Another spark plug question..:(

mark23svt

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Hey guys so I know there is a million spark plug questions and trust me I haves searched a million times. Just wanted a more recent answer since things have changed. All my previous cobra I’ve only used Tr6.

My current cobra has a Tr6 came gapped at 0.023. Now I don’t know how it sounded or remember since the first thing I always do is change plugs, oil, trans oil, clean filter to have a log. So I changed plugs to Tr6 at 0.024/25. Car seems to have a crack pop during idle (yes I know this is common on tr6 plugs) but out of all my cobras I’ve had this one by far has the most crackle and pops almost constant. Now doesn’t affect how car runs and drives at all but just seems excessive. My last cobra did that but it was a couple of seconds into every crackle and pop and they were gapped at 0.025 also. My question is you think since this car runs more boost then then rest (22/23) on e85 maybe a colder plug would work but on that note thinking on the br7 I read you loose horsepower and they don’t feel as potent down low. Was going to try and put on old set to see if the pooping continues. Was also debating on trying maybe a 0.028 gap but that seems too high for boost level. And I know it’s not the tune it’s tuned by the best Kevin Dunn and runs amazing just the idle crackle pop seems more then any other cobra I had with tr6 plugs.

2.3 whipple
2.85 upper
4lb lower
E85
Stock manifolds x pipe and cat back
 

2003RedfireVert

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My tuner recommend br7s for me. I’m gapped at .028 or something…I can’t remember exactly. Im at 670w, E85, 18lbs of boost. I remember specifically asking him about TR6s assuming that’s the plug I was going to use but he told me one step colder.
 

mark23svt

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My tuner recommend br7s for me. I’m gapped at .028 or something…I can’t remember exactly. Im at 670w, E85, 18lbs of boost. I remember specifically asking him about TR6s assuming that’s the plug I was going to use but he told me one step colder.
See thank you that’s what I mean a lot of guys keep telling me to try br7. By chance did you feel any power loss or difference? Or not sure if you have ever ran the tr6’s in the past.
 

CobraBob

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Not sure if you've seen this older thread. It's a pretty good spark plug discussion with some well-known members.
 

03' White Snake

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I ran TR6's for years gapped at 0.028. I switch to BR7's with a 0.024 gap last year. I'm running high CR and 22 PSI on E85 full time. Noticed no difference between the plugs. Made over 800 HP on both plugs. Hoping to turn it up to 26 psi this year, so that was the change to the colder plugs.
 

01yellercobra

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I started with tr6's with my current set up, but had some pinging on pump gas. I swapped to the br7ef's and it's been fine on both pump and E85. I didn't feel any difference between them. But the car has never seen a dyno in the current state.

I'm pretty sure they're gapped at .028". I usually ran them at .030", but was having some issues I thought had to do with the plugs. When I change them out I'll probably go back to .030".
 

mark23svt

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Not sure if you've seen this older thread. It's a pretty good spark plug discussion with some well-known members.
Thank you actually I haven’t stumbled on that one.
 

mark23svt

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I ran TR6's for years gapped at 0.028. I switch to BR7's with a 0.024 gap last year. I'm running high CR and 22 PSI on E85 full time. Noticed no difference between the plugs. Made over 800 HP on both plugs. Hoping to turn it up to 26 psi this year, so that was the change to the colder plugs.
Oh nice, just saw on some older threads some saying the br7 caused some horsepower but that’s why I wanted to ask recently to see if that was just maybe a bad set or a myth so thank you.
 

mark23svt

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I started with tr6's with my current set up, but had some pinging on pump gas. I swapped to the br7ef's and it's been fine on both pump and E85. I didn't feel any difference between them. But the car has never seen a dyno in the current state.

I'm pretty sure they're gapped at .028". I usually ran them at .030", but was having some issues I thought had to do with the plugs. When I change them out I'll probably go back to .030".
I’ve never ran anything but tr6 but I just wanted to see if trying them would change things up but then again car drives perfect so worried might open a can of worms
 

SsnakeSVT03

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Always ran Tr6 gapped at .028 with my Whipple 2.3 set up with 17/18PSI. I do get the occasional crackle pops/back fires but usually during decelerations.
 

01yellercobra

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A couple years ago I was talking to a local guy that is also on here about the popping at idle. Something we both noticed was when we went to aftermarket MAF's there was a small popping at idle. It didn't crackle, but the popping was noticeable. At the back of the car it almost sounded like there was a miss. Since then I've noticed a lot of other Cobras have that. At the time I ended up going back to a stock MAF for other reasons and the popping went away. When I put the Whipple on with the bigger MAF the popping came back. Maybe it's the difference in low end resolution or maybe it's the scaling.

I'm still running that MAF (BA3000) with the MS3 and it doesn't pop at idle. It sounds smooth.
 

mark23svt

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A couple years ago I was talking to a local guy that is also on here about the popping at idle. Something we both noticed was when we went to aftermarket MAF's there was a small popping at idle. It didn't crackle, but the popping was noticeable. At the back of the car it almost sounded like there was a miss. Since then I've noticed a lot of other Cobras have that. At the time I ended up going back to a stock MAF for other reasons and the popping went away. When I put the Whipple on with the bigger MAF the popping came back. Maybe it's the difference in low end resolution or maybe it's the scaling.

I'm still running that MAF (BA3000) with the MS3 and it doesn't pop at idle. It sounds smooth.
Man that makes sense since my blue cobra didn’t really pop and it had a stock maf with a mafia but this one has a bigger maf and it does. So very true might even be spark plug related at all. And to be honest car runs and drives great it’s just that part and it’s livable I was just a bit worried.
 

FleeMan

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A couple years ago I was talking to a local guy that is also on here about the popping at idle. Something we both noticed was when we went to aftermarket MAF's there was a small popping at idle. It didn't crackle, but the popping was noticeable. At the back of the car it almost sounded like there was a miss. Since then I've noticed a lot of other Cobras have that. At the time I ended up going back to a stock MAF for other reasons and the popping went away. When I put the Whipple on with the bigger MAF the popping came back. Maybe it's the difference in low end resolution or maybe it's the scaling.

I'm still running that MAF (BA3000) with the MS3 and it doesn't pop at idle. It sounds smooth.
My Lightning does it with the bigger mass air. Plugs look great every time I check them. It’s an annoying issue that only happens at idle but is perfect everywhere else. The RPM’s don’t fluctuate either. It’s just a thing you get used to.

Mach1 has the stock mass air and a MAFia and doesn’t do it.
 

01yellercobra

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My Lightning does it with the bigger mass air. Plugs look great every time I check them. It’s an annoying issue that only happens at idle but is perfect everywhere else. The RPM’s don’t fluctuate either. It’s just a thing you get used to.

Mach1 has the stock mass air and a MAFia and doesn’t do it.
The weird thing is I can't remember if my 01 did it. But that had a BA5000 in a blow through set up. When my 04 started doing it I was a little worried and chased the idle for a bit. Then I heard a couple other tuned Cobras that had it and figured it was nature of the beast. Steady idle, smooth part throttle, just that weird sound.
 

03cobra#2

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When I was getting my car tuned on the ms3 we had a hard time getting the maf to play nice. It was a pmas ext. Car just couldn't run 100% smooth. Switched to speed density and it was smooth as butter. Tuner thought it was a resolution issue with the maf.
 

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