Great performance boost

[dogbreath]

Gang,
Added Pulstar plugs to my 2006 GX a couple of weeks ago and the performance gain is substantial. No trouble accelerating into traffic on highway (used to hope that no one would rear end me). Have not substantiated their claim of increased mileage yet- having too much fun....
Had to decrease the gap just a hair to meet the Honda plug spec, but otherwise plug and play.
Here's the link:
http://www.pulstarplug.com/index.html

[BRodri]

Re: Great performance boost

i was wondering about those things how much do the cost?

[dogbreath]

Re: Great performance boost

$25.00 each = $100

[Curtis]

Re: Great performance boost

Think about it guys, that type of plug is designed to burn gasoline more completely. We aren't running gasoline. We are using a fuel that is already vapor and nearly twice the octane of regular gas. There is no problem igniting the natural gas and burning it completely. That's why it's nearly zero emissions. I would be very surprised if there was any noteable difference in economy. If there is... please let us know. It just doesn't seem logical that there could be.

[dogbreath]

Re: Great performance boost

I purchased them for the advertised horsepower and torque increase- both of which I have already (almost instantly) noticed. A side benefit of the torque gain is supposed to be a slight <10% increase in fuel efficiency if driver is not accelerating according to Pulstar website. I have not yet had a chance to go for a mileage run that I can duplicate to check this claim. When I do I will post results in case the info will help others. If you check my profile you will see that I am a truck driver- I am very sensitive to even small changes in vehicle performance and the change to my Civic with the plugs was not subtle, it was obvious.

[freedml]

Re: Great performance boost

The first thing I noticed is that it has a standard ground electrode. All of the 'more advanced' plugs today have multiple ground electrodes that are correctly gapped for each application. You'd think that for $24.95 each they could at least send them to you with the correct gap!

With CNG there is almost no unburned HC. It may increase torque, but I would expect no increase in mileage.

Then there is the question of how long that 'circuit' is going to last inside an engine and what happens when it fails. They only have a 1 year warranty. And there may be long term effects of higher forces on the pushrods, etc.

[Curtis]

Re: Great performance boost

Assuming the claims are accurate and the fuel economy numbers are there, how many miles will it take for the additional cost of the plugs to be recouped?

[Curtis]

Re: Great performance boost

Michael, the pushrods are heavier in the GX. Some internal beefing up was done to the engine to compensate for the higher compression.

[dogbreath]

Re: Great performance boost

Fueled this morning. 157.4 miles/4.044 gge = 38.92 mpg
Fueled this morning 158.2/3.971 gge = 39.83 mpg
Before figures were consistently 35-36 mpg.
My return commute has moved up one hour due to time change, I no longer fight bumper to bumper traffic, allowing me to keep a steady speed.

[Curtis]

Re: Great performance boost

What were the before numbers? Just edit your last post and insert them.

[rabwc]

Re: Great performance boost

Looking at some of the test results - it would be hard to assess the benefit under maximum mpg driving conditions (vs. max performance driving) - light throttle acceleration, engine at freeway rpm, etc. Same as for K&N air filter - I changed out a very dirty filter (may have had about 50k on it) and swapped for a K&N and I can't tell (but maybe more fine particles are being removed ...) - and I track mpg very carefully and monitor fill conditions etc. and generally drive for maximum mpg and a same pattern, mostly highway commute (wind conditions can vary significantly). I think Honda redesigned the 06 and later GX engine with different crankshaft to squueeze out greater NGV mpg vs. 05 and prior models - so results could differ on torgue effects on these models.

My one time experience with switching to non-Honda parts - using replacement plugs, wire and cap and rotor and burning out a ignition coil on a 1990 Acura Integra a few thousand miles later and stranding my son 15 miles from home - I would be very reluctant to mess with Honda/Acura's finely tuned components. I measured the impedance and sure enough a big difference, but the after market parts people did not offer to pay for my replacement coil .... So I can just report my experience on forums like this ...

Dick

[GX Alan]

Re: Great performance boost

The first thing I noticed is that it has a standard ground electrode. All of the 'more advanced' plugs today have multiple ground electrodes that are correctly gapped for each application. You'd think that for $24.95 each they could at least send them to you with the correct gap!

With CNG there is almost no unburned HC. It may increase torque, but I would expect no increase in mileage.

Then there is the question of how long that 'circuit' is going to last inside an engine and what happens when it fails. They only have a 1 year warranty. And there may be long term effects of higher forces on the pushrods, etc.

It's an overhead cam engine - there are no pushrods.

You may be thinking of connecting rods - Rods would be most affected by over-revving the engine in which case the con rod bearings may fail, but you'd probably be looking at 8-10,000 rpm before they get stressed. I don't know about the Honda GX PCM, but most PCMs incorporate a rev limiter that keeps stuff like that from happening.

[kirkbenge]

Re: Great performance boost

I recently sold my GX, but when I had it, I changed the plugs once just for routine maintenance, I used the cheapest plugs available, and the increase in performance was instant and amazing. Increased acceleration and gas mileage.... and I only paid a few dollars per plug. Are you sure that your performance is due to your "fancy" plugs? Or could it just be due to the fact that you got rid of some dirty old plugs, and anything would have been better?
Just a thought.

KIRK

[thelimeyone]

Re: Great performance boost

Think about it guys, that type of plug is designed to burn gasoline more completely. We aren't running gasoline. We are using a fuel that is already vapor and nearly twice the octane of regular gas. There is no problem igniting the natural gas and burning it completely. That's why it's nearly zero emissions. I would be very surprised if there was any noteable difference in economy. If there is... please let us know. It just doesn't seem logical that there could be.

im with him......snake oil

[jetboatjohnny]

exhaust performance boost

Has anyone put a header on their GX?
I looked a while back and the pipes were available "for LX only". As far as I can tell they should fit a GX.