Colder spark plugs?

DriM3 · 03-27-2012, 07:16 PM

Ive been looking around the boards here and doing some research regarding the difference in tunes and what is expected/recommended when installing one of the popular tunes (JB/Cobb/Procede/etc). When tuning our N54's is it not recommended to run a colder set of spark plugs??

Im a former Volkswagen guy and in my 1.8T Jetta GLi which is Unitronic stage 2+ tuned and FBO it was recommended to run colder plugs. I have yet to hear of having to do this on our current cars. Is there something im missing here??

marv85 · 03-27-2012, 07:18 PM

At the power levels you get to with stock turbos there is no need to run colder plugs. I know Dzenno is running those but his car makes ~500whp. Enrita might be running colder plugs probably.

DriM3 · 03-27-2012, 07:26 PM

at stock power levels thats understandable but when performing a tune and various bolt on/s that brings the power well up over stock levels.

What about the +400rwhp N54's...any need for colder plugs?

marv85 · 03-27-2012, 07:28 PM

Most people don't even at those power levels. I'm around that and I run stock plugs with no problems whatsoever.
May be guys at higher output levels can chime in

rader1 · 03-27-2012, 07:35 PM

My next spark plug change I'll give the colder NGK plugs a try. I don't see a reason not to, I was really suprised to not see more guys experimenting with colder plugs(I know DI so specific plugs are required, but still.)

Syndicategt · 03-27-2012, 07:42 PM

I was full FBO + upgraded turbos and basically every other mod in the world. I ran oem plugs with great success. No need for colder plugs.

iBoost · 03-27-2012, 07:46 PM

you should be able to find a lot of old threads with info on this. i remember guys even testing out GTR plugs..

ErvGotti · 03-27-2012, 08:02 PM

I don't think anyone is running colder plugs. I think even Shiv's running the stock plugs on his 600+whp single turbo. I know a couple of people tried to run colder NGK plugs with no sucess, had misfire's and timing drops probably due to the plug needing to be specifically desiged for the direct injection N54. Seach the threads it's on here.

rader1 · 03-27-2012, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErvGotti

I don't think anyone is running colder plugs. I think even Shiv's running the stock plugs on his 600+whp single turbo. I know a couple of people tried to run colder NGK plugs with no sucess, had misfire's and timing drops probably due to the plug needing to be specifically desiged for the direct injection N54. Seach the threads it's on here.

Dzenno and enrita are both running NGKs. Dzenno had zero issues with them. He would be the one to ask, unfortunately he is once again banned. Love how this place bans anyone that has information to share but isn't sucking shiv's nuts.

rooringhusky · 03-27-2012, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rader1

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErvGotti

I don't think anyone is running colder plugs. I think even Shiv's running the stock plugs on his 600+whp single turbo. I know a couple of people tried to run colder NGK plugs with no sucess, had misfire's and timing drops probably due to the plug needing to be specifically desiged for the direct injection N54. Seach the threads it's on here.

Dzenno and enrita are both running NGKs. Dzenno had zero issues with them. He would be the one to ask, unfortunately he is once again banned. Love how this place bans anyone that has information to share but isn't sucking shiv's nuts.

Welcome to e90...

Zebra99 · 03-27-2012, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rooringhusky

Quote:

Originally Posted by rader1

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErvGotti

I don't think anyone is running colder plugs. I think even Shiv's running the stock plugs on his 600+whp single turbo. I know a couple of people tried to run colder NGK plugs with no sucess, had misfire's and timing drops probably due to the plug needing to be specifically desiged for the direct injection N54. Seach the threads it's on here.

Dzenno and enrita are both running NGKs. Dzenno had zero issues with them. He would be the one to ask, unfortunately he is once again banned. Love how this place bans anyone that has information to share but isn't sucking shiv's nuts.

Welcome to e90...

Lmao at this ^^^

Btw dude, even if colder plugs were better I'd assume gains would be negligible anyways. So at the end of
The day if the stock plugs work why change em.
Don't fix what isn't broken

marv85 · 03-27-2012, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErvGotti

I don't think anyone is running colder plugs. I think even Shiv's running the stock plugs on his 600+whp single turbo. I know a couple of people tried to run colder NGK plugs with no sucess, had misfire's and timing drops probably due to the plug needing to be specifically desiged for the direct injection N54. Seach the threads it's on here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rader1

Dzenno and enrita are both running NGKs. Dzenno had zero issues with them. He would be the one to ask, unfortunately he is once again banned. Love how this place bans anyone that has information to share but isn't sucking shiv's nuts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rooringhusky

Welcome to e90...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zebra99

Lmao at this ^^^

^ Unfortunately it is true!

rooringhusky · 03-27-2012, 08:58 PM

Well it was nice talking with all you guys...i won't remember some of you bc these posts will be deleted

marv85 · 03-27-2012, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rooringhusky

Well it was nice talking with all you guys...i won't remember some of you bc these posts will be deleted

Hahaha, talk to you on the other side

rooringhusky · 03-27-2012, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marv85

Quote:

Originally Posted by rooringhusky

Well it was nice talking with all you guys...i won't remember some of you bc these posts will be deleted

Hahaha, talk to you on the other side

Ilma · 03-27-2012, 09:26 PM

I think the point of running a colder plug is to help pull out more of the heat in the combustion chamber.....especially when running higher power levels.

Too cold of a plug and you may foul them.

Dzenno posted some pics of colder plugs he was running and they were a very nice tan colour as opposed to the stock plugs which always seem to look lighter.

I guess the stock plugs stay nice and clean, but in the old days before DI, you would target a light brown/tan colour on the electrode.

Stock plugs aren't giving any problems....but 1 step colder may help to regulate the withdrawal of heat from the cylinder a little better than the stock ones.

But then along comes meth

pavo335 · 03-27-2012, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rooringhusky

Well it was nice talking with all you guys...i won't remember some of you bc these posts will be deleted

he is on the other board, boost something if iirc

enrita · 03-28-2012, 03:12 AM

I put the NGK on 500 miles ago, no issues whatsoever yet. OEM are fine as well .

RoundelM3 · 03-28-2012, 08:21 AM

Colder plugs might make sense for a car that is tracked all the time and the heat levels stay high enough to take advantage of them. For street, it wouldn't seem there'd be any reason to do so and there'd be little or no power gain.

JamesM3M5 · 03-28-2012, 09:16 AM

Colder plugs are designed to have the center electrode and ceramic insulation bleed heat into the head faster. There is no need on these cars, probably due to the combustion chamber design and direct injection. The fuel evaporating inside the combustion chamber, instead of pooling on the back of the valve, is probably what helps us with relatively high compression and high boost. DI shoots fuel into the combustion chamber much later than a port injection motor, which draws air and fuel in as soon as the intake valve opens.

dfv2 · 03-28-2012, 11:58 AM

Bottom line is that I've seen no evidence that colder plugs are needed at any power level currently available to the open market. I've seen no evidence supporting any benefit of the NGKs vs OEM aside from one report that a tight gapped NGK helped quell a misfire issue experienced on OEM plugs.

On the other hand I've seen no evidence supporting the OEM plug being "better" aside from most assuming that BMW chose the horizontal spark propagation for a reason.

There us a good long review and discussion on the other forum about this btw.

DriM3 · 03-29-2012, 09:13 AM

all valid points made by many of you in here, thank you.

but what about all of the N54's suffering from those odd vibrations and sporadic rough idles right after changing out the OEM spark plugs? Seems to me the consensus is to stay with the OEM plugs but there is no feasible explanation to the idle issues that have become common place right after doing so. Could choosing to go a different route with the plugs help keep those idle issues at bay after putting on a substantial amount of mileage on these motors??

03-27-2012, 07:16 PM	#1
DriM3 Private 4 Rep 69 Posts Drives: 2008 335i Join Date: May 2011 Location: CT iTrader: (0)	Colder spark plugs? Ive been looking around the boards here and doing some research regarding the difference in tunes and what is expected/recommended when installing one of the popular tunes (JB/Cobb/Procede/etc). When tuning our N54's is it not recommended to run a colder set of spark plugs?? Im a former Volkswagen guy and in my 1.8T Jetta GLi which is Unitronic stage 2+ tuned and FBO it was recommended to run colder plugs. I have yet to hear of having to do this on our current cars. Is there something im missing here??
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03-27-2012, 07:18 PM	#2
marv85 Colonel 70 Rep 2,626 Posts Drives: '07 E92 335i MT Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (7)	At the power levels you get to with stock turbos there is no need to run colder plugs. I know Dzenno is running those but his car makes ~500whp. Enrita might be running colder plugs probably. __________________ '07 E92 335i 6MT- HP650, inlets/outlets, ER FMIC, VRSF CP, LPFP stg2, CSF rad, 'is Aux rad, ER OC, Ohlins, M control arms, eibach front sway bar. '05 C55 AMG SOLD - '22 Tesla M3P \| '10 E92 335i M, 6MT COBB, FBO, st2 LPFP, Mfactory LSD \| '07 E90 335i, PTF COBB E50, FBO, HFS4
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03-27-2012, 07:26 PM	#3
DriM3 Private 4 Rep 69 Posts Drives: 2008 335i Join Date: May 2011 Location: CT iTrader: (0)	at stock power levels thats understandable but when performing a tune and various bolt on/s that brings the power well up over stock levels. What about the +400rwhp N54's...any need for colder plugs?
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03-27-2012, 07:28 PM	#4
marv85 Colonel 70 Rep 2,626 Posts Drives: '07 E92 335i MT Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (7)	Most people don't even at those power levels. I'm around that and I run stock plugs with no problems whatsoever. May be guys at higher output levels can chime in __________________ '07 E92 335i 6MT- HP650, inlets/outlets, ER FMIC, VRSF CP, LPFP stg2, CSF rad, 'is Aux rad, ER OC, Ohlins, M control arms, eibach front sway bar. '05 C55 AMG SOLD - '22 Tesla M3P \| '10 E92 335i M, 6MT COBB, FBO, st2 LPFP, Mfactory LSD \| '07 E90 335i, PTF COBB E50, FBO, HFS4
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03-27-2012, 07:35 PM	#5
rader1 Banned 70 Rep 2,197 Posts Drives: Cobb Stage 2+ 135i Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Roanoke, VA iTrader: (0)	My next spark plug change I'll give the colder NGK plugs a try. I don't see a reason not to, I was really suprised to not see more guys experimenting with colder plugs(I know DI so specific plugs are required, but still.)
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03-27-2012, 07:42 PM	#6
Syndicategt Brigadier General 153 Rep 3,730 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Nor Cal iTrader: (11)	I was full FBO + upgraded turbos and basically every other mod in the world. I ran oem plugs with great success. No need for colder plugs. __________________ 2008 BMW 335i e90 - Sold - Rob Beck Turbos / PROcede V5 / Aquamist HFS-4 / AR Downpipes / AE Exhaust / ER Comp FMIC / ER CP / TiAL BOV / Custom Intake / RPI Scoops / Quaife LSD / Swift-Koni Coilovers / DSS HS / Morr VS8.2 Sig Black / Michelin PSS / P3 Boost Guage / M3 body / M3 steering wheel / Adam's Rotors / Hawk HPS / SS lines /
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03-27-2012, 07:46 PM	#7
iBoost Retired e90post Member 135 Rep 3,038 Posts Drives: real slow Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Las Vegas iTrader: (13)	you should be able to find a lot of old threads with info on this. i remember guys even testing out GTR plugs..
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03-27-2012, 08:02 PM	#8
ErvGotti Major 124 Rep 1,362 Posts Drives: 2008 135i 6MT Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Aviano iTrader: (5) Garage List 2008 135i [6.00]	I don't think anyone is running colder plugs. I think even Shiv's running the stock plugs on his 600+whp single turbo. I know a couple of people tried to run colder NGK plugs with no sucess, had misfire's and timing drops probably due to the plug needing to be specifically desiged for the direct injection N54. Seach the threads it's on here.
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03-27-2012, 08:58 PM	#13
rooringhusky Objects in the mirror are losing 105 Rep 1,133 Posts Drives: 2007 BMW 335i E92 AW/CR 6MT Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Socal (OC/Riverside) iTrader: (19) Garage List 2007 BMW 335i [10.00]	Well it was nice talking with all you guys...i won't remember some of you bc these posts will be deleted __________________ PERFORMANCE: JB4 G5 \ Backend Flash \ DCI \ BMS Downpipes \ CX FMIC \ ER Chargepipe \ Synapse BOV \ KW V2 \ Muffler Delete \ CDV \ ZHP Shifter \ Cyba Scoops FUN: M3 Front \ Mtech Rear \ JL 10W6 \ ModMyNav \ V1 Hardwired \ LUX H8 \ Gloss Black Trim \ Gloss Black Roof \ Cyba Quads \ Cyba Mtech Diffuser
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03-27-2012, 09:26 PM	#16
Ilma Colonel 184 Rep 2,841 Posts Drives: 2008 135i Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Mississauga iTrader: (0)	I think the point of running a colder plug is to help pull out more of the heat in the combustion chamber.....especially when running higher power levels. Too cold of a plug and you may foul them. Dzenno posted some pics of colder plugs he was running and they were a very nice tan colour as opposed to the stock plugs which always seem to look lighter. I guess the stock plugs stay nice and clean, but in the old days before DI, you would target a light brown/tan colour on the electrode. Stock plugs aren't giving any problems....but 1 step colder may help to regulate the withdrawal of heat from the cylinder a little better than the stock ones. But then along comes meth
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03-28-2012, 03:12 AM	#18
enrita Major General 161 Rep 7,377 Posts Drives: 335i - Big turbos Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Italian in Sweden iTrader: (0)	I put the NGK on 500 miles ago, no issues whatsoever yet. OEM are fine as well . __________________ 07 335i AT - MOTIV 750 - MHD E85 BMS flash - BMS PI - JB4G5 - Okada Coils - NGK 5992 Plugs - Helix IC - Snow Stg. 3 - Stett CP - Custom midpipes with 100 HJS Cats - Bastuck Quad - PSS10 - QUAIFE LSD - BMS OCC - Forge DVs - AR OC - ALCON BBK - M3 Chassi - Dinan CP - Velocity M rear Toe arms - Advan RZ-DF - LUX H8 - Level 10 AT upgrade
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03-28-2012, 08:21 AM	#19
RoundelM3 Major General 1837 Rep 6,990 Posts Drives: 15 F80 M3, 22 G01 X3 30i Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Clayton, NC iTrader: (2) Garage List 2022 BMW X3 [9.83] 2015 BMW M3 [6.50]	Colder plugs might make sense for a car that is tracked all the time and the heat levels stay high enough to take advantage of them. For street, it wouldn't seem there'd be any reason to do so and there'd be little or no power gain. __________________ 2015 F80 ///M3 Sedan 7DCT Tanzanite, 2022 X3 sDrive30i 8AT Brooklyn Grey
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03-28-2012, 09:16 AM	#20
JamesM3M5 Some dude 92 Rep 1,780 Posts Drives: E92 335i Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Northern VA iTrader: (0)	Colder plugs are designed to have the center electrode and ceramic insulation bleed heat into the head faster. There is no need on these cars, probably due to the combustion chamber design and direct injection. The fuel evaporating inside the combustion chamber, instead of pooling on the back of the valve, is probably what helps us with relatively high compression and high boost. DI shoots fuel into the combustion chamber much later than a port injection motor, which draws air and fuel in as soon as the intake valve opens. __________________ RRT E92 335i/6MT with stuff and things
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03-28-2012, 11:58 AM	#21
dfv2 Lieutenant 30 Rep 474 Posts Drives: 2009 CTS-V Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Upstate NY iTrader: (3)	Bottom line is that I've seen no evidence that colder plugs are needed at any power level currently available to the open market. I've seen no evidence supporting any benefit of the NGKs vs OEM aside from one report that a tight gapped NGK helped quell a misfire issue experienced on OEM plugs. On the other hand I've seen no evidence supporting the OEM plug being "better" aside from most assuming that BMW chose the horizontal spark propagation for a reason. There us a good long review and discussion on the other forum about this btw. __________________ //ecg//
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03-29-2012, 09:13 AM	#22
DriM3 Private 4 Rep 69 Posts Drives: 2008 335i Join Date: May 2011 Location: CT iTrader: (0)	all valid points made by many of you in here, thank you. but what about all of the N54's suffering from those odd vibrations and sporadic rough idles right after changing out the OEM spark plugs? Seems to me the consensus is to stay with the OEM plugs but there is no feasible explanation to the idle issues that have become common place right after doing so. Could choosing to go a different route with the plugs help keep those idle issues at bay after putting on a substantial amount of mileage on these motors??
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