There is one area where you can get extra power without costing anything, and that is the Spark Plug Gap setting.

Every system has a coil which charges on a curve. This curve is variable, but the maximum power is NEVER delivered, as it discharges long before max power is attained.

Here's how you find out the maximum value with the least amount of effort...

1) Pick the easiest spark plug to remove and remove the plug wire. Take note of the effect on the engine's balance (missing)
2) Remove the plug and increase the gap on the spark plug by 20% over stock and reinstall.
3) Check the plug to see if it is missing (pull the wire and notice the balance of the engine.)
4) If no changes, go to #. If it changes, then pull the plug and repeat #2) and #3).
5) When you notice a miss, pull the plug and reduce it by 5% until the missing goes away (no change at removal of the wire) THEN reduce the gap by an additional 5%.
6) Apply that value to the rest of your plugs.

What this is doing is increasing the amount of voltage required to jump the gap (discharging the coil) by many levels. More voltage delivered to the plug equals more power delivered to the fuel equals better combustion.

Please post replies to this method with the results you get! You SHOULD notice increased power, reduced emissions AND better mileage!

Ron Hatton
Gadgetman

Keep in mind also if you have the knowledge, you can port the spark plug.. what that means is the above.. gap them and drill a hole on top the spark plug where the metal is.. small hole which aligns with the spark ..

I think that the previous post by “tf4624” is referring to what is also accomplished by using Sonic spark plugs; see: www.supersonicspark.com This vendor also handles custom orders (to drill a hole in the ground electrode) for spark plugs you send them.

In addition to increasing the OEM spark plug gap by 10-20% as Ron talks about above, I like to combine that with another plug mod known as “side-gapping”;
see: performanceunlimited.com/documents/plugsidegapping.html
This second mod helps ignite the fuel-mix closer to TDC because the ground electrode on the plug is no longer acting as a shield to partially block a developing flame front after plug ignition. The name of the game here is to ignite as much of the fuel as possible as close to TDC as possible for the strongest push on the pistons.

Another consideration is the type of spark plugs you use; if you’re going to be adding combustion enhancers, such as the Groove and/or a hydrogen generator, then the engine will be operating slightly cooler. Because silver and copper plugs are the highest thermal and electrical conductors, they are the best choice when using combustion enhancers; plugs made with other metals can have heat-retention problems and you may have to use a hotter heat-range plug if not using silver or copper ones.

Additionally, when upgrading an ignition system (plugs, wires, coil, etc.), one of the most commonly overlooked items is the need to upgrade the engine ground-wire system too. An OEM ground-wire system can have up to ten times the electrical impedance compared to using a quality, aftermarket ground-wire kit; see: store.newlevelmotorsports.com/grwikiandwi.html
This upgrade helps avoid common ignition problems caused by a poor engine ground & static electricity; if you want to understand the importance of properly strapping an engine, see: www.strapping4engines.com

We have all seen a vehicle that has one bright headlamp while the other one is dim; this problem is caused by the dim headlamp having a poor or inadequate ground. No matter how much you spend on buying the “brightest” bulbs, that headlamp will never reach its brightness potential until the ground for that headlamp position is repaired. The same is true for the ignition system; don’t limit your system’s potential by not upgrading the engine’s ground-wire system too.

agreed to the above, if you have a toyota prius LOL The car loves to have

the Ground-2ire system.. you can find one at Juicyhbrid

Wow Guys, I assisted MR. Paul, Paul Mills, last year in the construction and installation of HHO units for 18 wheelers and other vehicles and in Strapping the engines as well. Mr. Paul is very up to date on Diesel engines and good on gas engines as well. Excellent mechanic. I was with him when he started the Strapping4engines venture and saw and experienced the results. IT WORKS. I am still in the HHO and HHHN business and using the personal license to aquaint myself with the groove, IT WORKS as we all know. Even my wife could tell the difference with the strapping and the GROOVE without telling her i had done something to the van. MORE POWER she said on both occasions. The groove speaks for itself just do it and tell them to drive it. As Ron told me it really enhances HHO and HHHN, and takes it to a different level as well.I am just old and slow but getting there.

So I see 3 modifications to spark plugs in the descriptions above.

1. Widen the gap.
2. Drill a hole, or port (and some suggest the drill bit notches a dent in the center post)
3. Side gaping.

I came across another called indexing, where the open side of the plug gap faces the intake valve.

Some of these can be combined, others not.
Any experience on applying these methods out there in Gadgetman Land?
Which works best, or is it different for each situation?

And how would this work with a car that has electronic timing? Will the computer go with it, work against it, or not even know?

Thanks for your input.