Video: E3 Spark Plugs Broken Down By Funny Car Champion Ron Capps

Video: E3 Spark Plugs Broken Down By Funny Car Champion Ron Capps

When it comes to spark plugs, there are a lot of folks who go to the parts counter and ask for the cheapest copper plugs they have in stock. Then there is another group of people who just want them to last as long as possible without having to worry about them, so they will sacrifice performance for a long-lasting platinum or iridium plug.

Then, there’s E3 Spark Plugs, which not only offer the power and performance demanded by enthusiasts but also an extended lifespan, with a five-year, 100,000-mile warranty on all of their plugs. They make some pretty big claims, but back it up both in testing and on the track.

E3 recently released this video with Ron Capps, 2016’s NHRA Funny Car Champion and current number-points contender. Capps goes over some of E3’s spark plug technology found in both the plugs he runs in his 10,000-plus-horsepower supercharged Hemi engine.

The core of E3’s performance is its DiamondFire technology. The specifically designed ground electrode features three ground straps instead of the traditional single strap, along with a diamond-shaped spark chamber. The diamond-shaped design is the result of a lot of testing and features a number of benefits over a standard “J” shaped ground strap.

When the spark from a DiamondFire plug ignites the compressed air-fuel mixture, the flame kernel growth takes the shape of the diamond opening, creating an even, consistent flame front. The multi-sided ground strap opening shape also creates a larger overall initial flame kernel, which increases the burn speed and completeness of combustion.

The key to the E3 spark plugs’ advantages is the DiamondFire ground strap technology. The diamond-shaped opening offers a number of benefits over a traditional single-strap spark plug design.

That increased percentage of combustion, along with increased combustion efficiency results in not only increased horsepower, but increased efficiency as well. E3 claims that dyno testing has shown a 3.9-percent reduction in average Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) of an engine on the dyno. If you can keep your foot out of it, that can translate to improved fuel economy as well.

Additionally, the more complete burn of the air-fuel charge also means reduced emissions. While emissions may not be on your radar, it is a strong point to be made with today’s ever-tightening emissions standards.

We touched on the final advantage earlier, with the 100,000-mile lifespan of the plug. You might wonder how that works, and the way that lifespan is achieved is through the shape of the electrode ground strap. By offering multiple spark paths, the wear life of the electrode is extended. Instead of the exact same spot being constantly bombarded by voltage, the load is spread across the wide electrode in a different spot each firing.

We’ve seen off-the-shelf E3 plugs work, first-hand, in engines making well over the four-digit horsepower mark. And for those of you with Three-Valve Ford Modulars and those pesky two-piece plugs, E3 has built one piece plugs for that application, which alleviates the concern of breaking plugs off in the engine.

In this composite of two different plug firing events, you can see that the traditional plug on the left fires the spark in the same spot with every discharge. On the right, each firing of the plug creates a spark in a different spot on the electrode and ground strap, extending the components’ lifespans considerably.

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About the author

Greg Acosta

Greg has spent nineteen years and counting in automotive publishing, with most of his work having a very technical focus. Always interested in how things work, he enjoys sharing his passion for automotive technology with the reader.
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