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Thread: Pulstar Pulse Plugs

  1. #1
    Senior Member Cani Lupine's Avatar
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    Pulstar Pulse Plugs

    So, after trying these things out on my old car with poor results, I decided to go ahead and give them another go on the Mirage. They've made several changes to the design, so hopefully they'll work better now. On my Aspire, after running them for a while, they fouled up and began misfiring, but felt pretty nice when they worked. The Mirage runs about 10 degrees hotter, so maybe that'll keep the carbon at bay.

    So, just what am I talking about? These "pulse plugs" are essentially spark plugs with an internal capacitor, and store what would be wasted energy to release it all at once, resulting in a much more consistent firing time, as well as the production of plasma, which quickens the fuel burn.

    This article does a good job of explaining what they are and what they do: http://www.onallcylinders.com/2016/0...g-performance/

    So, how does it work with the Mirage? Initial subjective review is that it does make it feel a tiny little more peppy. Not sure if there's really much of a power/economy gain, but I did get 56 mpg on my way home from work, but conditions were also ideal.

    What I can quantify, though, is idle quality. The idle with the OEM spark plugs had a fuel usage of about .13 GPH when at full temperature. In my tinkering, I decided to experiment with side-gapping the OEM plugs, which did show an improvement, with the usage going down to .12 GPH, occasionally hitting .11 GPH. The Pulstars? They sit at a steady .11 GPH, and occasionally dip to .10 GPH.

    So what does that mean? It means at minimum, they're making the idle much smoother, which can be quantified. As for power gains? The butt dyno likes them, but can't say for sure if they make more power, and I'd need consistent testing to determine MPG gains. My main concern is how long the plugs will last before they start to misfire like the last time I used them.

    Part number is DG1H-10. https://pulstar.com/product/dg1h-10/


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 49.2 mpg (US) ... 20.9 km/L ... 4.8 L/100 km ... 59.1 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member daleWV's Avatar
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    They used to sell spark plugs just like this a long time ago for use in oil fouled engines (worn rings, valve guides). They contain an internal spark gap that prevented spark energy from leaking across the carbon fouled spark plug center electrode until the coil built up enough voltage to spark across both the clean internal gap and the carbon fouled external gap. They were helpful in an engine that fouled plugs in one or two thousand miles but worked no different whatsoever from regular plugs in a good engine. The only problem is that they put additional stress on the spark coil because the spark has to jump across two gaps instead of one which requires a higher voltage. Pulstar calls their internal gap a capacitor but its really just a gap.

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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    I never heard of these. Thanks for posting this.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member MightyMirageMpg's Avatar
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    How were you measuring your fuel usage?

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    Senior Member Mitz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cani Lupine View Post
    ... My main concern is how long the plugs will last before they start to misfire like the last time I used them.
    Name:  pulstar_spark_plugs_pulse.jpg
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    I'm glad somebody finally put the Pulstar into the real test.

    It remains to be seen whether it is worth the high price.


    Quote Originally Posted by daleWV View Post
    ...They contain an internal spark gap that prevented spark energy from leaking across the carbon fouled spark plug center electrode until the coil built up enough voltage to spark across both the clean internal gap and the carbon fouled external gap. They were helpful in an engine that fouled plugs in one or two thousand miles but worked no different whatsoever from regular plugs in a good engine. The only problem is that they put additional stress on the spark coil because the spark has to jump across two gaps instead of one which requires a higher voltage. Pulstar calls their internal gap a capacitor but its really just a gap.
    Name:  Pulstar-pulse-plug-spark-plug.jpg
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    It appears to me that the design is based on capacitor voltage-doubler principle.

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    Senior Member mitsumi's Avatar
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    hmmm something new! will keep an eye on this thread hehe. keep us posted with your updates

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage GLS 1.2 manual: 3,108.4 mpg (US) ... 1,321.5 km/L ... 0.1 L/100 km ... 3,733.0 mpg (Imp)


  9. #7
    Senior Member MightyMirageMpg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mitz View Post
    [

    It appears to me that the design is based on capacitor voltage-doubler principle.
    I did not know this was possible without the use of diodes. Do you mind explaining a little more?

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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Any conversion of voltage, whether an increase or a decrease, involves a loss of energy.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member Cani Lupine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MightyMirageMpg View Post
    How were you measuring your fuel usage?
    I have an UltraGauge installed. Even though Linear Logic is an awesome company and their customer service was amazing when I had an issue, I ended up liking the UltraGauge more than the ScanGauge.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 49.2 mpg (US) ... 20.9 km/L ... 4.8 L/100 km ... 59.1 mpg (Imp)


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  15. #10
    Administrator Daox's Avatar
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    I used Pulstar plugs in my 1997 Toyota Paseo for a year until one failed. Then I went back to Denso double grounded plugs (thats what the OEM calls for). In that time I noticed no fuel economy improvement, and I was meticulously tracking fuel economy as I pushed that car all the way up to 71 mpg on two tank fills.

    They may indeed work, but in my experience it wasn't enough to notice in the noise of everyday fuel economy fluctuation.


    Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block

    Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)


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