NGK BKR7EIX: stock gap - Noticing stronger power and smoother delivery.

[pat_do]

Guys,

Recently ordere a bunch of maintenance parts from Europaparts and one of those items were the NGK spak plugs.

I checked the gap and they were all at .028' in stock form. I removed the old spark plugs (original and had about 56k Miles on them) and also added new coil packs.

The car seems to run smoother overall, and when stepping on it, jeez, the engine sure does sound and pull stronger. Is this normal? Have you experienced a better power delivery with new spark plugs and coil packs? Also changed the air filter for a new mann filter.

Changed the oil dipstick since the old one has a broken o ring on it. I wasn't able to push 20psi before now...the car seems to hit 20psi easily.

Pat

[xander3zero]

What tune and supporting mods are you running to hit 20 psi?

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[The_Ocho]

What tune and supporting mods are you running to hit 20 psi?

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Idk about him but I hit 20 all day long with my car. Apr stage1 And cone filter

[xander3zero]

Idk about him but I hit 20 all day long with my car. Apr stage1 And cone filter

Really? I only 18 peak with Apr stage 1 and my mods are in my Sig...I thought 18 was pretty normal for stage 1 Apr...might have to check for some leaks this spring

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[Obsidian]

18-22 psi on APR stg II w/ TP & drop in filter.

[pat_do]

What tune and supporting mods are you running to hit 20 psi?

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APR Stage 2 HPFP on a tiptronic. Boost holds in the upper 17-19psi even when shifting. 034 HFC mated to stock catback.

APR HPFP new pump.

034 Silicone boost hoses

[The_Ocho]

Really? I only 18 peak with Apr stage 1 and my mods are in my Sig...I thought 18 was pretty normal for stage 1 Apr...might have to check for some leaks this spring

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16-18 is normal with 19-20 peak. But from my research iv seen that it changes car by car. Iv seen a few that hold 20. I guess my wastegate is just a little tighter than most

[Jake@JHM]

.028 is a good gap size for stock turbo cars. What was the gap on the old ones?

[Dirtyylicous]

I run the bkr7e coppers at .32. Should I try to gap them at .28 next time?

[Jake@JHM]

I run the bkr7e coppers at .32. Should I try to gap them at .28 next time?

.032 is still good. However, if you start off at .028 you have longer life of the plug as it wears before you start to misfire

[pat_do]

.028 is a good gap size for stock turbo cars. What was the gap on the old ones?

I think they looked like .32 stock Bosch sp.

[The_Ocho]

I went out and got some today though I just got the BKR7E. For $11 I'll just change them every oil change. But it did smooth out boost a lot and it pulls a bit harder. Worth it

[V2Rider]

I went out and got some today though I just got the BKR7E. For $11 I'll just change them every oil change. But it did smooth out boost a lot and it pulls a bit harder. Worth it

That's exactly what I started doing, every oil change, BKR7E plugs.

[pat_do]

So spark plugs do help regain back some performance! Hahh

[jimrobbington]

Spark plugs and coils can 100% affect performance. Coil packs can go bad in different ways. They dont just completely fail most the time. Sometimes they just get weak, and lose a little power without you noticing.

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[pat_do]

Spark plugs and coils can 100% affect performance. Coil packs can go bad in different ways. They dont just completely fail most the time. Sometimes they just get weak, and lose a little power without you noticing.

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Surprising that these maintenance items mke quite a noticeabl difference!

Glad I changed the coil packs and added new spark plugs.

[seco007]

Guys,

Recently ordere a bunch of maintenance parts from Europaparts and one of those items were the NGK spak plugs.

I checked the gap and they were all at .028' in stock form. I removed the old spark plugs (original and had about 56k Miles on them) and also added new coil packs.

The car seems to run smoother overall, and when stepping on it, jeez, the engine sure does sound and pull stronger. Is this normal? Have you experienced a better power delivery with new spark plugs and coil packs? Also changed the air filter for a new mann filter.

Changed the oil dipstick since the old one has a broken o ring on it. I wasn't able to push 20psi before now...the car seems to hit 20psi easily.

Pat

Sorry to bump this thread but I just bought 4 new plugs at Advanced Auto (Google discount code and you get 30% off..total was 21.23 AFTER taxes)....and I measured them right there at the store and I was surprised to get a .043 FROM STOCK!!! ..and mind you I stopped measuring the moment I felt some resistance...so of course I bought the
$ 1.49 measuring device to make sure I gap them accordingly.

[Jake@JHM]

You can expect a different gap when going with plugs that didn't go on the car from the factory. That is why it is always good to check them before installing them.

Where those the Denso plugs?

[seco007]

you can expect a different gap when going with plugs that didn't go on the car from the factory. That is why it is always good to check them before installing them.

Where those the denso plugs?

ngk bkr7eix

[pat_do]

Very strange normally the stock gap is .028

Get a real feeler gauge; the coin gauge is not accurate

[SwiftA4]

You can expect a different gap when going with plugs that didn't go on the car from the factory. That is why it is always good to check them before installing them.

Where those the Denso plugs?

Would there be a problem running the Denso ones gapped at 0.04? I'm currently running them now with no misfires. When I bought them, I tried gapping them to 0.032 but they didn't seem to wanna budge so I left them like that and threw them in.

[Jay-Bee]

Several people are on the large gap train running 0.044, i did it for a bit, but it might have stressed my old coils as they failed over the next few months, new coilpacks and new plugs @ 0.032 and I couldnt tell a difference really.

I run 0.030 in my 1.8T now.

[Jake@JHM]

Would there be a problem running the Denso ones gapped at 0.04? I'm currently running them now with no misfires. When I bought them, I tried gapping them to 0.032 but they didn't seem to wanna budge so I left them like that and threw them in.

When I bought my B7 it had the densos at a .045 gap and as soon as I tuned the car it misfired like crazy. Brought the gap down to .028 and it was fine. But then I put OEM NGK plugs in it for R&D. These cars like the smaller gap and it is also less stress on the ignition components.

[SwiftA4]

Several people are on the large gap train running 0.044, i did it for a bit, but it might have stressed my old coils as they failed over the next few months, new coilpacks and new plugs @ 0.032 and I couldnt tell a difference really.

I run 0.030 in my 1.8T now.

I thought I saw people running the larger gap. I just put new red coilpacks in a few weeks ago. I'll pop the plugs back out this weekend and try to regap them down to around 0.028 since I'm planning on going Stage 1. I've noticed everyone recommends this gap for chipped vehicles.

When I bought my B7 it had the densos at a .045 gap and as soon as I tuned the car it misfired like crazy. Brought the gap down to .028 and it was fine. But then I put OEM NGK plugs in it for R&D. These cars like the smaller gap and it is also less stress on the ignition components.

Thats what I assumed in regards to the ignition components. Thanks Jake.

[Schweini]

hey Pat can you elaborateon the broken already on your dipstick? my dipstick is also broken, those two little plastic notches on the dipstick have crumbled up and fell off. Do you think those would cause me to leak pressure?

[pat_do]

hey Pat can you elaborateon the broken already on your dipstick? my dipstick is also broken, those two little plastic notches on the dipstick have crumbled up and fell off. Do you think those would cause me to leak pressure?

HeyJoe,

The 2 plastic notches we broken. The o-ring right below the handle was finished...and i threw it out.

All of that said, without the o-ring on the top portion of the boost is bled off in tiny amounts. It was so long ago that I was able to hit 21psi....now...my podi gauge hits that mrk consistently.

how many psi are you hitting?

[Schweini]

HeyJoe,

The 2 plastic notches we broken. The o-ring right below the handle was finished...and i threw it out.

All of that said, without the o-ring on the top portion of the boost is bled off in tiny amounts. It was so long ago that I was able to hit 21psi....now...my podi gauge hits that mrk consistently.

how many psi are you hitting?

I never see 20psi... 18 max at stage 2+ apr. Ive tried everything and now you got me thinking its the dipstick

[thenofjboy]

^ get a new dipstick and call it a day. My notches and O-ring were gone when I changed my oil last. IIRC a new dipstick is around $20.



smaller gap is going to make the plugs and coils work harder and prone to fail faster like Jake said. too big of a gap and the spark isnt going to last as long. I've always read that plugs come gapped from the factory but everyone checks them anyways..well most people do haha.


OP - what gear are you in when you hit 20psi?

[pat_do]

^ get a new dipstick and call it a day. My notches and O-ring were gone when I changed my oil last. IIRC a new dipstick is around $20.



smaller gap is going to make the plugs and coils work harder and prone to fail faster like Jake said. too big of a gap and the spark isnt going to last as long. I've always read that plugs come gapped from the factory but everyone checks them anyways..well most people do haha.


OP - what gear are you in when you hit 20psi?

2nd gear

All gears...its an automatic...it holds boost between shifts

[turbowop]

All of that said, without the o-ring on the top portion of the boost is bled off in tiny amounts.

Huh? The dipstick is in no way, shape, or form connected to the intercooler plumbing. If anything, with that o-ring damaged, you will vent some extra crankcase pressure. It makes zero sense that you would see increased boost pressure by replacing the dipstick o-ring.

And nobody should be feeling power gains via butt-dyno by changing the spark plug gap. Unless you're getting obvious misfires, you're not going to make a noticeable difference in power regardless of gap. Smoother at idle? Maybe, MAYBE. But most likely, this is all placebo. Somebody wanna prove it otherwise? Put the car on a dyno and try out some different gap sizes. I guarantee you won't see significant changes that can be traced back to the gap size. You'll see more of a difference from air temp or coolant temps causing a change in boost pressure or timing.

[Jay-Bee]

Huh? The dipstick is in no way, shape, or form connected to the intercooler plumbing. If anything, with that o-ring damaged, you will vent some extra crankcase pressure. It makes zero sense that you would see increased boost pressure by replacing the dipstick o-ring.

Go pull your dipstick with the engine running and come back and state that again ;)

a broken dipstick WILL create a vacuum/boost leak with the way our PCV system is routed.

[[email protected]]

I went out and got some today though I just got the BKR7E. For $11 I'll just change them every oil change. But it did smooth out boost a lot and it pulls a bit harder. Worth it

Did the same with my Avant and it made things so much smoother.

[turbowop]

Go pull your dipstick with the engine running and come back and state that again ;)

a broken dipstick WILL create a vacuum/boost leak with the way our PCV system is routed.

I guess I better study up on the way this things PCV system works. I would think that the vacuum you see at the intake manifold would be completely separate from crankcase ventilation. I'm getting old. Cars are getting more complicated...

[waiapasi2006]

I don't remember the NGK's I got a while back, but how often should we replace these?

[PNW Avant]

Sorry to bump this thread but I just bought 4 new plugs at Advanced Auto (Google discount code and you get 30% off..total was 21.23 AFTER taxes)....and I measured them right there at the store and I was surprised to get a .043 FROM STOCK!!! ..and mind you I stopped measuring the moment I felt some resistance...so of course I bought the
$ 1.49 measuring device to make sure I gap them accordingly.

Take a photo of the box with the part number. If it has a number appended to the part number, that means the stock gap is different. That looks like .044 to me which would make me think its a "-11".

[Schweini]

New dipstick ordered, thanks for the suggestion guys

my o-rings have been completely broken off. Hope this helps

[pat_do]

You will notice a difference

[seco007]

Take a photo of the box with the part number. If it has a number appended to the part number, that means the stock gap is different. That looks like .044 to me which would make me think its a "-11".

You sir are a gentleman and a scholar.....

[PNW Avant]

#thumbup

[80sGuy]

I remembered replacing my originals with stock pre-gapped OEM NGK PFR7S8EG (Audi parts dept) and my car pulls at a pretty efficient rate, and most notably smooth. It all depends on your car. Mine is 100% stock.