Correct NGK Plugs for 550+Hp SB

[wrogers55]

What is the best NGK plug for a 418, 550HP SBF.

Situation is this:
AFR 205s
Very Nasty Cam
Mass Flow Injected
Pump Gas
10 to 1
Never runs hot, 80C hottest ever
Will not be raced
Cool Northern Calif Weather
2,200 or a bit less at 75-80 on the Freeway
Lots of in town stop and go driving (red lights)
Runs great and logs 17-18 on the highway cruising
Run up in to redline in 2nd and part of 3rd on rare occasion
Longest run probably an hour or half that.

Chasing another problem, I took out the builders BKR7E plugs at 3,500 miles and they are fluffy black and look way to cold.

Drove it to running temp and then about 20 minutes on the freeway, got it home and shut it down with very, very little idling before I pulled the plugs...very black, fluff on center electrodes

Will certainly consider other brands as well. Just trying to get a starting point.

As always, thanks.

[Tim Brewer]

Motorcraft AGSP-32-PP, These should work fine. You should be able to get them at any auto supply, but remember when you go in there, you have a 351 and not a 418.

[Ant]

My engine has not sure of # has heat grade 6, most road cars run either 5 or 6, and it appears 7's are too cold for your use. I have run this engine on the dyno with the 6's as the engine builder supplied with 675bhp.
I have run 10's in racing engines with never a problem with fast road use, a good ignition makes a difference like MSD with a good multiple spark which helps to avoid plug fouling. I reckon most people fit a colder plug for peace of mind as they help to avoid detonation etc or a bit of insurance when racing!

[ERA Chas]

I just made the switch to NGK's from Accel 416's. I contacted their tech line by email and got excellent advice from their tech guy.

I make the same power as you with a 427-sized FE with a strong cam and suffered the same sooty plug problem. The tech suggested their #4 heat range, platinum tip, fine wire plug in the G-Power series. It is NGK #2685, FR4.
Here:
http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/product...r.asp?mode=nml

I have a 6AL so use a .045" gap. Presto-plugs I can actually see the insulator tan/white and off idle performance is noticeably cleaner. Shifts at 6600 are clean with continuous power. They have perfect manners in street use. A hotter plug is a good thing.

Be sure your heads will accept a .750" reach, projector nose, resistor plug. They cost $3.39 ea. at Summit.

[Dwight]

this is a great link for plug reading. More to it that I knew.

Dwight


http://members.uia.net/pkelley2/sparkplugreading.html

[vector1]

go to afr website and see what they recommend for the 205's.

[Rick Parker]

wrogers55:

What heads are you using?

[wrogers55]

Heads are AFR 205s

[mkassab]

the AFR spec for the 205s is Autolite 3922. I have the 205s on a sbf (dart block) 427ci making 560t @ 4400 rpm and 563hp @ 6500 rpm. We pulled the plugs on the dyno at each run, carb adj.... they were perfect color on the electrod. My eng builder, Brent @ B2motorsports, put in what AFR said to use... his point was, AFR did all the testing, could pick any plug they wanted and we just did the dyno.. why change??? I use the MSD ignition, gap = .044

Mark

copy paste from AFR http://www.airflowresearch.com/sbf_install.php
Spark Plugs:
Use 14mm x 3/4" reach gasketed spark plugs, no tapered seat plugs. Street application use Autolite 3924, for 205cc & 225cc race head use Autolite 3922, or equivalent. Plug selection is of course dictated by many factors including RPM level, compression ratio, and fuel type. Forced induction or nitrous applications usually require 1 to 2 heat ranges colder. Spark plug gap should be determined by the ignition manufacturer.

[wrogers55]

Lesson learned. Couldn't find Autolite 3922s for the AFR 205 heads anywhere in town and I needed something quick. So everyone had and I put in 3924s.

Immediate low end ping. Initial ping on acceleration on freeway. Way to hot for this motor. Also, of all things, the temp gauge showed about 8 degrees C hotter than ever before, fan turned on in places that surprised me.

I just ordered the 3922s. Lesson learned. Hope this helps someone else.

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

I just made the switch to NGK's from Accel 416's. I contacted their tech line by email and got excellent advice from their tech guy.

I make the same power as you with a 427-sized FE with a strong cam and suffered the same sooty plug problem. The tech suggested their #4 heat range, platinum tip, fine wire plug in the G-Power series. It is NGK #2685, FR4.
Here:
http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/product...r.asp?mode=nml

I have a 6AL so use a .045" gap. Presto-plugs I can actually see the insulator tan/white and off idle performance is noticeably cleaner. Shifts at 6600 are clean with continuous power. They have perfect manners in street use. A hotter plug is a good thing.

Be sure your heads will accept a .750" reach, projector nose, resistor plug. They cost $3.39 ea. at Summit.

I don't know-maybe I type in invisible ink.

You ask for NGK's, I give you NGK's. I give you the same problem as yours, I give you the NGK tech guy, the plug recommendation, the construction and the place to buy and cost. And I get the desired results you seek and you don't even question or acknowledge the advice. This was not 'some guy said they work' advice-this is actual experience.

You ignore the entire post because AFR specs different plugs for the heads-not the whole motor combination. And you have a near melt-down. If those Autos are too hot for the combination-that's no guarantee that's these are too hot too-these are platinum and fine wire with different characteristics than standard plug.

Why didn't you even try them for $30 worth of plugs? Makes you not want to try to help some guys.

[wrogers55]

Sorry Chas. No disrespect or ignoring of your post was intended at all.

Maybe this will unruffled your feathers a bit. You obviously have good information based on experience and I don't want to discourage you from providing it to others.

I sent an email to AFR, detailing the full motor build and use (one of your concerns), the problem, with pictures of the plugs. Their recommendation was the 3922s, with a host of reasons and comparison to other plugs, including slightly different version comparisons to your brand. These guys made the heads and provided the back up for their recommendations. The motor builder also recommended the 3922s, citing AFRs work independently. It all seemed like a good idea and reasonable starting place.

But really, I am also quite sure your suggestion worked well for you and probably would or will work well for me too. Seems the conditions are pretty close.

I had to do this in a hurry, in a small town without much in the way of resources and simply had to take what was available and get as close as possible. It didn't work well and that's my point. My post was to actually try to help someone else who might find themselves in the same boat someday. If you have to stray from experience or solid recommendations, be careful. Which is what I did. The motor is not in meltdown mode, it's pinging a bit on the low end. About 25 miles and it's parked waiting on the good stuff.

No insult or ignoring of your post was intended at all and I still thank you for your time and suggestions, which I may get back to before this is over!

[ERA Chas]

Wayne,
No insult taken in spite of my strong post. I am simply frustrated and thought ordering from Summit is painless, a two-day affair and I was hoping a trial of these plugs was indicated. If not good for you-you're no worse off than now.

The really good part of the process for me was the give and take with Brandon Peeler, the NGK web tech. He really delved into my combination and came up with the FR4's.
He hit it perfectly-first time- which I guess I could have conveyed better to you. I didn't contact Shelby, my head mfgr-I thought the plug-side of the equation might work better so I searched Champ, Autolite, Bosch, Accel-all the bigs. I couldn't get apples/apples heat range comaprisons-even after looking at 1000 cross ref charts and apps like 'Ford, 1965, Galaxy' then get the 13/16 old style plugs.

If you tried them, I was hoping you'd be as successful as I was and spare you a lot of monkeying. You can still try them when time permits.

ALL of us here will have different heat-range requirements and one-plug-fits-all will not get top performance.

Good luck.

[mkassab]

Originally Posted by wrogers55

Sorry Chas. No disrespect or ignoring of your post was intended at all.

Maybe this will unruffled your feathers a bit. You obviously have good information based on experience and I don't want to discourage you from providing it to others.

I sent an email to AFR, detailing the full motor build and use (one of your concerns), the problem, with pictures of the plugs. Their recommendation was the 3922s, with a host of reasons and comparison to other plugs, including slightly different version comparisons to your brand. These guys made the heads and provided the back up for their recommendations. The motor builder also recommended the 3922s, citing AFRs work independently. It all seemed like a good idea and reasonable starting place.

But really, I am also quite sure your suggestion worked well for you and probably would or will work well for me too. Seems the conditions are pretty close.

I had to do this in a hurry, in a small town without much in the way of resources and simply had to take what was available and get as close as possible. It didn't work well and that's my point. My post was to actually try to help someone else who might find themselves in the same boat someday. If you have to stray from experience or solid recommendations, be careful. Which is what I did. The motor is not in meltdown mode, it's pinging a bit on the low end. About 25 miles and it's parked waiting on the good stuff.

No insult or ignoring of your post was intended at all and I still thank you for your time and suggestions, which I may get back to before this is over!

Just as an FYI.... my 3922 plugs are gapped at .040"

Mark