Solid SILVER spark plugs??

[avefenix]

Recently in my search i noticed NOLOGY has created a SOLID SILVER CORE SPARK PLUG, evidently not one with just a tip of silver but a complete plug..I searched these forums and came up with no answers so ill ask all my fellow dsmers

HAS anyone ever used these, it is somewhat a newer product and if so how hot is this melting point comparitive to iridium...if you are running 30 psi boost the gap would be significantly lower im sure

just wanting some answers and input here

 

[dustkrock]

The melting point of silver is just above 1600.

 

[avefenix]

Thanx , if anyone decides to try using these please let me know the results....

 

[sciondan]

I have them in my truck and didn't notice any difference. Personally I would save your money Caz they are way over priced. Also they have been out for awhile.

 

[Bud92gsx]

When ngk's are 2.50$ a peice.I think I will stick with those.

Silver is for jewelry.

 

[boost97gst]

??? is that a joke? Solid silver? How much are they?
To your question, no, it would just be a ridiculous waste of money to get these over a set of br6's or 7's or something similiar. Thanks for the amusing post though.

 

[avefenix]

thanx for the replies....i would like to find a method of doing a real conductive test on these plugs to see where the hype really is, evidently some of these other forums have users that swear by them, under higher loads a stronger spark but i need to be able to measure the power of the spark in comparison to other plugs using the exact same equipment...any more suggestions?

 

[Ozone302]

Well, silver is the most conductive metal. So technically they would be the best for a spark plug application.

 

[avefenix]

yes i agree silver is more conducive, which may play a great roll in higher boost apps than the cheaper plugs....

 

[Ozone302]

I think it would be a waste of money to have a solid silver plug though. If the electrode was silver that would be an awesome performing plug that wouldn't be too expensive.

 

[T is for TURBO]

These threads baffle me. NGKs are proven. Tried and True. Making more horse power than 99% of the people on this website. Yet people still ask about these miracle plugs, made from exotic materials costing ass loads of money. These spark plugs (Nology brand) cost $9.00 a PIECE! $36.00 for a full set. for 36 bucks I can get 3 SETS of NGKs, and have enough change to buy a beverage and a candy bar.

Don't waste your money.

 

[avefenix]

currently run ngk 8es plugs, i simply am curious....if i find out anything new that actually has results ill post them, thanx for the input....

 

[Rockyp]

The reason people went away from copper is because it's too malleable at high temperatures. It has better conductivity than Platinum and Iridium, but under prolonged use, the electrodes lost their shapes. That being said, copper's melting point is a few hundred degrees higher than silver, dissipates heat faster, and is less malleable. You don't have to test a silver spark plug to see they're a bad idea. Silver is so bad, they have to mix Copper in it to make jewelry so it won't fall apart in your hands.

 

[Ozone302]

These threads baffle me. NGKs are proven. Tried and True. Making more horse power than 99% of the people on this website. Yet people still ask about these miracle plugs, made from exotic materials costing ass loads of money. These spark plugs (Nology brand) cost $9.00 a PIECE! $36.00 for a full set. for 36 bucks I can get 3 SETS of NGKs, and have enough change to buy a beverage and a candy bar.

Don't waste your money.

But the point of the silver is better conductivity for a stronger spark which equals MORE horsepower. Sure ngk's are great, I run them. But if I was looking to squeeze every last bit of power out of my car I would try the silver plugs. I'll put money on it that they would make more power than copper plugs because silver is more conductive than copper. These plugs aren't stupid like all the other "miracle" plugs like e3's and such which suck. These are silver. I would like to see someone do some real dyno tests with these. They are quite expensive though which is why I would not buy them.

 

[DSM1G90]

In all due actuality: GOLD is the most conductive metal - there is gold in your computers..the strip contacts mounted on the end of the appication cards that are mounted in the slots on the momboard, are either pure gold, or a gold alloy.

Microcurrent needs to flow fast and gold allows that very small, minute current to flow with ease.

But, be major silly to make plugs with gold center core: major cost and gold's low melting point.

IR plugs, may be of less conductive material than copper, but are much harder in density, which is the reason of the very narrow tip on the end of the plug. They get much hotter to help create a hot "plasma ball" of a spark in between the electrode and ground, which the ground tip has a tiny bead of platinum. That "plasma ball" literally explodes outwards to ignite the A/F more effectively, thus a more complete combustion. The stock electrode is actually very cold since it's bigger in diameter and can't create that "Plasma ball" of a spark to do the complete combustion.

Copper is obviously the good standard for many years in conductivity, but can't handle very high heat and begins to eventually break down, why the recommended 12 to 15K mile changeout - along with the erosion of the electrodes.

IR plugs are getting to be the standard for ignition systems for new cars due to the very hot spark they create, which gives the higher HP rating for smaller CC displacement motors and can last very long. Have you noticed that these new motors have an average compression rating of over 10.1 running on 87RON fuels? The timing is retarded to prevent the knock, but the IR sparkplugs makes up for the retarded timing to still put the output of the complete combustion .. is what the GOV't requirements of the EPR.

BPR6EIR gapped at .032 for those who want to try them out .. about 8 to 9 bucks a plug.

 

[Ozone302]

In all due actuality: GOLD is the most conductive metal - there is gold in your computers..the strip contacts mounted on the end of the appication cards that are mounted in the slots on the momboard, are either pure gold, or a gold alloy.

Microcurrent needs to flow fast and gold allows that very small, minute current to flow with ease.

But, be major silly to make plugs with gold center core: major cost and gold's low melting point.

IR plugs, may be of less conductive material than copper, but are much harder in density, which is the reason of the very narrow tip on the end of the plug. They get much hotter to help create a hot "plasma ball" of a spark in between the electrode and ground, which the ground tip has a tiny bead of platinum.

Copper is obviously the good standard for many years in conductivity, but can't handle very high heat and begins to eventually break down, why the recommended 12 to 15K mile changeout - along with the erosion of the electrodes.

IR plugs are getting to be the standard for ignition systems for new cars due to the very hot spark they create, which gives the higher HP rating for smaller CC displacement motors and can last very long.

BPR6EIR's gapped at .032 for those who want to try them out .. about 8 to 9 bucks a plug.

Wrong. Silver is the most conductive metal. Gold is very conductive, but not as much as silver or copper. The reason gold is highly used is because it's corrosive resistant.

 

[avefenix]

Properties of Materials

Material
Thermal
Conductivity
W/(m•K)
Electrical
Conductivity
MS/m

Silver
407
66

Copper
384
57

Gold
310
45

Iridium
147
18

Platinum
70
10

Nickel
59
10

since i only drive my car maybe 1000 miles a year i dont mind giving this a try, i can always put my ngk back in but the research all over the internet is dictating an extremely higher and conducive property, this was nologys chart

 

[TSI_93]

Copper core plugs are tried and true. No reason at all to switch, the alternatives cost so much more that you can buy several sets of NGKs in the proper heat index for your car and change them a couple times a year.

 

[avefenix]

education 101 from Lehigh University

Conductivity

all metals are based against silver in conductivity, silver also has a melting point

Aluminum melting point 1220 degrees f
silver melting point is 1760 degrees f

so now i have a question, arent the heads of our cars made of aluminum???
i am just asking because if youre engine is running 1700 degrees hot enough to melt this wouldnt that be bad for the heads on our cars???

here is another link for melting points...

Metals - Melting Temperatures

 

[Ozone302]

Copper core plugs are tried and true. No reason at all to switch, the alternatives cost so much more that you can buy several sets of NGKs in the proper heat index for your car and change them a couple times a year.

Yeah but wouldn't you want to use the best spark plug possible for your car? I understand ngk's and coppers are good but there is potentially a better performing plug available now so why not use it? Sure they cost a lot but I would rather get more power and spend a little more than settle. I'm gonna try these silver plugs out on my next plug change.

 

[DSM1G90]

Okey, I surrender ..true Silver is more conductive, but loves to corrode. Used to work in an industry with electricity were appliances used silver contacts..and we had to dress to eventually change these silver contacts.

Aluminum melting point 1220 degrees f

Why coolant flows through the AL heads-major heat sink .. to pull the heat out and reduce the melting point. Plus AL dissipates heat tonnage faster than iron..why the decision, outside of weight, to have motors with AL heads.

(If you know how to cook, try cooking a steak on a cast iron skillet over an open fire and you'll find that steak can cook so much better in that cast iron skillet than the piss-poor AL frying pans..due to the cast iron really holds the heat and that AL frying pans have so many cold spots from loosing the heat so quickly.-same goes with motors..)

Notice that most 4cyl new motor blocks are now AL, but with steel sleeves? Get the heat off the block quick.

CHEV goofed up with the VEGA motor being all AL (actually an AL alloy impregnated with silicon) and no steel sleeves...with a piss-poor cooling system. Took six years to finally accept this and took their Z28 302 motor, cut it in half lengthwise to make the 2.5l "Iron Duke" 4cylinder and put in this chassis..by then the VEGA was gone and the Monza took that line over.

 

[Rockyp]

Wrong. Silver is the most conductive metal. Gold is very conductive, but not as much as silver or copper. The reason gold is highly used is because it's corrosive resistant.

100% correct. That's why you see gold connectors in aircraft. Silver is the most conductive, but copper isn't far behind. The difference between copper and silver isn't enough to make a difference. The reason iridium/platinum are so popular is malleability. If spark plugs had a constant electric flow, silver alloy would be better. The constant heating and cooling of silver would cause cracking and wear in a silver conductor. If you ignite fuel with 50,000 volts or 47,000 volts, you'll still have the same explosion. Copper plugs have been around since the 19th century, so they're proven. That's why Tesla used copper for the tesla coil. I'm sure this exact arguement was made in 1890.

all metals are based against silver in conductivity, silver also has a melting point
.

Silver isn't the metal that conductivity is based upon. Annealed Copper is the standard that metallurgists use to measure conductivity. Conductivity is measured in IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard).

 

[bryanwheat]

But the point of the silver is better conductivity for a stronger spark which equals MORE horsepower. Sure ngk's are great, I run them. But if I was looking to squeeze every last bit of power out of my car I would try the silver plugs. I'll put money on it that they would make more power than copper plugs because silver is more conductive than copper. These plugs aren't stupid like all the other "miracle" plugs like e3's and such which suck. These are silver. I would like to see someone do some real dyno tests with these. They are quite expensive though which is why I would not buy them.

Stronger spark DOES NOT equal more horsepower. IF that is the case than people would be running the hottest plug possible. You need just enough spark to ignite the mixture under boost, but not too much that you are casing detonation.

 

[JwpRider]

+1 to that! It is puzzling why people consider all these 'performance plugs'. The plugs are there to just ignite the gas fumes. The fuel/air mix don't care if it is ignited by a blow torch or a match...

 

[ramsack]

Silver is so bad, they have to mix Copper in it to make jewelry so it won't fall apart in your hands.

It won't fall apart in your hand.

IF that is the case than people would be running the hottest plug possible. You need just enough spark to ignite the mixture under boost, but not too much that you are casing detonation.

A plug's hotness has nothing to do with its spark, it is how far the ceramic insulator protrudes into the combustion chamber. It affects how the plug carries heat away into the head. A spark's strength doesn't dictate detonation.

That's why Tesla used copper for the tesla coil.

No, it was a tradeoff between a good conductor and cost. If there was enough silver all wires would be made of it. Silver is used where conductivity can't be traded off for cost.