Same plugs for a 328?
No (different thread size) -- you can look up the stock 328 NGK plug (both ES and EIX) at NGK Spark Plugs USA (I'm in the pro-V, VX, and IX camp, too).
Dave Feinberg put them in my 77 GT/4 last year and they're great. Starts easily hot or cold. Runs clean at Max power or just pottering around in the Florida heat.
I am using the same set up as Birdman on a 308 GTS carb . I am not sure anyone has tried brisk ? Definitely more expensive and they claimed the spark is 360 degree.. Amazon.com: SET OF 8 PERFORMANCE SPARK PLUG Ferrari 308 GTS 3.0L V8 with all engine serial nr. (1980) * 4513PLR14ZCSLU52: Automotive Image Unavailable, Please Login
It's on my list, haven't gotten there yet. But I have to say, my '77 is running so strong and so fast it's hard for me to think it could get better.
The biggest power gain that I received from an ignition perspective was when I replaced the points with electronic ignition and high power coils. Night and day difference and no more fouled plugs!
What Iridium plug do I use in a 81 GTSi? Also, What size spark plug wrench do I use? None of the wrenches I have seem to fit.
I know this is an old thread, but I noticed your page says BPR6EIX Ferrari 308 Consumables (birdman308.com) but this post says BPR7EIX which one did you decide was the right temperature?
Also using BPR7EIX, also on an 84 QV. That's the right heat range for general all around and sporting driving.
BPR7EIX is the correct heat range for the 308 GT4/GTB/GTS/QV engine. BPR6EIX is a tad too hot for spirited driving, that would be more suitable for the coffee racer drives.
Actually the NGK 6 heat range is often used for carb 308s in North America. Its what I used and was recommended to me by two Ferrari technicians. Obviously the coolest range you can use without fouling is ideal, so nothing wrong with starting with a 7, and if it works, stick with that.
Yes, both for carbed and fuel injected, both engines have the same thermal range. Not sure why the technicians would do that, the BPR6EIX is too hot for the 308 except for city driving and cruising. NGK's official recommendation is also BPR7EIX, and that heat range works perfectly for the 308 series when driven both in the city and on the highway or track.
Might have to do with the type of driving in North America? There was a technical article in Forza magazine many years ago, and the technical advisor recommended NGK 5 (!) heat range for pretty much all carb Ferraris. Even I was taken aback by that recommendation.
You have a point, the average speed might be lower in NA due to the speed limits compared to here. Still i would always start with the colder range and only go up in heat range (e.g. lower NGK number) if the plugs getting sooted, instead of starting with a hot plug and risking preignition engine damages. NGK 5 is a bit crazy, maybe there was a relation with the different type of fuel back then but i would not trust that heat range in a 308 for anything more than parking.
The year of the article recommending NGK 5 for carb Ferraris was early 2000s...maybe 2005 or 2006? But agree, start cooler, go hotter when necessary.
I going to throw a monkey wrench in this discussion by saying I have recently changed from NGK 7's to NGK 5's with really positive results. On my carb 308 with conventional coils, mechanical advance, and a Pertronix ignitor replacing the points I ran the Iridium BPR7EIX's for years and was pleased with the performance. My ignition system is in good condition, the carbs are fresh, the compression and leak down are excellent so I know the basics are good. The carbs were set using O2 sensors in the exhaust to optimize the jetting so I know that is also good. Despite all of this my plugs were always dark and the engine lacked the low end snap I knew it could have. It seemed as though the engine constantly needed high speed bursts to 'clean' out the plugs. After a good hard run the car was extra zippy down low but then would bog after a short time driving a moderate speeds (we are talking very little differences here). After changing to BPR5es non iridium conventional plugs the engine now performs just as well up high but is much cleaner running at low speeds. It also starts easier cold and the plug colour is much closer to ideal. I am about to go one step further and put in a set of BP5ES plugs because I do not need the resistor in my car. Nothing about the way the car runs or the colour of the plugs indicates that the heat range of the plugs is anything less than an improvement over the 7 heat range plugs.
EIX and EIV plugs are numbered one step colder than BPR and BP (conventional tip) plugs, so the BPR7EIX equals a BPR6ES plug. Rob, haven't talked to you for ages! Your experience with the car starting easier cold with the ES plugs is interesting, as it contradicts with the physics of both terminal types. The EIX and EIV plugs have tiny electrode surfaces which lowers the voltage required for a spark crossing the air gap. This is the reason why EIX and EIV are so interesting for conventional inductive coil ignitions, but won't change anything with a CDI/Dinoplex/MSD ignition.
Adrien I make no secret about the fact that you forget more about electrical items while eating breakfast that I have ever known; it's all Greek to me. While all the science points to iridium plugs being better for cold starts my experience is that the hotter conventional plugs are better. That said I think what is happening is that the colder plug is not running as cleanly as the hotter one so while it does produce more spark energy, because it is fighting the 'dirtiness' of the plug, the net effect is that the spark is less powerful than the conventional plug which is cleaner to start with. I can confirm this theory because I tried putting in a brand new set of iridium plugs after the car sat a long time and I did not have the normal starting problems I did after the iridium plugs were driven around a few km. As an aside, years ago I raced (and still own and drive) Formula A direct drive 100cc karts. This is the premier level and where all the F1 stars got their start. 20,000 rpm 2 Cycle screamer engines which are incredibly sensitive to carb settings and spark plugs. So sensitive are the engines that if you foul even a new plug once it is garbage because the engine will never run right. It is even common to heat the engine on one plug and then change out to a fresh plug while it is still hot to run a race. All this experience has left me really sensitive to small variances in how an engine runs particularly as it pertains to fueling and ignition differences. Lastly I never knew the iridium plugs were stepped one level colder. Makes me even more comfortable with running the plugs I do.
