Spark plugs SuperFIRE

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Spark plugs SuperFIRE

Kricksor

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Hi,
DCPR8E is the right plug, I know. But DCPR8EIX is even righter (as in: longer lasting, better idling) because of the smaller iridium electrode.

Then there is the twice as right DCPR8EKC, which has two ground straps, and the most right DCPR8EKP, which not only has two ground straps, but also a platinum electrode and two platinum pads laser welded onto the tips of the ground straps. Similar plugs in an Alfa (BKR6EKPA) last 100.000km/62.500mi.

I'm going for whatever I find the cheapest yet preferably Iridium or Platinum, but did anyone ever try anything other than the DCPR8E?
 
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SuperFIRE. 1.2 and 1.4 16V. The regular DCPR8E doesn't really last more than 20.000km/12.5k mi.

I've ordered the DCPR8EKP Laser Platinum yesterday, let's see how that goes. Should last 100.000km, yet costs only twice as much.

A replacement for the BKR6EKPA (and BKR6EKC) from the larger 16V would be the BKR6EQUP for Porsche. Costs less even, and has four electrodes instead of two.
 
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I don't like the idea of having sparkplugs in for 100.000km...
They will be welded to the enginehead by that time...
(I personally just hate using japanese parts in an Italian engine.....)
And, let's face it, they only have to produce a spark, that's all, no bigger, better, longer or more spark will bring a gain in horsepower at all....
Just buy a decent brand, and change them regularly, and you're fine!!!
 
Spark plug 101:

  1. Platinum electrodes don't wear as fast (lifetime x2).
  2. Platinum pads in the ground strap don't wear as fast (lifetime x2).
  3. With ground straps, both sides of the spark plug wear evenly (lifetime x2).
2x2x2 = 8x (8*15.000 ~= 120.000km) the lifetime, yet only 2x the cost.

No, they don't weld themselves to the head. And NGK is what Fiat uses, Bosch doesn't make a DCPR8EKP with platinum. I wish you good luck replacing the spark plugs every 20.000km on an Alfa V6 24V instead of using the prescribed platinum plugs, though: You'll get hair loss after the second time.

It's not the spark, with the fine-tipped plugs it's quentching that makes the difference in terms of performance:
http :// www. ngk-sparkplugs .jp/english/techinfo/iridium/02_1/index.html
 
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Just as well you wouldn't wanna be changing the plugs or the oil filter for that matter on your drive :)
 
It's more of a matter of taste, really. Take the 1.8 16V 131HP from the Punto HGT for example, along with the 1.8 16V TwinSpark from Alfa (same engine, two spark plugs per cylinder and some 14HP more oompf).

They started out with BKR6EKC, to be replaced every 20.000km:
Uk3Da65l.jpg

BMW used the same plug in some engines. So did the Alfa engine, but with a platinum electrode and a platinum pad on the ground straps, to be replaced every 100.000km.

Around the year 2000, Fiat changed the specifications to the BKR6EZ:
FmwIYkzm.jpg

So did Alfa, to the PFR6B. Same one electrode plug but with platinum on electrode and ground strap, 100.000km replacement.

So did BMW. But instead of going down one step, they took it up a notch and used the latest and greatest technology NGK had to offer at that time, the BKR6EQUP:
OaFF0Smm.jpg

This one also has platinum on the electrode and ground straps, burns the electrode down on four sides (instead of two or one), plus it's a surface discharge type and lasts 100.000km (and more) as well. And because all the bimmers use them, it's less expensive than the rather overpriced Alfa Romeo plugs and will probably outlast it, too.

These plugs all fit the same applications. Which one to pick is up to you, but the BKR6EQUP makes most sense, as the price is 1/3 of the BKR6EKPA for the Alfa and merely 50p more than the BKR6EKC of the Fiat due to the huge volume of BMWs around the world (and it's retrospec'd for models as early as 1987 there), while the quality of the plug is as good as it gets. If you're into Bosch, FGR7DQP+ is their version, at twice the price (and Fiats usually prefer NGK for whatever reason).

The other Alfa plug is a PMR7A and if there was a better alternative, the Ferrari guys would be all over it already. The Iridium CR7EIX is not an option, as it's not a Laser Iridium and only lasts around 65-80.000km.

The SuperFIRE engines use the same plugs, too (DCPR = BKR). The 1.4 16V and later 1.2 16V use the DCPR7E-N, for which there is an equivalent BKR7EQUP. But for the older 1.2 16V with the DCPR8E they don't make them in an 8 heat range. DCPR8EKP is as high as it gets there, yet it's on par with Alfa's 100.000km technology.

The latest 1.4 16V T-Jet uses Laser Iridium plugs (that's 2014 cutting edge), IKR9F8, which last a whooping 125-160.000km but are too cold for the N/A engines.
 
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I can't edit the post anymore, but here's a summary:

Regular, single ground strap: 15.000km
Twin ground straps: 20.000km
Iridium IX: 65-80.000km
Laser Platinum: 100.000km
Laser Iridium: 125-160.000km

Summary

BKR6EKC/BKR6EZ (i.e. 1.4 12V, 1.6-1.8-2.0 16V, 2.0 20V, 2.4 20V) - 20.000km
BCPR6ES/BPR6ES (early 0.75-1.0-1.1-1.2 8V FIRE, 0.9, 1.3-1.4-1.5 8V) - 15.000km
[Very early BPR6ES and BUR6ET have a different wrench size, 20.8mm. This was later changed to 16mm on all engines.]

  • BKR6EIX - 65-80.000km
  • BKR6EKPA/PFR6B - 100.000km
  • BKR6EQUP - 100.000km (also for 16vT BUR6ET, 20vT BKUR6ET and Punto GT BCPR6ET with three ground straps)
  • IFR6B - 125-160.000km
BCPR7ES (1.6 8V) - 15.000km

  • BKR7EKC - 20.000km
  • BKR7EIX - 65-80.000km
  • BKR7EQUP - 100.000km (also for Uno Turbo BCPR7ET with three ground straps)
DCPR8E (early 1.2 16V) - 15.000km

  • DCPR8EKC - 20.000km
  • DCPR8EIX - 65-80.000km
  • DCPR8EKP - 100.000km (in Europe)
  • KR8AI - 125-160.000km (US only, available on eBay for ~£6.50)
DCPR7E-N (later 1.2 and 1.4 16V) - 20.000km

  • DCPR7EIX - 65-80.000km


I took the liberty to underline the best bang for the buck for you.
 
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Again, Bosch +4 for our 1,6-16V 30.000km, using them the last 11 years of owning the Fiat with outstanding results, and with my ( small) stock, will be using them in the next years as well, (no way a japanese plug will fire one of my engines, period.)
Imo, the only reason car manufacturers like Fiat uses a certain part, is that they can get them cheap in large quantities.
 
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Find your Beru, Bosch, Champion, Denso, (...) at sparkplug-crossreference.com (y)

This is just for reference to replace the old 15-20.000km plugs with modern platinum ones. The NGK website says "Just use Iridium IX" while this has all the data from 1985 to 2014 for the most common spark plug models used in Fiats.

Usually, you give the abstract first, no?
 
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Correction:

DCPR7E-N (later 1.2 and 1.4 16V) - 20.000km
ZKR7A-10 (latest 1.2 8V and 1.4 8/16V) - 30.000km

  • DCPR7EIX - 65-80.000km
  • ZKR7AI-8 - 125-160.000km (as used by Fiat on LPG-powered cars)
Addendum:
For cars running on E85 or LPG/CNG, a fine-tipped iridium plug is to be preferred.
 
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That's complete B.S.....
With an average of 15.000km a year, those plugs should be untouched for almost 11 years on a gas powered car....???
You will NEVER get them out after such a long time and running much hotter than a gasoline car...!!
They WILL be welded solid to the head...!!!
 
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How many cars have you seen where this "welding" happened, as a gazillion cars use 100.000km intervals now without a problem. Including the Alfa TwinSpark 16V whose head is cast from the same material as your 1.6 16V.

Fiat uses fine-tipped iridium plugs for the gas-powered engines themselves, hence the addendum. Has to do with the quenching and the harder ignitability of LPG/CNG/E85 in certain states of operation, see Post #5 .

Anyways, my DCPR8EKP platinum plugs have arrived:
FD3qe1tl.jpg

Same insulator projection as DCPR8E, same length, yet the spark is created 1.8mm further in the chamber like on the newer plugs, which is supposed to make a hair more power.

These plugs cost me less than 2x the price of the regular ones, yet last 6 1/3x as long, which saves me £106.60 over the next 100.000km. Also good for the environment, as that's five plugs less which get thrown away. Couple that with 5W40 ACEA C3 that needs replacement at 30.000km (or once every two years) instead of 15.000km (or every year) with 10W40, and a washable air filter, and you've cut the maintenance costs (and your waste oil, and your spark plug waste) by more than half.

I'll receive a set of BKR6EQUP by next week, I'll post another pic of those.
 
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I've seen it happen on several motorbikes with long life plugs, within a few years and not many mls ( km's).
With those long life plugs it is very important to take them out at least every 1-2 years, to prevent problems.
Nobody does, so that's when troubles arise...!!


Be VERY carefull with plugs sticking further in the combustion chamber, before you know, you'll end up with a nice round hole in your piston...
 
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I've just installed the DCPR8EKP.

One thing I've noticed is that the notoriously rough idling 1.2 16V idles very smoothly now, to where you don't feel any vibrations on the gear lever at all and only hear the odd firing if you listen very closely. There are about as much suggestions to fix the problem as people driving the car (and I did apply quite a few of them), but these plugs may very well be part of a solution to the rough idle problem on the engine.

They also "improved" something else, but I leave it at your discretion to figure out. :D
 
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