Hi all,
I was wondering when its a good time to change the plugs on a IX. I have;
TBE, AEM Short Ram, Greddy RS (recirculating), 255fp, Dynoflash mail in, @21psi, 91oct., 5000ft elevation, 6000 miles. With the mods listed, is it a good idea to change to a colder plug? Iv noticed lately the car has slight backfires & a semi rough idle in stop & go situations (1-10mph). The car will dip below 500rpm from time to time in stop & go traffic. Any advice would help, thanks.

 

What intake do you have? I have the same mods but with a drop in filter and a custom flash from Al and don't have any issues at all while having 8500 miles. Stock plugs should last longer than that.

 

I have a AEM short ram. Also I'v been getting about 160miles to the tank. Thats with non aggressive driving.

 

Im still running the stock NGK BPR7IX in my car I have over 60k miles on it and still going strong,if yours has the non ix the es series plugs ,drop my buddy Jason dollar at NOPI atlanta and tell him chris told u to call him he will give u a smoking deal...on what ever u need... and the rough idle thats pretty normal and a defonate if you have an open air bov.

 

THAT bad on gas huh? Good grief.

 

There is something wrong with your car dude, but yeah, check your plugs and perhaps revert back to stock intake. I still average 220-240miles per tank without aggresive driving in the city.

 

Holy crap 160 to a tank? I get 240 to 270,,,,tbe,intake,HKS fq hard pipes,boost controler,greddy typeR ic, I can tell you this try switching to royal purple oil it made an actual noticeable difference in the car ,and redLine oil in the drive train components this makes the whole car at least 40% smoother .

 

Yea, Im getting less than 200 miles to the tank now. Iv noticed it decreasing over time. Also the exhaust has a distinct smell of gas that it did not have before. Iv had my setup like this for the last 3,000 miles.

 

On the highway I'd do 220+ but I do mostly around town driving and get 180 to a tank. Hoping on it just a bit here and there. Nothing crazy or that frequently.

 

I have a friend that had a flash done to his and now it blackens his bumper and breaks up in upper revs ,do you have a boost controler?and have you checked the connector at the break-away point to the primary o-2 sensor under the spark-plastic cover they can carode?also people have the tendency to get in a hurry and not plug in their mas-air sensor all the way,,and is the mas air facing up right like stock square up? if its up side down its like holding a baramator up side down it puts is out of wack thats why all mas air cars have them mounted as flat factory as possable.

 

The mafs on our cars are very tricky ,and very limiting as so much it is rare to see anything over 400hp with it .our stock computer and maf are like spoiled kids fighting over who gets to play the game ,one or the other is always sending the other signals the other dont like thats why our cars have over 26 different fuel and ign maps and that being the reason some times the car is banging and othertimes slow as hell

 

I just checked. My mass air sensor is sitting up right facing the hood. Its at about a 30 degree angle going horizontally. I checked the o2 sensor in the exhaust. I installed it with seize on the threads so it is in tight. The cord has no noticeable corrosion. I went through the entire engine bay & there is no visible leaks or oil. All vacuum tubes seem to be attached fully with no signs of wear or cracking. My IC pipes have t-clamps on there & they have no signs of movement. I have a perrin MBC hooked up compressor to wastegate & my car will hold boost perfectly(19-21, all the way to redline). The only thing I can think of is this.
I blew the upper ICP off at full boost about 5 times last month. I replaced all the clamps & have had no issues since. I wonder is the plugs might have gotten fouled during the process. I pulled over right away & fixed it,...but it did happen about 5 times. Also the weather has become about 20 degrees colder in the last week, with alot of rain. The engine has no water on it & Im using a dry cone AEM short ram. There is also no sign of sand/debree inside the intake tubing.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

Your car sounds like it's running way too rich, maybe even in limp mode. Sounds to me like either A) your MAF is not reading accurately or B) you have unmetered air getting into the intake tract or 3) you're venting metered air before it gets into the engine.

 

Buy a wideband, and also get a good flash (by for a shop that utilizes a load dyno). They should be able to tune the excess fuel out of your curve. This will increase both power and gas mileage.