as the weather is cooler now the car has lost more power than normal from the temp rise. i know the car will not be as strong, but it has really lost its edge alot more than normal. (example: when i floor it it has less power than when i give 75% throttle). i feel no power gains when i turn up the boost, and it is just more laggy around town. so i decide to get nmew spark plugs and drop a heat range. should be easy right? wrong. i cant find these ngk IGR7A-G plugs anywhere. the dealership wants $28 a piece for them. what doesn everyone else use? and where can i buy them? anyone have any ideas on my troubleshooting?

 

$28 each??

I use the NGK BPR 7ES. It's a cloder plug and has been working pretty well.

Lancershop.com sells them for $12 a set.

 

According to NGK, Mitsu has the sole rights to sell the OEM plugs until 2005. Running the BPR7ES is a great alternative. Go to an 8 if you want a step colder than stock. Shop around at local parts stores and you should be able to find them for about $2 each.

However, I'm not sure the plug is your problem. Are you experiencing hesitation/stumbling or just a general lack of power? Have you tried turning down the boost?

 

I agree, it doesn't sound like a spark plug problem. The factory plugs should last quite a while.

 

Z1 has some denso plugs I might try when the time comes.

http://www.z1auto.com/prodmore.asp?m...ine&prodid=252

 

well, it is a general lack of power. but it is strong when i give it 75% throttle. full throttle isnt as powerful anymore. i dont have the emanage running any settings now.. maybe i am running way to rich? my plugs have a nice brownish look to them, i dont think im leaning out any. but, i should be making anywhere from 60 to 70 more hp than stock. when your at this range a colder plug is a must. is that what may be causing it? or is my ecu changing cam timing because the 272's? what ever the problem is, im ganna get a step colder plug , if that feels better i will go with iridium a step colder.

 

Have you done any mods that you have not retuned for ???

In my case, I had a big power loss (before getting retuned) when I installed my injectors.
The car ran fine at 3/4 throttle or less, because the ECU is in "closed loop" mode
and can compensate from the sensor input.
But at WOT, the ECU has to use the preprogrammed fuel and timing maps.
As you can imagine, the fuel map was way off now that my injectors are 20% bigger.

Is my case similar to yours ???

 

I run those, they're fine and Z1 are a great vendor to deal with.

Stupid question time: You running your A/C? If so, have you tried it with the A/C off?

 

Now I definately know its not your spark plugs, check your timing/tuning. A brownish color is good as long its not light gray. I've got 60-70 more hp than stock with factory plugs and no problems in power.

 

it definitely wont hurt to change to the bpr7es ngk's.. they've been proven by the tuners here to be the best for the 4g63.. better yet, they're cheap!.. only 1.79/pc around here at pep boyz or murrays!

however, im not so sure it's the plugs... it's more likely your tuning for the new weather conditions..

also, consider getting a fmic upgrade or at least lower ic piping.. (we have lower ic pipes for $240 shipped)

lastly, get retuned..

consider getting a wideband to always be able to maximize power... the innovative motorsports lm1 is only $350!

 

my car is not tuned at all, it is running factory ecu settings through everything. i have the emanage installed but am runing 0 on everything until i can afford a dyno tune. i am also runnning stock 550's injectors. my mods are: intake, bov, upper ic pipe, boost controller, turbo back exhaust, 272's, 255 pump. i have 780cc injectors not installed, and im waiting on the buschur fully built head. i just installed ngk bpr8es plugs and i reset the ecu.

today when i drove it it was very laggy, and it doesnt respond to boost under 7-8 psi. then when its above that mark it jumps irraticly on boost. it is not as smooth accelerating as it once was 3 weeks ago and it feel choked off at wot. any ideas?

 

auto zone sell them, and so does napa auto parts. the plugs are like 1.75 each.

 

i drove it with the new plugs a heat range colder, and i gapped them to .042. it was a little bit better. then i decided to mess with the emanage to see if droping some fue would work. before all emanage settings were at 0. i set only 100% throttle to -2 from 5000rpms to 7000. when it hits 5 grand it seems to gain about 20 hp. its real nice, kinda like what it was before. im still running rich, and the plugs are blown. im thinking it was the ecu being a *****. i think its also fing with the timing somewhere in the mix... it tends to hesitate a bit around 4k.

 

I thought the gap was supposed to be smaller, like .024".
Or is that just the OEM plugs ???

 

0.042? Try .026 or something, that's too big of a gap.