Question on which sparkplugs to choose

[quattro_joe97]

Hey everyone I just purchased a 2006 audi A4 2.0t and I'm doing a time up on it and was wondering what sparkplugs to choose, I was going to go with stock bosch plugs but I plan on having it tuned and adding more boost in a month or so. What plugs would work best for this situation? Thanks!

[falconcrest32]

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...ent-Guide-v2-0

[Jake@JHM]

Look no further:

http://jhmotorsports.com/shop/catalo...27t-p-686.html

UPDATE:


We noticed right away when we started the development on our JHM 2.0T Tuning some months back that my A4 was being a bit hesitant and misfiring as soon as the car would start boosting above 10psi. Our first instinct was that there was an issue with my spark plugs based on our years of firsthand experience with turbo Audis in our shop. After removing my spark plugs, we checked the gap and they were all at .045 which is why I was getting the misfire. The plugs that came out of my car were Denso PK20PR11 plugs, and looking at their website it shows that those are the plugs that Denso recommends for the B7 A4 2.0T, yet they come at their recommended gapped of .044. However, Audi recommends that the plugs be gapped at .028 which is quite different than a .044 gap, so always make sure your plugs are at the right gap before you install them as whoever installed these plugs in the car before I purchased it, did not. The increased gap over stock (recommended is .028 by Audi) adds more resistance for the coil to fire across the gap. This is okay sometimes when boost levels are stock since the engineers have to factor in spark plug wear. However when you add boost it increases the resistance to jump the gap and it is just like increasing your gap even more, hence the misfires. My car most likely would have been okay if the installer of the Denso plugs would have regapped them to spec. However we do not believe in using plugs that aren’t a close to stock gap since they were most likely engineered for a non-boosted application.

Denso Plug:



I replaced my Denso Spark Plugs with the OEM Bosch Spark Plugs we have on our website HERE! I made sure they were gapped at .028 prior to install for our tuning development purposes. This was because we have to make sure that everything is functioning 100% perfect at the stock plug gap for those people who would be purchasing the tune and still on their original plugs (I know the gap size will increase over time as they get used, however we have seen quite a few very low mileage 2.0Ts). Needless to say we would have been okay with the off the shelf gap of .032, but they would have .004 gap less to work with as they wore down with mileage.

Spark plugs are essentially the center of your car’s ability to run and make power. When you increase your boost, you are increasing your cylinder pressure which makes your coil packs have to work harder to jump the given gap. The shorter gap will also help insure a better fire with more consistency. Considering that your plugs can fire over 100 times a second, making sure that you keep the best gap for your application is a must. That way you will always have a proper burn and not have a spark plug caused misfire. That being said, a .028 (Factory spec) gap is going to be much less strain on the coil packs/motor than .044, hence why I was misfiring when my cylinder pressure increased.

In addition, the spark plug works as a heat exchanger by pulling the unwanted thermal energy from the combustion chamber. The heat range given to a spark plug defines the spark plugs ability to dissipate the heat. Both Bosch and NGK are popular spark plug manufacturers and their heat range designations both utilize a number between 1 and 10 and are often times confused with each other. NGK goes down a number every time the heat range gets HOTTER and Bosch goes down a number every time the heat range gets COLDER. For the 2.0T the OEM Heat Range for NGK is “7” and the lower the number for NGK, the hotter the heat range is (like stated previously). For example, the BKR6E is going to be hotter than the BKR7E. The OEM Heat Range for Bosch is “6” and the lower the number, the colder it is (like stated previously). For example, the F5DPOR is going to be a colder plug than the F6DTC. The rate of heat transfer for the spark plug is determined by a few things; the length of the insulator nose, gas volume around the insulator nose, the material of the center electrode, and the construction of the porcelain insulator. Keep in mind, the spark plugs heat range has no relationship to the actual voltage that is being transferred through the spark plug!

There is a lot of information to take in to understand sparkplugs, and at time can be quite confusing. That is why we have done the research for you and are here to supply you with the correct sparkplugs for your application.



OEM Replacement Spark Plugs:

There are two different spark plugs that came in the B7 A4 2.0T. Therefor both choices will be a direct replacement for your vehicle. We have had great experiences with both of these manufactures and choice will ultimately come down to preference.

Bosch - FR6KPP332S Long Life Platinum (Heat range 6)



Click HERE for more information!


NGK - PFR7S8EG Laser Platinum (Heat range 7)



Click HERE for more information!


Higher Boost Applications:

The following plugs are pre gapped at a perfect width to keep misfires away on high boost applications. We use these plugs in our race cars and customer’s cars with great success.

Bosch - F5DPOR Platinum Sidefire (Heat range 5, one heat range colder than stock)



Click HERE for more information!


Bosch - FR5DTC Tri-Electrode (Heat range 5, one heat range colder than stock)



Click HERE for more information!

Bosch - F6DTC Tri-Electrode (Heat range 6, same heat range as stock) Note: This is a good lower cost replacement for stock cars or cars mostly stock with just a tune.




Click HERE for more information!

NOTE: The spark plug torque spec is 30nm or 22 Ft-lbs. Remember to use Anti-Seize on the threads for easy removal and corrosion protection.


If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I am here to help!



Jake

[audihere06]

Look no further:

http://jhmotorsports.com/shop/catalo...27t-p-686.html

How do the sidefires work on stock cars. I plan to go JHM stage 1 at some point and don't want to buy plugs twice.

[Jake@JHM]

How do the sidefires work on stock cars. I plan to go JHM stage 1 at some point and don't want to buy plugs twice.

The side fires are great and they will work well. I always run the FR5DTC because I like the Tri-Electrodes.. and how cheap the are!

[audihere06]

The side fires are great and they will work well. I always run the FR5DTC because I like the Tri-Electrodes.. and how cheap the are!

Those are the copper ones right? I'm trying to stay away from copper. I like the lifespan of iridium and platinum better. Never had a misfire or failed coil and don't want to start. Know what I mean?

[Jake@JHM]

Those are the copper ones right? I'm trying to stay away from copper. I like the lifespan of iridium and platinum better. Never had a misfire or failed coil and don't want to start. Know what I mean?

Completely understood! The F5DP0R are great!

[Charles.waite]

I've run the NGK BKR7EIX-11 plugs in the past and am currently running the OEM Bosch FR6KPP332S plugs. Honestly I can't tell the difference. My car is stock though so I'm hardly pushing things, engine-wise.

[Jake@JHM]

I've run the NGK BKR7EIX-11 plugs in the past and am currently running the OEM Bosch FR6KPP332S plugs. Honestly I can't tell the difference. My car is stock though so I'm hardly pushing things, engine-wise.

Those two plugs are roughly the same, and okay for a stock car.

[B7Joe]

The side fires are great and they will work well. I always run the FR5DTC because I like the Tri-Electrodes.. and how cheap the are!

I have these now and they are fine. No issues at all. How often do you swap yours, Jake? Thanks

[kegobeer]

I have these now and they are fine. No issues at all.

Same here. JHM tune + FR5DTC = happy motoring.

[Shanster]

Same here. JHM tune + FR5DTC = happy motoring.

Just picked up some now in anticipation of my JHM Stage 1 tune!!

Hey Jake...i'm a size XL T-Shirt...just sayin. :)

[Shanster]

Yahtzee!!!!

[Gotpsi2008]

planning on going JHM stage 2 93 this Friday, and I know I have changed out the plugs 6-8 months ago with 1 step colder iridium NGK im pretty sure, but I cant recall! what would someone recommend for a good plug with this tune?

[mr larry]

Those two plugs are roughly the same, and okay for a stock car.

The BKR7EIX-11 have a .043" gap...are you re-gapping? BKR7E and BKR7EIX have a .031" gap out of the box.

[mr larry]

Yahtzee!!!!

I'm rolling with NGK BR8ES copper plugs (I prefer copper). One step colder than the BKR7E's I used with my stage 1 tune.

[Jake@JHM]

The BKR7EIX-11 have a .043" gap...are you re-gapping? BKR7E and BKR7EIX have a .031" gap out of the box.

We don't use those plugs but if you did then yes, you will need to gap them to .028.

[Charles.waite]

I ran BKR7EIX-11 plugs straight out of the box for a couple years without issues. I was totally stock though. I swapped them out for stock Bosch plugs a while back when I was troubleshooting some things and just left the Bosch plugs.

However I ran the same plugs in my tuned (APR 1+) b6 for 4 years without a single issue ever. Personally I would run a larger gap stock, but with a tune I would be much more leery of it on the b7. When in doubt go with what your tuner recommends. When I get a JHM tune (eventually) I'll use whatever plugs they recommend.

[Jake@JHM]

I ran BKR7EIX-11 plugs straight out of the box for a couple years without issues. I was totally stock though. I swapped them out for stock Bosch plugs a while back when I was troubleshooting some things and just left the Bosch plugs.

However I ran the same plugs in my tuned (APR 1+) b6 for 4 years without a single issue ever. Personally I would run a larger gap stock, but with a tune I would be much more leery of it on the b7. When in doubt go with what your tuner recommends. When I get a JHM tune (eventually) I'll use whatever plugs they recommend.

Those will be great on the 1.8T because of the factory heat range for the 1.8T engines.