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The heat value (almost always expressed by a number in the centre of the spark plug type marking) is a very important spark plug parameter. If a plug is chosen that is too hot for the engine, he engine may be destroyed, if too cold a plug is chosen, the electric insulation resistance will be reduced of the spark plug insulator tip surface and the plug will cease to ignite the mixture of petrol and air in the ignition chamber.
Of course, always use spark plugs with a prescribed electrode distance. The spark-over voltage between the electrodes of the spark plugs depends on the electrode distance and therefore the engine ignition system is sized by this voltage. Likewise the size of the electrode distance depends on the ratio of fuel and air. However what is decisive is the electrode distance the moment the spark plug replacement interval is reached. Therefore, in some cases multi-electrode spark plugs or plugs with better quality electrodes such as new ones may have greater electrode distance.
Generally preference should be given of replacing a spark gap with the same design, nevertheless this does not mean that spark plugs of different design are worse than the original. In some cases a higher engine output or reduction in consumption may be achieved.
A spark plug is a spare part of an engine that is normalised by international standards. It can therefore be replaced by a different type of spark plug and it is not important who produced it. However what is important is that it is a good quality product. Quality systems guarantee product quality. The most well known systems are ISO 9001, VDA 6.1 and QS 9000. Some car manufacturers condition the guarantee to a car by using the original spare parts and include the spark plugs among these. This condition is not technically justified.
The replacement interval depends on the spark gap design of spark plugs and the material used. Generally multi-electrode plugs and plugs with electrodes made of noble metals have a higher replacement interval than single-electrode ones.
The replacement interval is set at an optimum for spark plugs operating in engines. The older the engine, the worse the conditions for the operation of the spark plugs. Therefore it is good to replace plugs sooner in older engines than waiting until the replacement interval expires.
Today’s engines and spark plugs are of such high quality that during their replacement interval spark plugs are only given a preventive check. (We recommend once a year)
The first reason for replacing spark plugs is the expiry of their replacement interval. Another signal for replacement is the jerking of the engine during its acceleration or worse starts. However this may also be caused by the bad condition of high-voltage cables, cable terminals or the ignition system
BRISK spark plugs are totally comparable with the products of top world firms. They are manufactured in the production process of a certified quality system as required by car manufacturers in Europe and America – ISO 9001, VDA 6.1, QS 9000. Among other things these systems guarantee global purchase of material, supplier assessment, cooperation in engine development, production process management and so on. |