java_coder

I'm finally back in the country and have a beautiful Saturday to run a controlled experiment. I'm going out to do three 0-60 runs with the stock plugs, then switch to the Denso's, disconnect the battery, and do it again. I'll post the results tomorrow when I get in the office. Everything in my '99 TL is stock (but not for long...)

NighthawkBlack

Thanks for the testing! I'm sure many of us will bennefit from the results you get. I am going to get a set myself and was curious to know what changes with the new plugs involved, speed, noise, responsiveness etc.

AcuraTL

Are you going to use new stock plugs? If not, just by changing to new stock plugs will yield some HP gains especially if you have some mileage on your car.

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NighthawkBlack

good point but maybe he will notice significant gains taht even new stock plugs wouldn't yeild thats how good they should be

Mr Hyde

If those stock plugs are over 2 years old with a bunch of miles on them, thats not much of a fair comparo; AcuraTLis right.

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Fiddler

also, disconnect the battery before the stock plugs too.. just to make sure the ecu hasnt "learned" something since

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LagunaTL

controlled experiment means the two plugs are tested under identical condition. so both plugs have to be brand new, ecu reset prior to testing, same ambient humidity/temperature, same humidity/temperature at intake, and with the car warmed up to same temperature and same amount of time. all these variables are hard to control without lots of time and equipment.

the other major problem with java's controlled experiment is that the sample size is way too small. three runs on a single car means nothing statistically. even if he showed a significant difference it could still very well due to chance alone. i respect java's effort to conduct the experiment, but whatever the results are, dont read too much into them.

merlyn

Can't wait to see the results.....denos will give a bit of help..no doubt.

Nate

Anyone have easy instructions for changing plugs? It looks like it is a major pain in the ass because of the location of the 3 rear-most plugs.

j83

nate go read the owners manual it shows how to install it

SL1200MK4

How are you gonna know about the time of your 0-60? Got G-tech Pro?

java_coder

OK OK, so it wasn't all that scientific. I didn't get to read all the advice before I went out. I didn't think about the old plugs being old. After I switched them, I also realized that just reseting the computer might have given me different times. So I'll conceed that the results are anything but conclusive. I had a friend (who knew about cars) ride along side with a stopwatch. I punched the gas, he started the clock, and I told him when I hit 60. Sure there is also a lot of play in this method, but I figured that the human error was relatively constant, and I just wanted a before and after comparison. The only place I felt comfortable laying rubber over and over was an abandonded parking lot that had some loose gravel, so the traction wasn't the greatest. With the old plugs, I was getting low 9's, with one 8.9. This was with the TCS on. I tried it off once and spun more off the start. After the switch (which I thought was kind of a pain, reaching around back for the rear set - I'm not too mechanical) the runs were about a half second faster, with a few low 8's (8.1 fastest). So, with all the variables stated earlier, I'm afraid nothing was concluded here, except that I learned a bit about my car, that old plugs aren't as good as new ones, and that I need more mods to get my car under 8 secs...

oh yeah, and my dealer neglected to give me the stereo code, so I'm without tunes at the moment!

Acura3200

low 9's? high 8's? I think something else is wrong- I'm guessing it's the loose ground. The stock times should be in the mid 7's...
I know it wasn't supposed to be a record setting 0-60 run, that is was for testing purposes... at least you learned something about your car

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by Acura3200 on June 04, 2001 @ ]</font>

mikester

With another person in the car, those times sound about right.