Author: ricardo , posted September 21, 2011 at 10:04 PM – 61 CommentsFreakin' lasers instead of ordinary spark plug sparks?No, they're not that far with Champion yet.But at the IAA they showed a new type of spark plug.One that can “reduce fuel consumption by up to 10%!”Gut, are we dealing with a miracle cure again?It all sounds hopeful.Instead of a conventional spark plug with one spark per actuation, this spark plug with the name 'Advanced Corona Ignition System' (ACIS) from Champion delivers multiple currents of ions.This would be better distributed in the combustion chamber, so that much more economical fuel mixtures (= a lot of air, little petrol) are also possible.This seems to be more effective and the timing is also easier to control in that case.They call it a 'game-changing technology'.The trusty old single-spark plug is heavily dated, according to Federal-Mogul, Champion's parent company.The spark plug is designed in such a way that many modern motorcycles can already run on it.They themselves have done tests with a 1.6 turbo engine with direct injection, in which consumption was reduced by ten percent by applying the ACIS.In that case;let it come through!However, it will take some time before something like this is ready for production.An introduction date or a price indication can therefore not yet be given.Well, we'll have to wait a few more years.Can we put the ACIS spark plugs in massively moving EVs.Oh wait…Well if it's plug n play I'd like to try it.That promises much more good than electric driving!Finally a company that looks further than just what the car drives on…@easygoingmartin: Promise is key here.@easygoingmartin: Or they should take concrete steps on biofuel… because I believe that over 90% of all the oil out there is used for fuel… Only a few % is used for lubrication.-edit: check!- And everything that saves energy is positive, even if that wouldn't be necessary in itself if we dare to face the real problem.Anyway, that will never happen so good job from Champion.@norge: keep digging/drilling well in your garden, then that 10% more economical doesn't matter anymore :)@dennisr: I don't quite understand..??@bigcar: if you dig deep enough you might end up with oil.@dennisr: need a longer extension cable for my hilti…… :)@norge: if you have to use a hilti I think you can go on for a long time before you find oil ;)If I understand correctly, BMW doesn't use premium spark plugs in their premium cars yet?@alcantara: For a small 20 euros each I think they are quite premium…@RacerX: phew those are Peugeot prices!Hop BMW!Double those prices!@Benjamin1: funny thing is that it's still true.Came to BMW once a few years ago to get some small stuff including new emblems.they suddenly turned out to be almost twice as expensive as they had been for years.When I asked the reason, I was told the following: "Because people think differently that the cheaper BMW decals are of worse quality than those of Audi and Mercedes".I say oh nice story.That dude says yes, big bullshit.But yeah got a few other things for free.“oops forgot to pay” he says with a wink :lol: was in the end even cheaper, so in the end nothing to complain about.it is strange that a different way of ignition reduces consumption .. a leaner mixture can be arranged anyway?only people want the rich mixture .. isn't it about igniting it?and not so much how?but maybe someone can clarify that for me :) I find it very interesting :)@dennisr: I think that with a larger spark surface you also ignite more gasoline at the same time and therefore get a shorter but stronger pop.Gasoline will now be wasted because not all the gasoline pops at the same time.:)@floryn: could you also make more revolutions per minute?@Truttenschudder: I think that has to do with the balance of the block…@Truttenschudder: I think you then have to make fewer turns, because you can already have the necessary power at lower speeds: I don't know whether you can make more, though ;)@Truttenschudder: probably more per second.@robert-123: Haha, in hindsight a bit of a stupid way to put it.But to say: more revolutions/time unit.hmm…@floryn: that could very well be, that no more fuel is lost with this, so that you can inject a leaner mixture, thnx :)What I don't understand is the fact that they would like to run a leaner mixture.Then your combustion temperature rises, so that you get an increased NOx emission.I don't know if that is really profitable… Your gas consumption will be lower, but your emissions will be higher.The shape of your flame front is also important.(BMW has been using 2 spark plugs on its engines for some time to get a better ignition by the way)If that starts from different (4) points, you will reach a complete ignition faster, so that there will be more clean ignition and also faster ignition.just like the twin-sparks I had in my Alfasud maybe?they had a double sparkNice idea, but current always chooses the path of the lowest resistance, "Twinspark" spark plugs always only spark on one side.If one side wears further, the other side will follow.That's simple physics.AND a leaner mixture is not really conducive to the wear of your engine.@torana: In an Alfasud?That was a nice craft project...you have a kind of spark plug every 5 years..now something for diesels… but hey, such innovations are of course great:@bigcar: Why diesel?Diesel ignites by compression and heat I thought.@SimonMc: yes it is, I meant a smart innovation for diesel engines: to make diesel engines more economical / efficient… :) (I'm young, but not stupid ;) )Well, how long has Twinspark existed at Alfa's?Since 1987 with the 75 2.0 ts already. Those much more expensive spark plugs lasted 100 dkm.@willemseles: Which are mainly more expensive due to the fact that much less could be sold due to the different size.& leaving the spark plugs 100dkm is possible, but I would replace them prematurely.@willemseles: they already had my Alfasuds, 1979, 1981 and 1983, but I think also before that time@torana: Alfa has been using it since 1914(!).@Pallas: But that was two spark plugs per cylinder.In the Alfasud, as far as I can remember (from my grandmother's Sprint!) it was a spark plug with two outer electrodes.The spark plugs of the Golf GTI engine I had in my Beetle, if I remember correctly, even had 4 outer electrodes.@willemseles: The 75 2.0TS had no double spark plugs, but two spark plugs per cylinder.. something completely different.Nice engine by the way, that TS…if they make them for a 4barrel V8 from before the 70s I want to try them again@six-trey: And then?Don't expect them to handle a super rich mixture.There must also still be air for your fuel.I would also like to apply it to my classic car but expect that I will drown my engine and let it run rougher than I will see power gains……?And an ionization ring around the exhaust also ensures 15% less fuel consumption.(according to amazing mike from the tellsell commercial)For now I'll just stick to about eight BR8EIX from NGK.brisk and splitfire do everything they can to make the shadow side of the spark plug as small as possible, and when i see this here, I see a huge shadow side.can someone explain to me how this should work?And won't that picture break?after all, the spark seeks the path of least resistance and if it is in the combustion chamber, fuel is added, I never believe that it will spark on all 4 sides?or did they discover something new?If it provides a 10% fuel saving, I'll install them right away.Does this fall under the category 'magnets around your petrol line'?In the Morris, NGK remains by far the favorite, but perhaps this will work well on modern cars.I have a spark spacer somewhere in the garage.He claimed the same.Worst 50 euros I've ever spent.Kope?How does this spark plug actually spark?After all, a spark must always "jump" from one point to another?@jack_abarth: When I look at it this way, the 'spark' seems to find its mass in the wall of the cylinders.I also read that several small pulses are given instead of one pulse.I think this possibly means that: -Higher voltage due to chopping (several pulses) so that the arc can be laid up to the wall.-Chopped means that extra power electronics are involved and hopefully they also do something about the power and thus the burning of the spark.- With multiple pulses, you can get multiple arc paths, so that the arc may alternate on the four pins.-If the above is effective and happens at a very high speed, I don't think there is a shadow side to the spark plug.Anyway, interesting development ;-) However, if there are extra electronics in it, it will in any case not be a cheap candle…I don't know if that spark needs a ground.They talk about ion currents, reminds me of point effect that the surrounding air/mixture is ionized and that the electrons disappear in it.And that there is therefore an ignition there.Either through the addition of energy or pressure, or because the combustion reaction proceeds more easily due to extra electrons.But that's just a guess, something to find out tonight or tomorrow night.@Hupke: You are amazed at how often those ion currents just seem to go from a to b.Or also: without mass you don't see many sparks.@mout: I don't know if you even see sparks.In addition, it seems very strange to me that a spark plug would depend on the cylinder (as mass) to transfer sparks, after all you have cylinders that are coated with ceramic materials, their dimensions can be quite different (and that makes a huge difference ! that distance).Then there would have to be a lot of extra electronics behind it, which should be different per engine.But like I said, I don't really know and I can imagine a lot about it.The intention is clear, a more even flame front and better combustion.a number of things are mixed up here… – Alfa has been using two spark plugs per cylinder since the 1960s (in the illustrious GTA), but maserati also used it in 6 cylinders… later again in the 75Twin Spark, and again later in the other 4 cylinder TS engines… at first it was about more horsepower, later it was just for a cleaner combustion.– 'normal' (alpha's are always special, but normally refers to one spark plug per cylinder) Alfas were also equipped with different Golden Lodge spark plugs, which have no central electrode, but a star-shaped spark plug with four legs, and one central point.which should therefore give four sparks… it was often said that if you put a normal spark plug in it you would drive a hole in the piston, but I think that is a myth.The advantage of the golden lodge is that the spark plug has no shadow side..Which brand still uses 1 burner spark plugs everyone works with 2 or 4Unfortunately, the decrease in fuel consumption is a declining business.10% seems like a lot, but in absolute terms it is no longer that impressive.Not at all with the developments that are going on now, and if you consider that this product will only come on the market in a few years… it is suddenly a lot of show and no go.I myself have had more than 30 Alfas (when my leg was still good), almost all models after 1970. At that time I could still tinker myself.The golden lodge spark plugs I meant.Had about 5 Suds, they didn't have this one.The Ts indeed had 4 smaller and 4 longer spark plugs with 4 electrodes each.Doesn't twin spark simply say something about the unfavorable shape of the combustion chamber of the alpha engines?so that there is a natural shadow side in the combustion chamber?and this is replaced by a 2nd spark plug?Ever heard of it.can also sit next to it.@ferrari.. you're almost completely wrong... in the old 2 valve engine from the sixties, they wanted to install the largest possible valves.. that's why the spark plug had to be placed off center, which is not optimal, that was taken care of with two spark plugs.. the shape of the combustion chambers in alfas has always been very good.. because alfa has had double overhead camshafts (dohc) in almost all engines since the 1920s, the valves are well positioned.Also, all the while the combustion chambers are hemispherical (hemi), so ahead of its time..Don't know if they are still for sale but Bosch also had spark plugs with 4 electrodes.I had them in my '85 BMW and it made a difference in torque and fuel consumption.Do they also work in modern cars?hmm I'm curious, but 10% sounds very unbelievable.Let it be 5%, that would still be nice, although these spark plugs can't be cheap.With 4 electrode spark plugs do you mean just one with 1 central electrode and 4 surrounding?I now have those from Bosch in my Honda from '94, they work very well.Much cheaper in any case than the NGK Platinum spark plugs that belong in it of 40,- each :/You must log in to post a comment.© 2004 – 2022 Autoblog Powered by Truer than North