Andy Bromfield

For those with the FB25 who may want to try these plugs.. https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=13855805&cc=1504361&pt=7212&jsn=760

Thanks. Old school build, HKS 2.8 stroker kit, HKS cams and valve springs, HKS injectors, HKS ECU, AEM water/meth kit. Very quick and responsive. Here looking to get some PRP upgrades soon.

Here is my toy.

Cool! you were there from the outset. Nice rides, man. I may have a pic or two of my early Nissans lying around. Right now the only Nissan that I have left is my R33 GTR, which I have owned since "97. Always wanted to find a nice dime to restore. When I started out finding an OS Giken twin cam head for the L series was a dream of mine. Now I see KA24DE heads being converted for use on the L blocks. My dad was heavily into Alfas and BMW's. that's where I cut my teeth with cars. I became the local expert on jetting and balancing Weber and Dellorto sidedraughts in the late '70s. I remember when I got my first Sunny GTS (Japanese SER, SR18DE) back in 91. All that I could find for it was a JWT POP, and a Stromung exhaust. That soon changed as the pocket rocket status was realised. Ill shoot up a couple pics of my GTR later. Cheers.

Ah! Great memories. I was a member of the original SER mailing list, as well as present on SER.net, Sentara.net, NICO, etc. Learned a lot from Kojima, Roffe, and others. Had a 1989 Bluebird SSS (first appearance of the DET), a 1994 Bluebird SSS, and a few Sunny GTS and a GTir. Good times.That Crane CDI combo was pretty high tech back in the day. Better than the early 6AL, which was not encapsulated, and still used pills to set the limiter. For ignition leads I ran Magnecor, NGK blues, as well as Nology Hotwires and a Power core. Jacobs stuff was cool, but not reliable. Played with a lot of stuff back in the day. Had a well used NOPI account. Always liked to try something out of the box. Nice to meet a fellow old timer. Not many of us left on the scene.

The Toyota 4AGE series were all distributor based back when I ran them and worked on them. Side gapped plugs and an MSD or Jacobs CDI box and coil made 5 to 8 more horsepower over new stock plugs run on the same CDI setup and gapped at 45+ thou. Torque was up by around 6lb/ft at some areas under the curve too. Same story for the SR. And they had a decent ignition stock. I agree that COP systems are way more accurate and more powerful than most of the 80's & 90's factory stuff. Here are some side gapped plugs that I made up for the SR back in the 90's.

Only have one type of weather here in the Caribbean this year.. Hot and dry and hotter and drier! I did all runs with both plugs between 11 am to 3pm on the same day, with very low relative humidity and a temperature of 37°C. Runs were made mainly in hilly terrain with the same 93 octane fuel that I normally run. It is my experience that differences between standard and side gapped plugs are noticeable on most modern engines with good ignition systems. The cars just seem more peppy and eager to rev typically. In the past when I have taken out the dremel and made my own side gapped plugs, there would typically be a 5 to 8 horsepower gain above 4000 rpm (tested those on an RB26DETT, as well as an SR20DET and a 4AGE black top. So there is something to be gained usually. I normally side gap on NA engines to sharpen up the throttle response, any power gained is a bonus. I do have Dyno access, but Dyno time here is now around $100 per hour. So really not worth it to verify what may be a 5 to 8 HP gain. Perhaps someone stateside can grab a set and take a run?

Give them a try. Let us know your Impressions. You will either notice a change or not. Being out $6-10 bucks won't sting much.

Will be sure to post pics when they have been removed.

I have owned 4 fifth gens from 2010 to present (all JDM models) They include two Legacy DIT wagons, One GT Sedan, and Presently a 2013 2.5i eyesight tS. Most have been modified in some way. I also build engines as a hobby. So fairly experienced overall. I have run the stock NGK Laser Iridium plugs, Denso Iridium TT, NGK Ruthenium plugs, etc. As long as the heat range is appropriate for the particular level of modifications done (if any) and the plug meets the physical requirements for fitment, then it's really not a big deal. They all work pretty much the same way. The use of exotic metals is done mainly for longevity. Ruthenium actually is more conductive than Iridium, and is an improvement on an iridium plug for most applications. There is no single "right" plug for an engine once the required specifications are met or exceeded. That being said, I do believe in the improvements in efficiency brought on by unshrouding the spark kernel. This is generally well known, and is measurable. I do agree with you 100% in that the reliability and longevity of the Nitrode plugs are an unknown quantity, and the use of them entails risk. Hence my approach is one of experimentation, not adoption. I suspected that there would be a noticeable difference based on my experience with various plug designs. I also do not expect them to be right for all applications, or to have the material quality or longevity of an OE spark plug . This is why I am not advocating their general use.

It is a hybrid side gapped plug. The intermediate electrode is there to aid in flashover, so that the arc may be more easily established. So you get the benefits of an unshrouded spark (a la side gapping) along with improved ignitability and less voltage demand. The gap should be measured from the intermediate to the side electrode. That is my analysis of the design. I presently have them installed. Initial impressions are a smoother idle. (compared to 8 month old NGK Ruthenium's on a stock gap) The throttle response is definitely sharper, and I am getting decent acceleration with less throttle position on the roads that I usually travel. In a word, she feels more "nippy". Lets see how long they hold up. I will run them for 1 year or 5000 miles, whichever comes first.

Rock auto had a close out sale on them last month. They were around $1.50 each on sale.

Actually the possibility of the ceramic fracturing is really my only concern.

Agreed. I always buy from Rock Auto. Never had an issue there with spark plugs. The Nitrode plugs also came from Rock Auto.

The car in question is not a DD, so for me to accumulate 5000 miles on it would take me at least two years. I'm a retired mechanical engineer, who does consultancy on occasion, so free time to tinker is abundant!

I agree that the lack of manufacturer information is a big red flag. I did find and download a product catalogue from a Web page a while back. Will check again and post the link here. Pilot Automotive is /was the distributor in the US. The catalogue lists hundreds of applications. With regards to the review, after careful reading it would appear that he had an older ignition system, and the result was plug fouling at low rpm. This is typical with side or surface gapped plugs in general, and why they are not an OE staple. CDI or a good modern COP system is a requirement to run them. Otherwise you get a weak spark, misfires, and plug fouling. I have also seen this with Bosch +4 plugs on older cars. These are also a surface gapped plug in principle.

You are indeed correct. In my case though, the test engine is a mildly modified FB25. I have also spent many years experimenting with various plug gaps, plug designs, modifying existing plugs, and plug indexing. Worked with everything from breaker points to modern CDI systems, and built a few engines along the way. All in good fun.

Would never attempt more than 5000 miles on them. Not going to be used in a boosted application, too risky with a relatively unknown quality of construction. A month or two is sufficient to see if they make a difference. On a naturally aspirated engine every little bit helps, hopefully I'll not have any of them take a dump in the engine.. Hey, you only live once!

Quite so. Strictly curiosity, as I have used side gapped plugs before in other engines, and noticed increased throttle responsiveness' and an average gain of 4-6 hp and 6-8 ft/lbs torque improvement on a dyno. Those were BRISK branded plugs. I still run those in my boosted motors. (Nissan R33 GTR and Nissan Pulsar GTiR) Even on non performance oriented engines I do see an improvement in throttle response with side gapped plugs, So I was just curious if I would notice a difference, seat of pants or measured, with my Subaru. (Full bolt ons, (I/H/E), ported heads, 10.5 CR, Crawford power blocks, Inferno Fab manifold, OKADA coils, running a pretty aggressive tune (ign timing), on 93AKI fuel. And yes, I am indeed a chronic overthinker, lol.

Will do. There is actually very little information in terms of reviews and personal impressions on these particular plugs available, and the little that I have seen is generally positive. I do find that there is a general lack of willingness to explore or experiment amongst the established base of automotive enthusiasts in general. Seems that no one wants to be the intrepid "Guinea pig", even if the financial and material risks are small. That is a shame, as no one will know if something is any good, unless they are willing to try it. Bit like eating the exact same dinner each night, because you know how it tastes. It is because of this very lack of available feedback, coupled with the fact that the scientific theory behind the product is generally sound, that drives my innate curiosity. The only concern that I would have regarding them is the overall quality of manufacture and materials used. I don't expect them to last past thirty thousand miles, and that's perfectly ok, as long as they don't fall apart within the cylinder.

Surface gapped and side gapped plugs are not used by many OE manufacturers in street engines for a few basic reasons. Longevity, or lack thereof, and ignition coil voltage requirements. (Large gap and ease of fouling at low load) That aside, they are used in many aircraft piston engines, rotary engines, race engines, and high powered outboard drives with great success. Surface gapped plugs are made by NGK, Bosch, and other manufacturers. They are not snake oil. The principle of operation is sound. The Nitrode plugs are designed like a side/surface gapped plug. The intermediate electrode is there to aid the propagation of the arc to the side electrode, hence no need for a super hot coil to ensure good spark. The intermediate electrode also increases the capacitance of the plug somewhat. This should result in a larger corona. This is my own analysis of the basic design from what I can see. I received a set of Nitrode plugs for free from a friend. So my out of pocket expense is zero. I m also not promoting the product, or advocating their use. Just wanted to know if anyone here has tried them in an automotive application. I will give them a try and let you have my impressions. No expectations, just curiosity.

NGK plugs are a go to staple for all of my builds. Used them for decades. Running a set of NGK Ruthenium now in heat range 8. However, as an engineer by trade, I am always open to a little experimentation in the name of science. I have also seen better throttle response with surface gapped plugs in other applications. So, just curious about these, as essentially the principle is the same, only with an intermediate electrode to assist the sustainability of the arc over distance, and also putting less demand on the coils . My main concern would be in the quality of construction. The design philosophy is sound.

G'day, Has anyone here run Nitrode spark plugs in their 5th gen? If so, what were your impressions?

Great! Does all I need, with excellent DSP features and good SQ. The key to these is buying one with at least 6GB RAM, 128GB ROM, 1.8 to 2.2Ghz Octa Core CPU, Android 10+ and a QLED display. That's the spec that I have, no regrets.

I also added a set of subframe locking collars while I was in there. Front end feels more solid. They really do make a difference. Third car that I've installed them on with good results.