I'm with stupid, Nitrous ????

1Slow90coupe

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Oct 18, 2005
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I want to know why you are supposed to use colder plugs with nitrous? What exactly does it do? Is it that it does not allow the cylinder to fire until fully compressed? What is detonation? Is that why I was not getting all my HP to the wheels with stock plugs on the dyno? The guy at NX said to run two step colder plugs than stock. What will this do when I drive the car to the track?:stupid:
 
The term colder plug means that the plug tip is configured so that it transfers heat to the threads and cylinder head quicker than an hotter plug. So it runs cooler. Spray will give you higher cylinder pressures and some higher combustion temps, so if if the plug, that sticks out in the middle of all this violence, can transfer heat away faster, it will not melt as fast, or melt at all.

If the plug gets too hot when sprayed, it will cause preignition, etc, or combustion before the piston is near tdc, and the combustion force will try to push the piston down the wrong way. That, and the longer combustion event, (because it started too early) will tend to melt the piston aluminum, etc.

It's just a precaution to be conservative with your motor. It should not be noticable in regular driving. I would be more concerned with making sure the timing was conservative, and the fuel delivery was right when the spray was on.

In the old days, when hot rod motors ran 13 to 1 compression and ran rich, and oil control was not as good as today, a hotter plug was used to run longer without fouling the plugs, as they retained heat and would burn off the oil and extra gas.
 
rd said:
The term colder plug means that the plug tip is configured so that it transfers heat to the threads and cylinder head quicker than an hotter plug. So it runs cooler. Spray will give you higher cylinder pressures and some higher combustion temps, so if if the plug, that sticks out in the middle of all this violence, can transfer heat away faster, it will not melt as fast, or melt at all.

If the plug gets too hot when sprayed, it will cause preignition, etc, or combustion before the piston is near tdc, and the combustion force will try to push the piston down the wrong way. That, and the longer combustion event, (because it started too early) will tend to melt the piston aluminum, etc.

It's just a precaution to be conservative with your motor. It should not be noticable in regular driving. I would be more concerned with making sure the timing was conservative, and the fuel delivery was right when the spray was on.

In the old days, when hot rod motors ran 13 to 1 compression and ran rich, and oil control was not as good as today, a hotter plug was used to run longer without fouling the plugs, as they retained heat and would burn off the oil and extra gas.

Man, that is the best eplanation I have recieved yet. I really appreciate the info. The guys at NX said to run two steps colder when spraying a 150 shot. How will this do driving back and forth to the track. Of course I will take some stock ones just in case I foul one out or something. Again Thanks
 
Great explanation rd -- here's a link that has some pictures that help explain what they actually do to create hotter/colder plugs. The length of the air gap around the insulating ceramic is the variable. The larger the gap, the less heat gets transferred to the head and the hotter the plug runs; the smaller the gap, the more heat gets transferred and the colder the plug runs.

http://www.sentra.net/tech/sparkplugs.php
 
Michael Yount said:
Great explanation rd -- here's a link that has some pictures that help explain what they actually do to create hotter/colder plugs. The length of the air gap around the insulating ceramic is the variable. The larger the gap, the less heat gets transferred to the head and the hotter the plug runs; the smaller the gap, the more heat gets transferred and the colder the plug runs.

http://www.sentra.net/tech/sparkplugs.php
very informative article