Got a tune? Spark plug change?

[OE2]

Quick question for those of you running 91/93 tunes (uni, apr, custom code, etc.) Did you change out your oem plugs at the same time? I am coming up on 15k miles and about to add a 91 tune (only have 92 in Wa) and I am wondering if I should go ahead and change/upgrade my plugs while im at it.

Thanks

[brad65ford]

Good question.

[DodgyRS3]

Yep change the plugs

[Mowe]

Cheap piece of mind IMO.

[FBO 335i]

I got new OEM spark plugs and new OEM coils if you want to go OEM and I’m local to you. PM me if you’re interested, looking to get rid of these for cheap.

[r26372]

You don't need fancy plugs for the 91 octane tune, just use new stock ones. Uni and APR recommend expensive plugs for the e85 tunes and stage 2, you aren't close to that.

[Burdman]

That is not true, its listed on all their tunes even the stage 1 91 octane for our cars. Here is a direct copy/paste from goapr.com:

For maximum safety, especially on vehicles that see road course use, or long autobahn top speed runs, APR recommends NGK heat range 9 (NGK-R7437-9) spark plugs gapped to 0.024" ±0.002" or 0.6mm ±0.05mm with a change interval of 10-15,000 mi or 16-24,000 km. DO NOT remove or unplug the exhaust valve actuator motors. Doing so will cause the ECU to greatly reduce output.

[OE2]

Thanks guys, i'll change them out. I have 10 sitting at home so it's low stress to do i just wanted to know if I needed to up the intervals

[r26372]

That is not true, its listed on all their tunes even the stage 1 91 octane for our cars. Here is a direct copy/paste from goapr.com:

For maximum safety, especially on vehicles that see road course use, or long autobahn top speed runs, APR recommends NGK heat range 9 (NGK-R7437-9) spark plugs gapped to 0.024" ±0.002" or 0.6mm ±0.05mm with a change interval of 10-15,000 mi or 16-24,000 km. DO NOT remove or unplug the exhaust valve actuator motors. Doing so will cause the ECU to greatly reduce output.

You copy and pasted the 1+ tune in the note for E85 use. Poster is going to run the 91 tune which is identical to the APR Plus tune which has no such disclosure for plugs.

Here's the proper cut and paste for the 91 octane file.

APR Plus ECU Upgrade with a Limited Powertrain Warranty

The APR Plus ECU Upgrade is the first step towards making more power, and it includes our limited powertrain warranty. This simple upgrade requires no engine hardware modifications, and produces 459 HP with 451 FT-LBS of torque. Gains as high as 66 HP and 88 FT-LBS of torque are available throughout the power band, making the vehicle exceptionally quicker in all scenarios.

The APR Plus ECU Upgrade matches the performance of our Stage 1 ECU Upgrade (91 octane version). To get even more power, you can add any of our other Stage 1 compatible products and still be covered under the APR Plus warranty! To learn more about APR Plus, please visit the APR Plus website.

If you're not interested in the APR Plus limited powertrain warranty, and want even more power, check out our other Stages.

[S3DUDE]

I haven't changed mine yet, I ran 91 Oct, 93 Oct and E-85 Unitronic maps and my car has 15000 miles. The service interval calls for every 3 years or 30000 miles if the car is stock. I am going to hold on to my OEM spark plugs for a little bit.

[Burdman]

You copy and pasted the 1+ tune in the note for E85 use. Poster is going to run the 91 tune which is identical to the APR Plus tune which has no such disclosure for plugs.

Here's the proper cut and paste for the 91 octane file.

APR Plus ECU Upgrade with a Limited Powertrain Warranty

The APR Plus ECU Upgrade is the first step towards making more power, and it includes our limited powertrain warranty. This simple upgrade requires no engine hardware modifications, and produces 459 HP with 451 FT-LBS of torque. Gains as high as 66 HP and 88 FT-LBS of torque are available throughout the power band, making the vehicle exceptionally quicker in all scenarios.

The APR Plus ECU Upgrade matches the performance of our Stage 1 ECU Upgrade (91 octane version). To get even more power, you can add any of our other Stage 1 compatible products and still be covered under the APR Plus warranty! To learn more about APR Plus, please visit the APR Plus website.

If you're not interested in the APR Plus limited powertrain warranty, and want even more power, check out our other Stages.

No I didn't, I posted the stage 1 tune, you posted the APR plus tune which is the warrantied one might wanna go back and check ;)

[Burdman]

APR Stage 1 ECU Upgrade

The APR Stage 1 ECU Upgrade is the first step towards making more power! This simple upgrade requires no engine hardware modifications, and produces 459-542 HP with 451-506 FT-LBS of torque, depending on octane. Gains as high as 66-132 HP and 88-146 FT-LBS of torque are available throughout the power band. To get more power, the vehicle can be outfitted with an upgraded intake, APR RS3 Intercooler System or APR TT RS Intercooler System, catback exhaust and other small modifications without requiring any new modification to the ECU. Upgrading the small factory intercooler is highly recommended on this platform.

APR "Lo Grip" Stage 1 modes are equipped with a features that help to reduce wheel spin and aid in 60 FT and 0-60 times on street tires and unprepped surfaces. However, for vehicles equipped with much better tires and surface prep, an optional “High-Grip” mode is available to maximize launching performance!

APR Stage 1 is available for 91 AKI, 93 AKI, 100 AKI, 104 AKI and E85 fuel grades in North America, and 95 RON, 98 RON, 102 RON, 104 RON, 108 RON and E85 fuel grades in the Rest of the World.

Please note, our E85 software is not a full flex fuel program. In this mode the engine is only designed to work on E85, as found directly at the pump, including both summer and winter blends from E60-E85. Using traditional pump fuels in this mode may result in engine damage. Do not manually blend with traditional pump fuel or race fuels or use race specific barrels of E85. To ensure proper E85 content levels, APR recommends using an E85 content sensor. Before using Ethanol, educate yourself and follow our switching guide. For maximum safety, especially on vehicles that see road course use, or long autobahn top speed runs, APR recommends NGK heat range 9 (NGK-R7437-9) spark plugs gapped to 0.024" ±0.002" or 0.6mm ±0.05mm with a change interval of 10-15,000 mi or 16-24,000 km. DO NOT remove or unplug the exhaust valve actuator motors. Doing so will cause the ECU to greatly reduce output.

[r26372]

APR Stage 1 ECU Upgrade

The APR Stage 1 ECU Upgrade is the first step towards making more power! This simple upgrade requires no engine hardware modifications, and produces 459-542 HP with 451-506 FT-LBS of torque, depending on octane. Gains as high as 66-132 HP and 88-146 FT-LBS of torque are available throughout the power band. To get more power, the vehicle can be outfitted with an upgraded intake, APR RS3 Intercooler System or APR TT RS Intercooler System, catback exhaust and other small modifications without requiring any new modification to the ECU. Upgrading the small factory intercooler is highly recommended on this platform.

APR "Lo Grip" Stage 1 modes are equipped with a features that help to reduce wheel spin and aid in 60 FT and 0-60 times on street tires and unprepped surfaces. However, for vehicles equipped with much better tires and surface prep, an optional “High-Grip” mode is available to maximize launching performance!

APR Stage 1 is available for 91 AKI, 93 AKI, 100 AKI, 104 AKI and E85 fuel grades in North America, and 95 RON, 98 RON, 102 RON, 104 RON, 108 RON and E85 fuel grades in the Rest of the World.

Please note, our E85 software is not a full flex fuel program. In this mode the engine is only designed to work on E85, as found directly at the pump, including both summer and winter blends from E60-E85. Using traditional pump fuels in this mode may result in engine damage. Do not manually blend with traditional pump fuel or race fuels or use race specific barrels of E85. To ensure proper E85 content levels, APR recommends using an E85 content sensor. Before using Ethanol, educate yourself and follow our switching guide. For maximum safety, especially on vehicles that see road course use, or long autobahn top speed runs, APR recommends NGK heat range 9 (NGK-R7437-9) spark plugs gapped to 0.024" ±0.002" or 0.6mm ±0.05mm with a change interval of 10-15,000 mi or 16-24,000 km. DO NOT remove or unplug the exhaust valve actuator motors. Doing so will cause the ECU to greatly reduce output.

The part they refer to new plugs is under the "please note, our E85 software" part. The APR plus and the APR stage 1 running the 91 file are identical. So whatever applies to the APR plus tune is identical to what would apply to the APR stage 1 - 91 octane file. These are facts.

[r26372]

Which is also in line with the unitronic website. They don't show new plugs as a recommended item until you get to the e85 file or stage 2. So identical recs as APR.
Listen, I don't really care if someone wants to spend a bunch of $ on plugs, just clarifying what the tuners are saying.

[helloWorld]

I haven't looked, but is it easy to do the spark plug change in the garage? I keep seeing this "DO NOT remove or unplug the exhaust valve actuator motors." and I am wondering if this spark plug swap job is hard.

[TurnerRS3]

I'm running the Uni. Stage 1+ tune and stage 2 TCU tune.
I just picked up the NGK cold plugs and I'm going to install them tomorrow. Should I leave the gap at the 0.024"?? Anyone else running the same set up.

[OE2]

I haven't looked, but is it easy to do the spark plug change in the garage? I keep seeing this "DO NOT remove or unplug the exhaust valve actuator motors." and I am wondering if this spark plug swap job is hard.

it's a bit involved but doable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo6KsWmZHhw

[r26372]

I'm running the Uni. Stage 1+ tune and stage 2 TCU tune.
I just picked up the NGK cold plugs and I'm going to install them tomorrow. Should I leave the gap at the 0.024"?? Anyone else running the same set up.

Not same setup, but similar in that it's APR stage 1+ on E85 mostly and yes I gapped to .024. Mine came gapped closer to .026 so reduced gap a bit from what was in box. I've read others having some more misses with wider gap.

[nesbit]

Quick question for those of you running 91/93 tunes (uni, apr, custom code, etc.) Did you change out your oem plugs at the same time? I am coming up on 15k miles and about to add a 91 tune (only have 92 in Wa) and I am wondering if I should go ahead and change/upgrade my plugs while im at it.

Thanks

I'm just curious, if you wanted to run the 93 tune, could you use a bottle of octane booster?

[OE2]

I'm just curious, if you wanted to run the 93 tune, could you use a bottle of octane booster?

i've actually heard of some people running the 93 tune on 92 after doing a bit of datalogging. it's a little easier when you have all the bolt ons for a stage 1 or 2 doing it.

[Burdman]

The part they refer to new plugs is under the "please note, our E85 software" part. The APR plus and the APR stage 1 running the 91 file are identical. So whatever applies to the APR plus tune is identical to what would apply to the APR stage 1 - 91 octane file. These are facts.

Stage 2 spark plug notice is under the E85 software paragraph as well so are you saying we don't need to upgrade plugs for it too? Look, all I am saying is 125 bucks worth of plugs vs possible damage to a (how many thousands) engine, that's a no brainer. The purpose of going to a colder plug is to help guard against premature ignition/misfires ect… these tunes change the timing/boost/and all sorts of parameters to increase power output, adding 60-100 hp calls for a 1 step colder plug according to most people I have heard of building race engines. Its a 60K dollar car, making a big deal over spark plugs is silly IMHO.

[r26372]

Stage 2 spark plug notice is under the E85 software paragraph as well so are you saying we don't need to upgrade plugs for it too? Look, all I am saying is 125 bucks worth of plugs vs possible damage to a (how many thousands) engine, that's a no brainer. The purpose of going to a colder plug is to help guard against premature ignition/misfires ect… these tunes change the timing/boost/and all sorts of parameters to increase power output, adding 60-100 hp calls for a 1 step colder plug according to most people I have heard of building race engines. Its a 60K dollar car, making a big deal over spark plugs is silly IMHO.

Not remotely making a big deal of anything. Simply stating the fact that the Apr stage 1 tune running the 91 map is identical to the apr plus map which doesn't require new plugs. The plus tune is the warranty tune so they'd be extra careful with issues associated with plugs not up to task, yet that don't suggest them so guessing their tests show no need. Uni has identical recommendations. Stage 2 and e85 tunes produce much more power, thus more heat, and running e85 is prone to potential pre-ignition while 91-93 octane tunes aren't.

If someone wants to get new plugs have at it, maybe it'll be extra peace of mind. But the general rule of thumb would be one heat range colder for every 100 hp added. The 91 tune adds about 60. To each there own, done with my 2 cents on this topic.


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[BzzzBom]

I read both sides of this issue and discussed with several Audi tuners and mechanics. r26372 is correct. This thread can be closed.

[OE2]

Actually, I just changed my plugs and flashed my ecu earlier today, NOW I can close the thread :)

[helloWorld]

it's a bit involved but doable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo6KsWmZHhw

Thank you for this link.