[Cobra #42]

decooney, Sorry to hear that you haven't found a pro to work with, which will provide more than scratches and B. S. I'm lucky to work with one of the best, he deals only with high end stuff. One of his latest , 4 cylinder 1000+ hp honda set a new NHRA Hot Rod class record of 8.59. Try tuning that by looking at the plugs.

My point is.... most people don't have the equipment to read a plug nor even know what they are looking for. Unless you have a race track to take car and run your engine at max revs , run for a coupe of laps with new plugs, shut off the engine and coast to the pits, at best you are guessing. A dyno may not be perfect but track time at my local track is $5500 a day plus medical plus fire personnel. So I think a dyno is a great deal if you have the right shop.

Tip: If you see someone looking at a plug with one of those $20 plastic "Spark Plug Lights" he has no clue. The only way to truly inspect a spark plug is with a medical quality ear light, no exceptions.

Most people when reading spark plugs, only look at the color of the Porcelain insulator that is easiest to see, if this sounds familiar, I bet your running too rich. The porcelain is only one third of the equation.

You need to look at the deepest portion of the porcelain, not just the top. There should be a carbon ring at the bottom. The further that the ring extends up the porceain the richer the engine is running. The top of the insulator should be free of carbon..white, if you are running Champions ( and you shoud be).

Now look at the ground strap, you are looking at the color of the metal. The hotter it has run, the farther the discoloration will extend from the tip of the strap towards the threads.

Now look at the center electrode, what we are looking for is discoloration to see the amount of heat. The discoloration will run at an angle, the more the angle the hotter it has been.

You need to use brand new plugs for each reading, you cannot read old plugs. I know you guys don't need any additional horsepower as you stated but what about making your engine run cooler on a hot day. Never heard anyone tell me that their engine wasn't hot enough on a hot day. How about better milage for you guys running race gas at $5.00 a gallon.

Oh yea one more thing, if you keep a record of your tuning. Use a portable weather station and track all the variables, (temp, baro pressure, humidity, allitude, then you can easly change your jets to run best most of the time.

hopefully this makes some sense, L8r, db