# Spark Plugs & Other Shocking Discussion



## WHITECO (Mar 31, 2011)

You won't see any improvement by changing plugs or any of the other things you mentioned...all your power will be found in the computer and the intake and exhaust.


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## gman19 (Apr 5, 2011)

WHITECO said:


> You won't see any improvement by changing plugs or any of the other things you mentioned...all your power will be found in the computer and the intake and exhaust.


 
I agree, my first car was an '87 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe that had the I4-Turbo. Rumor had it that Platinum plugs somehow gave off Nitrous Oxide when used and gave more HP. Being in college level chemistry at the time, I never figured this out. I did try Platinum plugs and only found they boosted the drain on my wallet....no more, no less.


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## northvibe (May 4, 2011)

I don't know the plugs GM used in the 1.4L but if they did it like the LNF engine, they used top rated plugs, iridium ones. I would not go from stock plugs, they are very good. 

Voltage regulator or stabilizers dont add any power, they just make sure the negative is at a constant (if the unit attaches to negative term on battery and has large capacitors in it). Or if you do the grounding kit, it just tries to get zero ground to all the parts you connect it to. It will make the items you connect, a TINY bit more efficient as it will be closer to zero or perfect ground. But if you are expectiing hp or mpg, you will 99% not see any improvements. When I used a grounding kit, I noticed my headlights wouldnt dim when rolling the windows down/up and my drive by wire throttle body seemed to respond a tad quicker.


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## vitgia78 (Mar 9, 2011)

Hi there, I've changed original spark plugs with 4 Denso Iridiums IK20 from 6 months ago. Although HP is not changed, it has noticeable change in shortening time delay of acceleration (maybe shorten time of throttle response). It's worth to buy Denso IK20.
However, voltage stablizer is a waste of money.
My car is Lacetti Premiere CDX (6 gears AT) - another name of Chevy Cruze sold in Korea.


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## 72buickgs (Mar 20, 2011)

my '08 astra with the same 1.8L engine, came with standard tipped plugs. i replaced with platinum tipped autolites.


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## tehcor (Mar 30, 2011)

actually going a step or two colder wont help out hp wise...but will help your engine..especially with turbo applications.


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## Skilz10179 (Mar 22, 2011)

tehcor said:


> actually going a step or two colder wont help out hp wise...but will help your engine..especially with turbo applications.


Explain exactly how running colder plugs will help your engine? If anything colder plugs will foul out sooner due to not getting hot enough to burn off contaminants. You should use colder plugs to prevent the spark plug from becoming a hot spot that causes detonation when the motor is modified and making more power/heat in the combination chamber. Excluding the few people here with a tune, everyones motor is stock and doesn't need colder plugs.


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## nascarnation (Apr 19, 2011)

Those plugs are highly profitable for the seller, but highly unlikely to show any improvement in your Cruze.


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...*platinum*- and *iridium-tipped* spark plugs are "good" for increased _longivity_, not increased _horsepower_.


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## Dwnshft (May 16, 2011)

Sorry to dig this up but does anyone know what our factory plugs are and what the lifespan is? I used to change my plugs yearly on my 1.8T GTi...but then again, I had a fair amount of tuning done to it (and yes, I did have to use a slightly cooler plug because of it).


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...part numbers are listed on page 11-8 Service & Maintenance of the *Owners Manual*:

GM......55576026 @ 0.028" (0.70mm)
ACDelco...41-117 @ 0.028" (0.70mm)


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Also, certain platinum and iridium plugs are made for power instead of long life. Some variants are made with sharper, smaller electrodes and smaller ground straps to confine the spark more. The downside is their life is shorter, such as 50k miles instead of 150k miles like the OEM plugs.


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## ecomodman (Aug 25, 2011)

*Spark blow out*

I've been running Denso iridium plugs for about 5K, I got the trifecta tune around 2 or 3K. I absolutely believe it runs smoother and doesn't hesitate like it use to with or without the tune. NOTE_ if you do get the tune they may not remember to tell you, but I've brought it to Trifecta's attention that plugs need to be regapped .001 less for every added pound of boast. In my application with their 93 octane tune I wound up having to gap my plugs to .020 so the whole car won't jerk wildly at WOT full boost. No big deal, it takes just 5 minutes to gap 4 plugs, but the car runs amazing on the Trifecta tune and gets 47 on the hwy! ZZP's downpipe and midpipe are a close second on my list for added performance and mileage, and the Clutch masters stage 2 kevlar clutch is a close third. Runs like a Cobalt SS for half the price at the pump.


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## Memphis (Jun 4, 2011)

I didn't know about the gap thing did anyone else?


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...this info might be useful: DENSO SPARK PLUGS - Basic Knowledge


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

I'm not changing the plugs until 50-60k miles. Even then, if they look good and are gapped correctly, they'll go right back into the engine.


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## Xenocamry (Jun 11, 2011)

I had a Buddy Club Condenser on my Mazda 3, it was a voltage stabilizer\ground kit. I made a noticeable difference in throttle response and overall engine smoothness (perceived). That being said, there was probably little quantifiable benefit to it. I probably should have held onto it, to see if it benefited the Cruz in any way.


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## Tmiller39 (Oct 18, 2016)

Do you know what denso plugs you installed on your cruze? I have a 13 cruze with the trifecta tune with the 1.4 liter turbo


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

This thread is 6 years old...


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