what are the pros/cons of having iridiums vs. having the normal copper motorcrafts when spraying n2o and having a all motor app.? do the iridiums wear out as easily? last as long? how long do they last w/nitrous? ect....
d.bluefocus21
Iridium is the material that the center electrode is made of. They're just like platinum plugs, except that they don't suck for performance use
Platinum is not very conductive relative to copper, but it's more durable. Iridium is more conductive than platinum and just as durable. You can use a very thin center electrode which is very efficient and still have a durable plug.
I'm not sure what you mean by "withstand" nitrous...if a nitrous system is properly tuned, pretty much any plug will work. The plug doesn't know the difference between a turbo, supercharger or nitrous...it's all just cylinder pressure. if it's not tuned correctly (too lean), no plug is going to live.
Heat range-wise...the material they make the center electrode out of doesn't effect the heat range. I don't know if they make every heat range for every application, but they do make the stock ones for a Zetec.
Platinum is not very conductive relative to copper, but it's more durable. Iridium is more conductive than platinum and just as durable. You can use a very thin center electrode which is very efficient and still have a durable plug.
I'm not sure what you mean by "withstand" nitrous...if a nitrous system is properly tuned, pretty much any plug will work. The plug doesn't know the difference between a turbo, supercharger or nitrous...it's all just cylinder pressure. if it's not tuned correctly (too lean), no plug is going to live.
Heat range-wise...the material they make the center electrode out of doesn't effect the heat range. I don't know if they make every heat range for every application, but they do make the stock ones for a Zetec.
so a fresh set of coppers will out perform a fresh set of plats any day? and a iridium will perform just as well as coppers just lasts longer?
the nitrous question, was relating the iridium to a plat, because you are not supposed to spray on a plat plug...also if you spray numerous times on the same plug it'll tend to foul out faster....i was curious if the iridium was better for lasting longer, even while sprayin on em : )
the nitrous question, was relating the iridium to a plat, because you are not supposed to spray on a plat plug...also if you spray numerous times on the same plug it'll tend to foul out faster....i was curious if the iridium was better for lasting longer, even while sprayin on em : )
Due to the fine wire center electrode, the iridiums reqire less voltage than a standard copper plug. Platinums would be good, but it's not very conductive. Platinums just aren't performance plugs in any way aside from durability. They can go for 100,000 miles, they just require more voltage to fire.
As for plugs "fouling" faster when used with nitrous...that's not true at all. The only way you'll foul plugs is if your tune is way off. Like I said before, your spark plugs can't tell whether you have a blower, turbo or nitrous making the same level of power. There's no difference electrically, mechanically or chemically.
As for plugs "fouling" faster when used with nitrous...that's not true at all. The only way you'll foul plugs is if your tune is way off. Like I said before, your spark plugs can't tell whether you have a blower, turbo or nitrous making the same level of power. There's no difference electrically, mechanically or chemically.
doesn't copper just naturally corrode (oxidize) faster over time when exposed to the oxygen at high pressure/high temperature in the cylinder? fresh copper is a very good conductor, but I would think over time, the build up of oxidation would require more and more voltage to fire (increasing over time).
if that's the case, then spraying (which is adding O2 to the cylinder) would increase the oxidation effect.
Platinum is inert, so no oxidation... not sure if irridium is inert or not....
if irridium is inert and just as good a conductor as copper, then it's a no-brainer
if that's the case, then spraying (which is adding O2 to the cylinder) would increase the oxidation effect.
Platinum is inert, so no oxidation... not sure if irridium is inert or not....
if irridium is inert and just as good a conductor as copper, then it's a no-brainer
Over time, as long as you replace the plugs regularly, there's no problem...
I'm talking about the actual chemical process of corrosion happening faster with copper rather than not at all with an inert metal. Copper plugs will corrode as well as foul. Platinum plugs will not corrode, but they will foul. Even if you don't spray, copper will still corrode in the engine. If you spray, they will simply corrode faster.
If fouling were not an issue at all, Pt plugs would last much longer than copper plugs simply due to chemistry.
I'm talking about the actual chemical process of corrosion happening faster with copper rather than not at all with an inert metal. Copper plugs will corrode as well as foul. Platinum plugs will not corrode, but they will foul. Even if you don't spray, copper will still corrode in the engine. If you spray, they will simply corrode faster.
If fouling were not an issue at all, Pt plugs would last much longer than copper plugs simply due to chemistry.
The chemistry is absolutely the same, whether you run nitrous or not. There are no additional ingredients added to the combustion chamber that aren't there every other minute the car is running. In that way, nitrous is no different than just hopping up the motor by other means...porting the head, bigger cam, higher compression, etc.
yes, the chemistry inside the chamber is the same with nitrous as it is with not spraying. Never said it was any different. I'm not talking about the chemical makeup of nitrous. I'm talking about the chemical process of copper corrosion. The chemistry of copper plugs IS NOT the same as the chemisty of Pt plugs in an oxygen rich environment.
Do you agree that spraying nitrous adds more air to the engine than if you don't spray nitrous?
Do you agree that copper corrodes in an oxygen rich environment?
Wouldn't you therefore conclude that if you spray, copper is going to corrode faster than if you don't?
How much faster? Probably not significantly so over the life of copper plugs Vs. the life of Pt plugs as long as you change them out on a somewhat regular frequency.
Think of irridium plugs as copper plugs that last as long as Pt plugs and you'll probably be pretty close...
Do you agree that spraying nitrous adds more air to the engine than if you don't spray nitrous?
Do you agree that copper corrodes in an oxygen rich environment?
Wouldn't you therefore conclude that if you spray, copper is going to corrode faster than if you don't?
How much faster? Probably not significantly so over the life of copper plugs Vs. the life of Pt plugs as long as you change them out on a somewhat regular frequency.
Think of irridium plugs as copper plugs that last as long as Pt plugs and you'll probably be pretty close...
Then why do people spray nitrous at all?
Sorry for the back and forth... I just want to learn as much as I can, and I think maybe I can teach something in this case
edit: maybe we're getting lost in semantics. "oxygen rich" I'm not referring to the A/F mixture being rich or lean, I'm just saying that there is more oxygen in the cylinder than there would be if you didn't spray at all.
There's more oxygen...and more fuel...more nitrogen...more of everything. In the same proportion as there would be under normal WOT operation.
If there was a different proportion of air to fuel (or oxidizer to fuel if you prefer), the motor would either be too rich or too lean. Like I said before, it's no different in that way than increasing the volumetric efficiency by other means.
I'm not saying that the plugs don't wear faster on nitrous...but they don't wear any faster than they would using any other means to achieve the same power. Of course, this assumes proper tuning for each.
They "wear" very fast if you get too lean...so quickly that one might think they were actually melting away.
It's almost instant in fact...LOL
If there was a different proportion of air to fuel (or oxidizer to fuel if you prefer), the motor would either be too rich or too lean. Like I said before, it's no different in that way than increasing the volumetric efficiency by other means.
I'm not saying that the plugs don't wear faster on nitrous...but they don't wear any faster than they would using any other means to achieve the same power. Of course, this assumes proper tuning for each.
They "wear" very fast if you get too lean...so quickly that one might think they were actually melting away.
It's almost instant in fact...LOL-
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