Does anyone here have any experiance with E3 spark plugs on older vehicles, like 70, 80, 90s vehicles?
People with older cars seem to speak highly of them, whereas newer cars and turbo cars don't seem to get anything extra out of them.
They also seem to work very well on small engines, like lawn mowers. Thinking of ordering for my old Volvo, but wondering if anybody here have used them and can comment.
https://e3sparkplugs.com/A test.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcVF3xL_fzk&ab_channel=ProjectFarmAn elaborate gimmick. Some would even say snake oil.
The circuit from electrode to ground is still the same. The spark jumps to the arm to ignite the fuel.
People who sing their praises are actually changing their behavior while monitoring performance and it is actually the changed behavior that yields results rather than the plug itself. At best, they work the same as the original design, BUT notice you have 3 smaller more fragile arms. I have heard several reports of the smaller arms breaking off in the cylinder and falling into the piston damaging the rings. Just adds an extra point of failure.
If you want real notable improvements in reliability, performance, and longevity of older and small engines, focus on a reliable source of ethanol free fuels.
The arms falling of was apparently early made in china plugs from around 2011, haven't seen any reports after that.
What vehicle have you tried them in?
I haven't actually put them in any of my own cars, but helped a friend install a set in a 97 Geo Prizm (same as the Toyota Corolla, 1.8L Dual OverHead Cam 5-speed Manual transmission. (Great low maintenance beater setup, generally 32-36 mpg and avg lifespan of 300k miles).
So
They didn't seem to make him any smarter, and he said he didn't see any difference before he plowed into the rear end of a school bus at 8am in a school zone while intoxicated driving home from some chick's house whose name he can't remember... What can I say, he's a good friend. If I broke my arm he'd drive across town to wipe my ass. But not necessarily the best of people otherwise.
Anyway, just look at the design and what it's claiming to do, is you distributer going to send 3 sparks instead of 1 for every cycle?
No...
Does the spark have better exposure to the chamber of oxygenated fuel with 3 arms around it?
No.
Are the arms thicker? Do they look like they'll last longer in the extremes of internal combustion?
No.
What are the OEM plugs? $2.50 each?
Your best bet for a Volvo is Bosch plugs (in Japanese engines you're better off with NGK or Denso) with the correct material & gap for your specific engine. For Toyota's the latest and greatest seems to be iridium, and they generally last about 100k miles, but I must apologize as I know nothing about German engines, but I'd assume they've gotten similar results.
I just don't trust gimmicks, especially when the physics don't make sense. The spark is going to take the path of least resistance regardless of how many options you give it. The more resilient that path is, the longer you're going to achieve optimal performance. It's not Rocket Surgery! 😜