Caleb Sweet

5
th
hour genetics and Ag research
09/27/13

Spark Plugs and Their Effect on Fuel Economy

Question: Spark plug design hasnt changed for about 70 years. This is
important because in a gasoline four stroke engine the spark plug is responsible for
igniting the fuel in the cylinder. Which makes power to drive the vehicle, there are
so many different brands of spark plugs for every type of application and
specification. I inquire what types and brands of spark plugs will give my small
engine, a 160cc Honda over head cam, the best fuel economy?

Hypothesis: I believe that the factory style NGK spark plug will have the
best average fuel economy because thats what the manufacture uses for this
application (stock) because Honda knows the specifications of their motor i.e.
compression ratio, bore, stroke, amount of fuel and air mixture in the cylinder on
the compression stroke. They would have all the information needed to pick the
correct type of spark plug giving their engines the best fuel economy and engine
life.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
1 Honda 160cc OHC engine
1 Bosch super plus WR7DC+ spark plug
1 NGK R BPR2ES spark plug
AC Delco R42XLS
CHAMPION RC14YC
1 engine stand and to clamps to hold it to the work bench
1 beaker 250ml
1 glass funnel
1 plastic graduated cylinder

Procedure:
Bring a mechanically sound engine to test with. By mechanically
sound I mean an engine that has been checked for signs of where so
that the mechanical were of the engine dose not factor into the
experiment. The procedure will be the same for all tests.

Build engine a stand to perform tests on. A stand most likely made
out of some 2x4 and plywood sturdy enough to perform all of the test
on
Before I start the time test I will perform a warm-up test with the
same amount of fuel as my actual test the only difference will be I
wont be timing the test.

Each test will have the same amount of fuel (20ml) in in the glass
funnel before I start the engine. Once the engine is started there will
be nothing allowed to effect the speed of the engine it will remain at
idle speed for the duration of the entire test.
Test each spark plug a minimal of 5 times each. Each different brand
name plug will need to be tested a minimal of 5 times to ensure the
data is not construed by certain mechanical mishaps such as the heat
of the engine or possibly a miss fire
Each test will have the same amount of fuel. This is because my
testing is about what spark plug allows the best fuel economy. I will
test this by each test having the same amount of fuel (20ml) and time
each test with a stop watch to see how long the engine will run for.
I will have to keep track of all the data collected including run time,
fuel level, and I will have to check the engine after the testing of a
spark plug. I will be looking for oil levels and any sign of accelerated
engine where.
Runtime will be the deciding factor in this experiment it determine
the effectiveness of the spark plugs, so I will be needing a friends
help to start a stop watch when the engine begins to run and to stop it
when the engine uses all of its fuel

Data

As you can see from the data on average the AC Delco spark plug outperformed
the champion spark plug by an average of 3 seconds. This means that over the life time of a
spark plug I could save you hundreds by using the AC Delco.
03:27.4
03:31.7
03:36.0
03:40.3
03:44.6
03:49.0
03:53.3
03:57.6
04:01.9
04:06.2
04:10.6
04:14.9
1 2 3 4 5
champion
AC Delco