www.CVOHARLEY.com
CVO Technical => General CVO discussion => Topic started by: +RO@D*R@GE+ on May 06, 2016, 04:30:12 AM
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I'm always told when buying spark plugs from Harley to go with the regular plugs and not to buy the screaming eagle ones....something about the normal ones burn better or are hotter
what do you guys use in your cvo's and are they correct?
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The standard plugs give you the best bang for your buck, and the SE stuff gives Harley the best bang for your buck. Stick with the standard plugs.
Jerry
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what's the differance
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what's the differance
$$ = MoCo Tax on anything they put "SE/Screamin' Eagle" on.
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
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$$ = MoCo Tax on anything they put "SE/Screamin' Eagle" on.
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
As a point of reference, back in the early '80s, H-D needed a product line to compete with the cheaper aftermarket companies that offered non-Harley parts, so they initiated the Screamin' Eagle line. They (SE) WERE cheap. Or, should I say inexpensive? Now they're primo-priced. My, how times have changed.
:jack:
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I think our bikes came with the standard plugs.
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The reason to keep your stock spark plugs is about Anti-knock sensing, if using the stock ECM.
Aftermarket plugs disable that feature due to a different electronic resistance.
The Harley ECM only knows what the resistance of the stock plugs should be when it is running properly.
Then adjusts the timing, in the event of pre-ignition, knocking, pinging, detonation, or what ever you like to call it.
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SE plugs have a finer tip and arm. Finer is less chance of fouling due to less area to soot up and also area of arc is hotter Materials are also more expensive for irridium and platinum Which resists wear and opening the gap.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/vehicle-maintenance/vehicle-care-spark-plugs.htm
But most hd tuners and mechanics will still use stock most of time because we probably change plugs more than any group of motorists
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SE plugs have a finer tip and arm. Finer is less chance of fouling due to less area to soot up and also area of arc is hotter Materials are also more expensive for irridium and platinum Which resists wear and opening the gap.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/vehicle-maintenance/vehicle-care-spark-plugs.htm
But most hd tuners and mechanics will still use stock most of time because we probably change plugs more than any group of motorists
The only real advantage to the SE platinum tip plugs is longevity, same as with other platinum or iridium plugs. The material doesn't erode as quickly as the standard electrode material, thus allowing for longer change intervals. It's what makes those 60,000 to 100,000 mile plug change intervals for cars possible. However, as noted above, most Harley owners seem obsessed with changing plugs way too often (trained by decades of bogus requirements in the maintenance schedules). If people still change plugs at 5k or 10k miles and use the SE plugs, they are just throwing money away. In other words, there is no magic that makes a new SE plug perform any better than a new standard plug. All the ads showing multiple electrodes and other gimmicks plug makers claim improve performance are BS. I've explained to people many times in the past that when the plugs fire, only one spark is created no matter how many electrodes are positioned around the center electrode. It's not like a plug with three or four ground electrodes will create three or four sparks at the same time.
Study the history of spark plugs and you will find that all the gimmicks have been invented and reinvented many times. The folks building the engines and selling the cars and bikes stick with one set of electrodes for a reason, and the aftermarket pushes the gimmicks as a way to convince people to replace perfectly good plugs with those overpriced gimmicks by inferring a performance increase. Yup, if you replace any used plug with a new plug you might see better performance for awhile. It's got nothing to do with all the extra electrodes however.
Jerry
Btw, the reason I threw in all the verbiage about multiple ground electrodes is due to the fact that a previous version of the SE Sparkplug had multiple ground electrodes with platinum bits attached to them. Harley claimed all sorts of great benefits, which of course were nothing but marketing hype. Previously they offered an SE version of the old split-fire plug with the ground electrode split into a Y shape at the firing end. Also pure BS, as was the original version offered for autos. An added bonus to both the split-fire and multiple electrode plugs is that some actually had part of the ground electrode break off and rattle around in the head. Now the current version offers a fine wire center electrode and a modified split-fire design with tiny platinum nubs on each leg of the Y. I assume they will eventually offer a Harley branded SE Pulstar plug for $30 apiece, and some folks will run right out to buy those as well.
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I remember those se plugs. I will admit to using the fine wire ones now. Stock cvo 110.
Also admit to trying se plugs for high compression with a 95 HTCC CNC build with woods 400g cams (650 lift). Fouled. Back to stock plugs after a dyno run.
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The reason to keep your stock spark plugs is about Anti-knock sensing, if using the stock ECM.
Aftermarket plugs disable that feature due to a different electronic resistance.
The Harley ECM only knows what the resistance of the stock plugs should be when it is running properly.
Then adjusts the timing, in the event of pre-ignition, knocking, pinging, detonation, or what ever you like to call it.
Heres the answer, period! You can stop reading the snake oil responses to convince yourselves there is something better. The platnium plugs came out in the auto industry only to achieve a 100k mile change interval.
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The only real advantage to the SE platinum tip plugs is longevity,
There is also a potential downside to that same longevity. Once in an admittedly great while a plug will stick in a head leaving you with lost threads upon removal.
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Long time ago, when I believed the STP type hype, would switch brands on spark plugs from Champion to Bosch to whatever. Some did seem to work better but that had as much or more than the engine tune as it did with the type plugs.
The platinum plugs do last longer. Don't think they are worth the money.