Filed under: MPG
Don't count on E3 spark plugs to save you money on gas
Over the years, countless companies have come up with devices claimed to reduce fuel consumption. The claims have ranged from plausible to the ridiculous. For example, wrapping magnets around your fuel line will not double your mileage and the only way you will ever get 200 mpg with a carburetor is to make it so small that air and fuel flow are so restricted that it can't possibly use more fuel than that. Of course your engine would produce so little power in the process as to be useless. Spark plugs have long been a popular area for "innovation" of this sort. One of the latest comes in the form of the E3 spark plug featuring its DiamondFire electrode. This one falls into the plausible-but-unlikely category. Writer Larry Edsall recently undertook the latest iteration of a 5,000 mile annual road trip and decided to try out the E3 plugs. While E3 claims a 3-5 percent improvement in mileage, Edsall found his dipped from 20.11/19.98 the previous two years to 19.18 with the E3 plugs. He did all the usual maintenance like oil changes and tire pressures before leaving. Of course the vehicle was a year older and more worn which may have contributed to the dip. But even a fully scientific test with two or more vehicles running side by side in the same conditions (aside from the spark plugs) would probably yield a negligible difference at best. The E3 plugs aren't that pricey ($6-7 each) so if you do choose to try them it won't cost a lot. Just don't be too disappointed if you don't see much improvement in mileage.
[Source: Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Domenick 3:04PM (10/21/2007)
$6.00 to $7.00 X 6 (cyl)? I'll stick with my $2.00 plugs and save $24.00.
Thanks for the tip.
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MikeW 8:14PM (10/21/2007)
Bosch platinum works just fine, and if you want the +2 are available (the +4 seem a bit much)
Doesn't BMW use a triple electode spark plug stock?
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Surestick 2:52PM (10/24/2007)
The only way I can see that these plugs would increase mileage is if they were replacing worn plugs that were already affecting fuel mileage.
Ideally you want as open a space as possible around the area where the spark occurs to aid in flame propagation. The extra two ground electrodes are going to shield the flame & make it harder for combustion to start.
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Adam 6:35PM (11/28/2008)
It's true that you want more room for the flame to spread through, but the direction the flame moves is an important part of that as well, on a traditional plug, the flame has to spread out perpendicular to the plug to go around the hook shaped ground electrode, but the E3 has a diamond shaped opening directly above the center electrode, allowing the flame to propagate directly out from it. The amount of time this takes is tiny, but where power and response are needed, thousandths of a second count. In racing, special plugs are often used with a shorter ground electrode to accomplish the same thing.
I recently tried E3's for the first time, and noticed an immediate increase in throttle response and horsepower. My 30 year old beast has a slant six with a single-barrel carb and is listed at having a 0-60 of 13 seconds. With these babies, I hit the gas and for the first time, I could really feel it take off.
Also, the diamond pattern leaves a lot of space for that spark to jump off of, so if one spot begins to wear, electricity, naturally looking for the shortest route, will spark off a different point, which should increase it's life.
As far as mileage? I doubt it... but it's a nice plug, and I think I'll be sticking with them for a while.
Leslie Maxwell 11:15AM (10/31/2007)
There are actually lots of variables that could effect fuel mileage on a trip such as Larry's, none the least is the use of the air conditioner, drag created b by wind, etc. The tests that have proven advances in fuel mileage were created under very stringent controlled laboratory tests. The results are documented and proven.
I've communicated with Larry right after the trip and he said that he felt more pickup, i.e. power, from his vehicle on the trip. I would keep an open mind. Try them first in your lawn mower. We've been very impressed with how we can mow more grass with just the change of our plug.
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Chris 9:09PM (3/02/2008)
I've tried the E3's. First in my Lawn Mower, and in sister's 2000 Accord with V6.
Tried the 4.6hp mower first. My yard is not big, it's aprox 30ft by 30ft, but I mow it weekly as it grows fast! Usually, I use a 1 full tank of fuel on my push mower lasts me 2 mowing's. That was since the mower was brand new in 2003. I change plug yearly since then.
I put in the proper sized E3, pulled the cord and fired right up (Usually, even since new it took 2-3 pulls, since putting E3, starts FIRST pull ever time).
1 Full tank of gasoline lasts me just over 4 mowing's. I could not believe it.
Since I own a motorcycle, moped and Electric Car dealership, I get lots of people that bring their cycles in, that did not stabilize the fuel before storing their bike in the winter. The gas of course goes bad, and the bikes no longer run. I save the fuel I drain from the bikes, and now take it home, and it burns beatyful in my mower, thus saving gas that would have been disposed of, and wasted.
Using the no good gas, some of which does no longer even smell like gas, I get aprox 2 1/2-3 mowing's from 1 tank. Tank is aprox 1/5 of a gallon in size.
Deicded to try in sister's Honda Accord, which I also change plugs yearly, and saw instant performance increase, runs smoother, idle is smoother, throttle response is amazing. Did not see any increase in mileage on the accord though :(
Cheers!
Chris
http://MilwaukeeEV.com Home of Wisconsin's first DOT Licensed Street Legal Electric Cars!
http://KmanScooters.com
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Harcourt Smythe 1:49PM (3/11/2008)
"I've communicated with Larry right after the trip and he said that he felt more pickup, i.e. power, from his vehicle on the trip..."
That's an entirely subjective measure. He knew he'd changed the plugs; he expected he'd feel a difference; therefore he "felt" a difference, whether or not there actually was one.
"The tests that have proven advances in fuel mileage were created under very stringent controlled laboratory tests."
So, in other words, these spark plugs only produce a mileage benefit when in completely-controlled laboratory settings. As soon as you get out in the real world and start driving they don't do anything...
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david 11:48PM (3/11/2008)
dont know about e3's,but i always put splitfire plugs in my vehicles.my harley for instance now gets around 70mpg and picked up 20 hp on the dyno.
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Fred 10:59PM (2/26/2009)
I own a Harley. Where do you get Spitfire plugs?
Thanks!
Fred
john 9:54PM (6/14/2009)
No you did not pick up 20hp. Thats rediculous to even say. I can't believe no body on here called you on that. Apparently you werent counting on a Motorcycle rider to chime in. Do you have any idea what it takes to get a motorcycle engine to produce 20 mre HP???? MAJOR engine work. Maybe full exhaust, filter, stacks, thinner head gasket, ored, cams, ect...
No way in hell plugs yielded 20HP, the BS flag is raised
Spencer 7:29PM (3/18/2008)
I replaced spark plugs in my 99 Plymouth Grand Voyager 10000 miles ago with E3's. Car started missing and hesitating in November. I suspected and replaced many parts and the hesitation continued. I checked and went through everything else on the van before deciding to go back and check the spark plugs. The E3's were the problem all along. they were completely fouled out. I replaced them with oem parts and the van has been running perfect ever since. What scares me is that I Put the E3's in my other cars also. time will tell! I will not use E3's again
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John 8:42AM (7/25/2008)
I tried E3 plugs in my 04 Mercury Mountaineer. One of the plugs didn't
work, causing my catalytic converter to become clogged. I will never use them again. The mechanic at the Ford dealership, told me that my
car was the fourth one he has seen with the similar problem.
banzairx7 7:58PM (4/05/2008)
I've used these plugs in my yard machines(weed whacker, lawn mower) with good results. Both start much easier. Beyond that I can't say there was any other improvement I noticed. On the lawn mower I ran the weekend before with a new plug. So I can say that it wasn't a worn plug that was giving me the hard starting. It could be that these cheap motors have such weak spark at low rpm's that ny improvement is noticeable.
ALl modern cars have pretty solid ignitions so there are probably no gains on a car.
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roneill 11:20AM (4/13/2008)
They just tested the E3 spark plugs on Horsepower Tv on Spike.
They used an engine only (not in a car) and connected it to a dyno.
They tested the E3 and another high performance plug. The E3 used slightly less gas than the other premium plug and got 5 more horsepower with 93 octane.
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TuneUp 7:10PM (4/13/2008)
I watched the same thing on Spike. I like HorsePower, but keep in mind they used a 383 for the test, not a modern DOHC 4 banger or v6 which are pretty well as tuned out as they are going to get. The FMU has no way to know you are running different spark plugs. There is no "Spark Plug Shape Sensor". It will not throttle back the fuel because you change plugs.
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KUNTRY 3:29PM (4/14/2008)
Make it 3 ! I watched the same thing this weekend, and it has me curious enough to try them out. With the proven results there for me to see, I'd say I have better then a 50/50 chane that i'll have desireable results and wont be regreting I bougth them. Since I already use premium plugs anyway, I see it as a win, win situation. I'll keep ya'll posted on my results....." Hooah "!
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Jake 5:26AM (7/23/2008)
I'm a traveling salesman. I put over 700 miles on my car on a slow week. I've tried all kinds of plugs, everything from cheap autolite, bosch, ngk, to ngk iridium plugs. Regardless of the type of plug I seemed to Average 28 mpg to 29 mpg on the freeway and 24 to 25 around town.
Keep in mind I drive a 2000 cavalier.
I heard about E3 spark plugs and thought I would give them a try. 6 bucks a peice isn't that much to ask when the ngk iridium plugs were 10 bucks a piece. I'm looking for anything to help save me a few bucks when I spend over $600 bucks a months on GASOLINE!!! That hurts.
I installed the E3 plugs and INSTANTLY noticed a significant difference in the way the car ran. It idled smoother, acceleration was a little bit better, but the thing that sold me on E3 plugs, was the fact that I jumped from 28 to 29 mpg freeway to 31 to 33 mpg I was SOLD! Very impressive on an engine with 125000 miles on it and gaining daily.
I keep close track of how much I spend on gas, and in the 4 weeks I've had E3 spark plugs I've saved $35. After everything I've tried and all the money I've spent, that was the best 26 bucks i've spent on my car.
I honestly didn't expect much of a change, but I see a huge improvement. I figure as far as efficiency if a plug burns hotter the fuel in the cylinder burns more thorough and provides a little extra power out of the fuel already in the cylinder that would normally pass through without being burned. This results in less throttle to do the same amount of work, less fuel burned and better gas mileage.
That's what I could conclude and make sense of. Fact is, I saw a nice improvement that proved positive result and I'll stand by E3 plugs. Although they may not make that kind of difference on other vehicles, I'm happy with my mier 26 dollar purchase, I've already paid for them in my fuel savings.
Joe Engrassia 8:08PM (4/14/2008)
I have a 2007 Escalade with the 6.2 lt. motor. milage is 13k. The mpg from 0-5000 was 12 city 17 highway with factory plugs. Installed e3 plugs at 5k to 10k. The mpg improved 14.2 city and 19.4 highway. Dyno stats with factory plugs was 403hp and e3 plugs 416hp. The facts speak for themselves. Caution should be taken on installation. 1. use anti-seize compound sparingly. 2. Plugs should be torqued as per mfg specs.
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Darren Kenneth Hartling 3:56PM (10/09/2008)
Never use anti-seize compound an a spark plug.
Norm 11:50AM (4/28/2008)
Why the "missing" under acceleration? Replaced Bosch plugs with E3.64s on a '94 Audi S4 five cylinder turbo with 65k miles. When we pushed it to where the turbo cuts in it started missing. Put the original plugs back in and the engine runs fine under all loads. Could this be caused by excessive gap? The Bosch were at .025 and the E3s are at .035. Is the turbo causing too high a compression pressure? We are at 5,000 ft altitude so that should not happen.
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