The Numbers go OPPOSITE a Thermometer.
US/Euro Plugs= Higher #%26gt;Hotter,
The Heat Numbers Follow a Thermometer
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Spark Plugs either ignite the fuel mixture,,,or they dont.
If one plug Lights the charge,,,no other plug is gonna Add any extra benefit to that Specific Function.
It's as simple as that.
Yet,,,there's a BUNCH of technical characteristics spark plugs have which ARE Important to an engine's operation.
HEAT RANGE,,,,and %26quot;Hotter/Colder%26quot; is very widely misunderstood.
The Plug does NOT make Heat,,,
and Heat Number does NOT refer to anything the PLUG produces.
A B4 or B5(extremely Hot) fire exactly the same as B10 or B11 (Extremely Cold).
What it Refers to is the Plug's Function as a RADIATOR.
It's a comparative Ranking of the Plugs ability to REMOVE Heat away from it's TIP,,,and into the engine%26gt;then out into the air.
A Plug's Tip has an Optimum TEMP range to function properly.
If the TIP is Too Cold,,,it will foul with caked -on deposits.
It can also extend warm-up cycle time.
Example:Start an engine on a very Cold Plug,,,then Rev It,,,it will be very easy to FOUL the plug.
Because the Cold plug takes a %26quot;long time%26quot; to reach the PLUG'S self-cleaning temp
They also are more Prone to Fouling when shutting the throttle after a full throttle burst.
The Plug's Temp drops rapidly,,,and it gets coated with deposits %26quot;instantly%26quot; from the Temp Differential in the Combustion chamber.
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Hot Plugs are SLOW to transfer their tip heat,,as well as Reaching Higher absolute temps
They reach optimum TIP temp quicker on cold start,,,and maintain that %26quot;self-cleaning temp%26quot; Longer during Decelleration.
If they are TOO Hot,,,and cool Too Slowly,,,,their Tip can reach an Auto-Ignition point.
Hot enough to ignite the fuel BEFORE actual Plug Firing occurs.
If the Tip becomes excessively Hot,,,that can create a different type of Fouling.
It can Glaze various chemicals in the oil/fuel into a NON-conductive %26quot;insulation%26quot; on the Plug Tip,,,
OR into a CONDUCTIVE coating on the Tip,,which shorts out the plug
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So when you are selecting Heat Range,,,
all you are doing is %26quot;Tuning the Tip Temperature%26quot; of the PLUG in order to keep it within a range which;
A) Hot enough to ensure self-cleaning
B)Cold enough to avoid Auto-Ignition
Nothing More,Nothing less.
Hi-Perf engines typically use comparatively Colder Plugs because the engines often produce Sharp,Sudden Spikes in Combustion Chamber Temps at their Power Peak.
%26quot;Racey Motors%26quot; run in the Wisest range of Chamber temps.
Cold Plugs are a Necessary Evil in order to accomodate the surge in Temps at the engine's power peak.
At Lower-Than PEAK POWER,,,the plugs are %26quot;too cold%26quot; and often prone to fouling rather easily..
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Your Banshee is originally fitted with 8's anyway
If you're not having probs with Fouling or Plug Life,,,,You'll not see any benefits from a Heat Range change.
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One exception of sorts is NGK's Iridium Plugs.
Their technology is such that under marginal ignition conditions,,,they can show an improvement.
They have a very wide heat range,,,making engine less sensitive to Ignition Demands under various operating conditions.
MOST engines Do Not fire 100% of the time,,,they DO skip a beat occasionally.
It's only a handful per 1000 strokes.
The Iridiums can eliminate or minimize that occurence.
Sometimes it's Noticeable,,,sometimes NOT.
It may be an improvement in,,
-cold start
-idle
-low speed operation
-throttle transition,,when accelerating
Who knows when/where???? Just No Tellin'.
But they are proven to reliably ignite more consistently,and under a wider range of conditions than standard plugs.
If your Banshee is running good,,,,
as far as ignition goes Not even a Flamethrower will make any worthwhile improvement.
**Symptoms of TOO HOT a Plug are an odd %26quot;poof%26quot; sound from the exhaust which becomes extreme as rpms increase.
Thats caused by IGNITION occurring Prematurely while Exhaust Port is still Open.
So it's Literally Combustion Occuring inside the Exhaust Pipe,,,rather than in the Combustion chamber.
You'll Know it immediately,,,it's NOT a subtle thing.
Engines which %26quot;get Damaged%26quot; from Too HOT a Plug are NOT being Damaged by the Plug's Heat Range.
That's a MYTH %26amp; Misunderstanding.
If the Plug becomes TOO HOT,,,
I Gaurantee Ya it WILL Pre-Ignite Fuel before it melts aluminum.
Other Conditions are the Root Cause of the destruction,,,Poor 'ol Spark Plugs are just a Patsy which gets blamed for it.
An engine with a Too-Hot Plug can be triggered Very Quickly and Suddenly in Pre-Igntion.
But the Excess Temp Spike in the Combustion Temps is NOT the PLUG's Fault.
The Plug is simply overwhelmed by it,,,
making the PLUG the First Victim in the chain of Overheating events.
Spark Plugs are NOT Temp Sensor Safety Fuses.
Yet they DO act to give early warning of overheating.
If they FAIL at being used as a Safety Device,,,which they are Not designed or intended to do,,,
It's silly to Blame the %26quot;Hot Plug%26quot;
Good Luck,,hope that helps
.Will going from a b9es to a b8es in spark plugs for a banshee change anything? will it make it run any better?Actually brek69amx you are incorrect, about NGK's numbering system at least..
http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/tech_support/spark_plugs/faqs/faqcode.asp?mode=nml
NGK says that their plugs go from %26quot;11 Cold to 2 Hot%26quot;
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Will going from a b9es to a b8es in spark plugs for a banshee change anything? will it make it run any better?Actually ngk's numbering system is backwards so the b9es is the hotter plug of the 2. By going to a colder plug the engine %26quot;in theory%26quot; should run a little cooler but you may have issues fouling the plugs.Will going from a b9es to a b8es in spark plugs for a banshee change anything? will it make it run any better?The NGK B8ES is definitely a Hotter Plug than the B9ES. If you have a problem fouling the sparkplug, then you could go one range hotter and it may keep the plug from fouling. As far as running better, hard to say, it may run longer. Any vehicle that has a fouled plug is going to run better for a while, until it fouls again.As far as a performance improvement, you will not see much other that the plug may not foul as fast.
If you look at the two plugs, you will see that the center electrode ceramic material inside the combustion chamber end is shorter on the colder sparkplug. One the hotter plug it is longer. The longer the length, the hotter the sparkplug. This is due to the heat dissipation of the center electrode. Heat has a further distance to travel from the center electrode tip and thus it stays hotter. By staying hotter it will burn off the oil or fuel from the tip and stay cleaner. If it gets too hot it will start glowing in the cylinder head and the mixture will detonate or explode too soon and will not give you a nice slow controlled burn or flame front.
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