chat about glow plugs

[Chris Wood]

So i would like to discuss glow plugs a bit.

For yrs i have ran k&b 1l's in my 21 boat and mc 9's in the big stuff.

I am looking at switching to 1 plug. and have been looking at odonnel 289

yrs ago i ran mc9's in all my boats.. when i went to a 1'l it made a HUGE difference in my 21 boat.

the 289 is a colder plug which retards timing

Now here are my 2 discussion points.

1. if i go to a colder plug. that retards timing.. i will have to make compression higher.

is there any advantage to going colder plug.. more compression.. vs.. hotter plug less compression?

2. turbo plugs.

everyone has there opinon of them.. some say they are great made a huge difference.. some say no so much.

i know from the odonnel side of things talking to steve the only difference between a turbo and none is the body. same wire and hole size.

the advantage of the turbo 2 fold.. no washer to flatten out so it is consistant in the bowl.. which also help in cc the head volume.. better seal

SO.. turbo guys.. sell me on why they are better.. i am just trying to decide if it is worth all the work of making new heads for everything.

thanks

chris

 

[Don Ferrette]

FWIW on what I experienced with turbo plugs....

I tested them for a bit back when I ran all MAC motors and found that they did seem to make a small improvement on my 21, I saw no improvements on any of the bigger stuff. I still stayed with the "normal" style plug in the 21 as the slight increase in rpm and speed didn't justify spending double the price on the turbo plugs, not to me anyways.

 

[moparbarn]

Chris, i can't comment on turbo plugs. As far as a standard plug, look at the odo9. It is hotter than a mc 9, but not as hot as the mc 59. Prolly similar to the mc 8?? The odo9 is the plug my cmb & k&b .21's on 65% like the best. A VERY durable plug, also (-;

 

[Chris Wood]

thanks for the info so far guys.

don, i am with you on that.. even the cost the more important thing is the amount of work to remake and start over on heads.. lots of time i don't know if it is worth.. if i was a time trial guy looking for EVERY BIT OF EVERYTHING.. ya.

mopar.

thanks for the info on them.. i though at one time the od 9 had seal issue's but i am guessing that has since been resolved?

 

[Marty Davis]

Chris:

I got turned on to the O'Donnell 97T plugs and have been running then since. As you know, I like to run higher compression than most and I use big props with a lot of pitch. I don't run the little props with a ton of RPM because I think that the larger props stay hooked up much better in rough water.

I am using the turbo head button with some modification to get the CR up and the squish where I like it. Just finished a big race and used the same plug the entire weekend in my DD. I am not squeezing my needle so I don't have a detonation problem anymore and have increased the stinger diameter to let the high heat out better. Dropped to 60% from 65% and that also helped with no noticeable loss in performance.

I would highly recommend the O'Donnel 97T plugs.

For my larger engines (67's), almost any plug works fine for me as the engine has excess HP and they work just fine. I don't use turbo plugs in it. I am still running Picco 67's

 

[Chris Wood]

thanks for the info marty.

did you drop the nitro content to help with ignition timing? or what was your reason?

what did or is your reason for running a turbo? curious why you like them over the conventional plug.

thanks

chris

 

[moparbarn]

The seal issues were short lived & resolved about as quick as they were noticed 3 or so years ago. I have run the same plug in my impba sport tunnel all season. 3 - 4 races (not heats) are common in my rigger & mono.

 

[anthony_marquart]

the onlt thing t plugs ever did for me was cost more money

 

[seaducerpete]

Chris mark and I have been running 289 for a while very good plug

 

[Buckshot]

Chris,

287's are a hotter plug. Maybe better suited for you .21.

I know you said you wanted to stick with one kind and the 289's are the ticket for the size motors I run, I just don't have any experience with the .21's.

 

[Chris Wood]

thanks buck.

i was looking at the 287 also.. if i have to run 2 different plugs i will.. would be nice i could get away with just one for simplicity purposes. but that may not be the case.

has anyone have any docmument info that a turbo plug is better than a traditional plug? like back to back testing.

just curious.

i have been down this path about these before and from what i gather.. in the car world.. there is a little more there.. the track is consistant. load is consistant ect.. boats.. not so much.. water changes.. back end blows out of the water ect.. so any gains from the turbo plug i am wondering if it is gonna be null and void by these factors.

chris

 

[Mike Larson]

I tested the new 289's ( thanks Pete!) in a woods .21 engine against the 1l, and it outperformed the 1l fairly enough to make a difference... launched great, needled up and didnt show any ill effects... I'm in. Tested them in a 40 woods RS... that was MC 9.... same deal... they never blinked and... I'm in. Idk and waaaay smarter men about... but the longer, larger plug body imo either dissipates the heat better, or holds in in better.... better ceramic seal, whatever it is... Turbos... I've run... on lower nitro 45/16, 50/16 they would outlast a standard as high as 10 to 1..... I eat the 97T and 99 like candy.... I had very good luck on the Italian turbo plugs.... nova C6T, 7....they just had better performance and longetiveity.... what i didnt like and why... was changing the heat range of the turbo plugs to as cold as an 8 in the summer months.... ( it was there, the boat would balk on launch, or id ding the 6 and 7's)... they'll black hole just like anything else, if your thumb just has to have it..... Marty is on the deal, per a big prop works the engine... in my world that hurts plugs... gonna be an all planets aligned deal with comp, pipe scavenging, and the prop just right..... right now, with what ive tested the new 289 is it. See ya on the circuit....

 

[Greg Bonahoom]

A couple years ago I read a thread on here debating brass head buttons, turbo plugs, etc. There were a few guys claiming that turbo plug head buttons added 2-3 mph. I discussed what I read with my Dad and he did not beleive it was possible, so we decided to test it out. We went down to the test pond and ran a few laps with the standard plug head button and recorded some speeds on the radar gun. Then we switched to the turbo head (while at the pond) making sure the head clearance was the same (.007) if I remember correctly. With all other factors remaining the same, we gained 3 mph with the turbo plug. This was with a nova Rossi 21 (worked by woods) The standard plug was an mc 9 and the turbo plug was a novarossi 6 (can't remember exactly which one) on 65/18 fuel.

 

[Andy Brown]

On the .21 engine I tested the turbos and standards back to back on the bench using the Same plug maunfacture and heat range (Cippola #6's) and identical combustion chambers. Turning my bench test prop in the 32,000 range the engine gained 600 RPM. That equates to about 2 mph in our riggers. The pond testing varified this gain and accelleration off the corner felt better too.

Work on the engine so it will sag and NOT take out the plug if you click the needle too lean. Then you can justify the extra cost.

 

[BradSpencer]

I have a few types of the OS Turbo plugs and Standard plugs on order to try.

The OS plugs don't seem to be discussed much on this forum, however they are highly regarded by many RC Car racers/modders when compared to other brands.

I hope to do some testing with them early in the new year(mainly 21 engines).

 

[Joe Warren]

Chris I visited Huntsville about 2 weeks ago. Several of the Nitro Guys were Runing Very Hard with the OD V2-289 plugs. Several were also running the Odonnell PUNCH fuel that seems to be a Great Combo with there Plugs & PUNCH Fuel together...Truex was upper 90s many laps 40-50 & I know he ran the same V2 - 289T all day on sat in a Vac 91 JAE Type Boat... Now as we compare the Different plugs I think it is important to know in the Comparision if it was a Ramp type Boat that Unloads the Engine OR a Conventional boat without Ramp. the load Characteristics are Very Different between the 2........ I Just purchased some V2-289 Plugs for my Own testing.....

 

[Ray Sametz]

This was a great thread also. http://www.intlwaters.com/index.php?showtopic=54265&hl=

 

[Chris Wood]

Chris I visited Huntsville about 2 weeks ago. Several of the Nitro Guys were Runing Very Hard with the OD V2-289 plugs. Several were also running the Odonnell PUNCH fuel that seems to be a Great Combo with there Plugs & PUNCH Fuel together...Truex was upper 90s many laps 40-50 & I know he ran the same V2 - 289T all day on sat in a Vac 91 JAE Type Boat... Now as we compare the Different plugs I think it is important to know in the Comparision if it was a Ramp type Boat that Unloads the Engine OR a Conventional boat without Ramp. the load Characteristics are Very Different between the 2........ I Just purchased some V2-289 Plugs for my Own testing.....

thanks for the info joe

i will keep this in mind. did you ask any of them why they like turbo plugs?

 

[Joe Warren]

As in the previous post that Ray attached... Jack Odonnell has mentioned the heat transfer stops at the Seat of the Turbo plug & the Caculated head volume is more consistent. My Experience the MC-9 is hard to Beat in Big Engines Without Ski ramp design. if there is a better plug out there I have Not seen it Myself.. But i`am testing the V2 - 289 plugs

 

[stan simpson iv]

Mc 59???