I dynoed 7whp over stock on a SR20DET with just side gaping and indexing those side gapped plugs.

Now as for them not lasting as long, uhh it will last just as long as a regular good plug will. If your plug's ground electrode is half way gone and you feel like you have more life in it, then you probably will be needing a new engine soon. Remember good life spam is about 20k miles for any copper plugs. Anything above that is pushing your luck, this is why they are cheap haha.

On top of that you get better MPG's too.

My How to can be found here.

 
#9 ·
hhmm, i will have to pull them back out to index them this weekend. and re-gap them also, i forgot to take the .010" out.
 
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