Aftermarket spark plugs?

I saw an add for this product in popular science (yeah i know... nerd) and was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on it. It seems they are supposed to be high-performance high-powered spark plugs. Plug in some real horsepower with DirectHits Any idea if they would A. cause damage? B. Actually increase hp/torque a little bit? c. increase fuel econ? any comments/thoughts are welcome.

Mostly likely! Very likely! Not with my driving; I'd tend to use the energy at start up. Having tried Split Fires in my Supra I can tell you that I experienced a significant increase in power and take offs and accelerating WOT were exhilarating! I really enjoyed them, BUT they didn't last long and I was warned that my engine was NOT designed for them and that there was great likelihood they would harm the engine over time. They did great WOT but seemed to slightly foul up under gentler acceleration. They weren't worth the money. I got rid of them and went back to NGK's. I tried Bosch's Platinum plugs in my Avalon and my mechanic warned me that they wouldn't last 10,000 miles, He was right. The plugs deteriorated significantly as did performance at about 6,000 miles. I went back to using laser etched NGK's. From my experience I found that using OEM is always best because that's within design specs and one must always keep system at large in mind when modifying. Furthermore, I have discovered that German plugs are best in European cars and Japanese plugs are best in Japanese cars. Call me racist, but that's the way seem seem to work best. All that said, I would be interested in how these DirectHits do! Let us know.

My thoughts: If these things were really something great, Porsche would have already put them in the car. If Porsche didn't put them in the car, then they did so for a reason (and not because they want to give you less power).

I don't know. There are ways to improve your intake, exhaust, throttle map, steering wheel, road wheels, shocks, springs, so why not spark plugs? Porsche had to make concessions to cost in the building of the car. That having been said, I'm skeptical about spark plug power boosts. Back in the 80s there where these plugs called cross-fire that featured a pitchfork type tip. I bought a set for about 2x the cost of regular plugs. They worked fine, but posted no noteable enhancement to performance. (Maybe they were the Split fires Joe Thule references... either way, my experience was unremarkable, but in a Prelude, not nearly a Supra.)

I am sorry, but in every car (but Porsche) I have ever owned I have tried tons of different spark plugs. I always ended up going back to the OEM. If all those snake oil spark plugs were any good, OEMs would be putting them into our cars. Don't start the BS about costs. Porsche wants better MPG and HP/TQ numbers, if it was as simple as spending couple of bucks on one of those snake oil ones, they would have done that already.... But again, we all like to think we are smarter than R&D guys that get actually paid to figure this out.

I understood that the spark plug that came with the car needs to be used due to the computer. I had went from a Denso to a Bosch-4on my Tacoma and it didnt run as well. I heard it had something to do with how the computer managed ignition. :2cents:

I think Dan has a very good point! I don't think K&N will have to pay for the warranty claim, but Porsche would. So guess who will put in more R&D money to make a part perform and last.

just one question what do guys that race 911's and other pcars in pca and speed GT use? What does the RSR and cup car use for spark plugs. If they are the same then you can safely awesome there is no advantage in changing, becuase you know the race teams would if it was better.

Gator - I wasn't disagreeing that yes OEM products are very good when it comes to those things you listed. Power Output Longevity and Reliability Sound Output and compliance with noise laws Pollution output and compliance with emission laws Resonance Vibrations But Porsche along with most manufacturers have development costs and a time schedule to design, test and build those parts. There is a lot of time to develop them and I would agree that they tend to be bullet proof especially when it comes to exhaust system and they do meet those needs listed. I believe that they have a targeted HP that they need to meet and they design an exhaust to meet that in the allotted time they have, is it the "best of the best" I personally don't think so but I agree it's good but that isn't necessarily the case with all vehicles. They design it and test it and if it needs tweaking to get the desired output they want then their done because they don't have the time nor the money to try multiple designs. Basically they take the "safe" route. Exhaust manufactuers like Supersprint, Tubi Capristo, Borla, etc. go through multiple designs and flow dynamics and dyno tests to try to get a less restrictive exhaust while still meeting TUV. This is what they do and they will test and tweak until they have a product that exceeds the OEM product. That is why they are usually so expensive and as far as I know offer warranties. Do they all get it right? NO, just look at Tubi or B&B which are said to not give any hp gains, maybe because they didn't put the time into the disign like Miltek or AWE etc. Of course they were the first two out of the gate. I was only adressing he comment that "if there were better they would have used them" I disagree with this. As for the spark plug issue they use what they have on had or a contract for, e.g. probably Bosch. Are these the best plugs? Maybe maybe not but they are what matches the ECU best because that is what they were tuned with. I'm not trying to start any argument as to OEM vs. aftermarket. Are OEM "good enough"? I would say yes for the average Joe, but are there better? Your correct, what is "better"? I think it's personal as to what you want and if you want to pay for aftermarket parts. I geuinely think that you can get some aftermarket parts that perform better then OEM.

Flyer, I don't mean to challenge you. I certainly see the point you are making and can agree to some degree. The car companies are definitely looking to maximize profits which will sometimes lead to cut corners that prevent the 'best of the best' performance from every component. I guess I feel pretty strongly about exhaust because of my own personal experience with my 944 turbo. Here is a post of mine from another thread:

Hey Gator, I know we're just have a "discussion" LOL. I agree with you to a point and have heard the same thing from Borla on a few other cars, funny. I believe them because I've been to their HQ in Oxnard, invited because I had fitment issues with a new midpipe they developed. They were a great bunch of guys and very knowledgable. I watched them building exhaust piping for a new BMW 335i, small sections at a time. They not only dyno ALL their cars but hook them up to a flow meter and then check for resonance. They said that worst case, they can go through a dozen iterations befor settling on the best one. Anyway, talking to the Marketing manager at length when I was waiting for them figure out the problem, he said there are a few car companies that "get it right with their designs" but not on every car. I believe he said that one car's exhaust was so good from the factory that they didn't bother to develop one. But he said that is unusual and probably 90% of OEM exhausts are pretty restrictive. But you are correct the more air flow the louder it will be. I did happen to mention the Caymen S and he said that they didn't have a doner car and have yet investigated whether it would be cost effective to make one because there would only be a small number of potential buyers. He DID say that they have dedicated people that read many forums to stay on top of things.

Today car manufacturers really don't make much of their owns cars. Instead, they are more like general contractors. They create the concept and then put all the parts out to bid to different suppliers. The parts are made by these suppliers, then Porsche assembles those parts into a car. You'd be surprised just how many companies really make their living supplying car manufacturers. It's amazing. Here's a picture of a Cayman with some of the many suppliers identified: With that in mind, Porsche doesn't even make the exhaust system for the Cayman. Instead, they farm it out to an exhaust specialist with their list of demands, uh, I mean specifications. When the supplier gives Porsche a product sample for consideration, they shake and bake it every which way. I am sure they scrutinize it's ability to produce power, but I am guessing that power output isn't on the top of their priority list. It is important, but other things are more important, like compliance with noise and pollution control laws & durability. I am pretty sure that the exhaust system on the Cayman is made by DANSK . I believe they are also he supplier that makes the speedart exhaust. I am pretty sure they know what they are doing, but if we are willing to shift that priority list around and sacrifice some of the requirements that Porsche could not bend on, we can get more power.