Pulstar Plugs?
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Pulstar Plugs? - 6/15/2007 7:59:17 AM
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DOC4H
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Pulstar Plugs?
Just wondering if anyone has tried or herd of these sparkplugs before? They are about $25 each here is the link http://www.pulstarplug.com/index.html If they really work the way they say the benefits seem pretty sweet. I know Harleys better than cars and I have always used spark coils from a company called Jacobs Electronics because the spark they produce is much hotter and therefore you can increase the gap of the plug significantly and in doing so improving engine response, power not sure about mpg I never really paid attention to that on my motorcycles. Anyway the pulstar plugs seem to work along the same line of thought.
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RE: Pulstar Plugs? - 6/15/2007 8:44:10 AM
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HummerGuy
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They look kinda risky. The SplitFires were known for causing holes in piston heads and causing bad head gaskets and piston rings because of the extra heat. These things seem like they would burn holes right through your cylinders! That's alot of heat wouldn't you think?
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RE: Pulstar Plugs? - 6/15/2007 9:36:02 AM
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rob85635
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Another chat about the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. There are many websites that talk about the Act. I got the interpretation and parts of the actual act from the website below. After my thoughts and the thoughts of others, you really should check into as many sources about this Act as you can.
http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-2669.html
In this particular case of these spark plugs, I read the manufacturers site. The maker claims in their FAQ:
"Q: Will the installation of Pulstar™ affect the warranty on my car?
A: No. The 1975 Magnuson Moss Act prevents a manufacturer from voiding a warranty based on a customer's selection of parts that the dealer does not offer."
I think there statement is dangerous. Actually not only dangerous but in my opinion it could open the company to litigation if their product is ever found to damage an engine. If they KNOW their product is safe, then their statement would be ok, but are they 100% sure it will not damage an engine? Is anyone ever 100% sure of anything? No, companies recall stuff all the time. I am not trying to degrade the product, I actually want to find out if it works as advertised without adverse effects because if it does, I would buy them for my H3.
Yes, the Act allows a consumer to use aftermarket parts not from a dealer, HOWEVER, (read below) if the dealer can prove the aftermarket part caused damage to your vehicle it can void that part of the warranty. I would not buy these plugs until you can either 1. Contact GM and talk to them about this particular item and see if they give you a go or no go, 2. Talk to the manufacturer and get a guarantee that the plugs will not cause any damage to your engine, or 3. Do some better research on these plugs to see if they have ever damaged any engines (this is the worst of my three recommendations because I do not know how long this product has been out.
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (another interpretation) from the site I listed above:
"Further, under the act, aftermarket equipment that improves performance does not automatically void a vehicle manufacturer's original warranty, unless the warranty clearly states the addition of aftermarket equipment automatically voids your vehicle's warranty, or if it can be proven that the aftermarket device is the direct cause of the failure.
Specifically, the rules and regulations adopted by the FTC to govern the interpretation and enforcement of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act are set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 16 - Commercial Practices, Chapter I - Federal Trade Commission, Subchapter G - Rules, Regulations, Statements and Interpretations under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, Part 700 - Interpretations under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Contained within these rules and regulations is Section 700.10, which states:
No warrantor may condition the continued validity of a warranty on the use of only authorized repair service and/or authorized replacement parts for non-warranty service and maintenance. For example, provisions such as, "This warranty is void if service is performed by anyone other than an authorized 'ABC' dealer and all replacement parts must be genuine 'ABC' parts," and the like, are prohibited where the service or parts are not covered by the warranty. These provisions violate the Act in two ways. First, they violate the section 102(c) ban against tying arrangements. Second, such provisions are deceptive under section 110 of the Act, because a warrantor cannot, as a matter of law, avoid liability under a written warranty where a defect is unrelated to the use by a consumer of "unauthorized" articles or service. This does not preclude a warrantor from expressly excluding liability for defects or damage caused by such "unauthorized" articles or service; nor does it preclude the warrantor from denying liability where the warrantor can demonstrate that the defect or dama
< Message edited by rob85635 -- 6/15/2007 9:37:51 AM >
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RE: Pulstar Plugs? - 6/15/2007 10:06:45 AM
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DOC4H
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Not to say it is not true but I had never heard of splitfire plugs damaging an engine. Also this Q&A is from splitfires site.
Q: Are SplitFire Spark Plugs hotter than normal plugs?
A: No. A SplitFire Spark Plug has an unblocked flame kernel, not a hotter one
So it would seem that the only performance gain from splitfire is that the point of ignition is less obstructed thus allowing a better burn. As for the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. I don't know much about it, but allover the Pulstar site they say that it will not void your warranty nor will it harm your engine. So that would make them liable I would think. If anything I would just call Hummer and ask them if there would be a warranty issue. I don't know I may just have to try them, but I will have to wait until I bring my H3 to get it looked over. Since my gas mileage has dropped recently and I have some noise out of the front suspension and I just had knee surgery yesterday. But when and if I do I will make sure to post any changes and or benefits.
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RE: Pulstar Plugs? - 6/15/2007 1:30:41 PM
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HummerGuy
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Well I'm no expert, but I have read alot of information that has said Splitfire plugs have been contributed to excessive carbon build-up in the cyliners and have personally had this problem when I ran them in my '99 Rodeo I used to have. Another co-worker used them and had a small hole burn right through the top of his piston head which was supposedly due to the splitfire (although I have my doubts as well). Do some research on the web about the problems with them. I would just be a little paranoid. I honestly would love to try these out as well. They look like they have great potential.
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RE: Pulstar Plugs? - 6/15/2007 5:10:02 PM
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DOC4H
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I'll have to look into the splitfire plugs now you have got me curious what the real deal is on them. I did use them once well twice now that I think about it but they were on Harleys, a 1972 shovel head that was bored and stroked on a rigid (my first Harley) that I rebuilt and on a 1994 FXR (my cousins) that I worked on and neither of us liked them at the time they did not even work better than the regular Harley plugs and when you looked at them sparking (by holding the plug against the engine head and trying to start) I remember feeling like the spark looked week and could not decide where to go. Anyway that was 12 years ago maybe they got better.
But I'm curious why no one else has chimed in. I was hoping to get more feed back on what everyone here thought. On every other thread that has anything to do with performance gains it seem like everyone wants in
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RE: Pulstar Plugs? - 6/16/2007 6:38:23 AM
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DOC4H
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Hey Dennis thanks for the clarification, that’s what I figured. Do you have any opinion on the spark plugs? Or for that matter has anyone used any high performance plugs with any noticeable results in the performance of there H3?
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RE: Pulstar Plugs? - 6/16/2007 10:10:44 AM
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rob85635
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I have been searching for reviews on the plugs. So far nothing other than press releases from the company and different forum posts from drivers of all kinds of cars. Some claiming they help, others saying it's a scam. The July 2007 issue of Popular Science has an article about it according to one of the posts. It must not give any testing info because two people who read the article asked if anyone knew if they had been tested.
It will be interesting to see future testing results from independent testers. Apparently there will be or is now some rigorous testing ongoing for these but I don't know that for sure.
Personally I will wait, I want more facts before I would try them.
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RE: Pulstar Plugs? - 6/16/2007 1:25:11 PM
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DOC4H
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true true I do belive they are a new product and since I will be laid up for a while I think I will do the same and wait and see what other have to say.
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RE: Pulstar Plugs? - 6/16/2007 4:33:38 PM
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DOC4H
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I was looking around for more info on these plugs and came across this on some other forum. Not so much what the guy says,h but the link is to the first rendition of there product.
Nick Espeset - June 12, 2007 @ 6:58 pm
I applied for a job with these guys during their testing stage last year. I checked them out pretty thoroughly, and they are definitely not a scam. The patents they based their design on come from the plasma research at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, and it is definitely rocket science. The company has been around for a number of years as ‘Direct Hits’ manufacturing an external pulse booster. The ‘Pulstar’ plugs are an integrated version of the plasma device built right into the plug. If you want to see some of the original test results, take a look at this link:
www.directhits.com/technical.html
Oh yeah, and they DIDN’T hire me, so I am not a shill. OTOH, I have not used their product, so I don’t have any first-hand experience.
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RE: Pulstar Plugs? - 6/16/2007 5:14:27 PM
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DOC4H
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Ok so just as a reminder I am laid up from recent (2 days ago) knee surgery. I don't have OCD. Ok maybe a bit, but here is some more info. Also the link I posted above for Direct-Hits has links to dyno tests and so on. So take a look at this article particularly the green section. I didn't know how else to highlight. Here is the link where I got this. http://www.ereleases.com/pr/20040916006.html
And I know if they are a sponsor he is going to give them props. I just think it sounds plausible its just to bad that they have just be put on the market and that there are no real world reviews yet. At least not for there new version.
Press Release
Robby Unser Powers Up New Spark Plug
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Sept. 16, 2004 -- World-famous race car driver, Robby Unser, has signed an agreement with Albuquerque-based ENERPULSE, Inc. to endorse its DirectHits(R) product. Indy 500 racer and winner of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb an unprecedented 9 times, Unser will represent DirectHits in the media, racing venues and trade shows. (Photo: http://www.ereleases.com/pr/2004-enerpulse.jpg)
"Robby is a perfect partner for DirectHits," said Daniel Parker, Chief Executive Officer of ENERPULSE, Inc. "His association with horsepower and a sincere passion for motor sports safety is the exact image for our products ... safe power."
DirectHits is a patented spark plug that dramatically increases horsepower and fuel economy in racing off-road and street vehicles. The bolt-on product achieves its results by storing ignition energy in an electrical device called a capacitor. The release of the stored energy burns fuel in the engine more efficiently resulting in the performance gains DirectHits has become know for.
Robby Unser commented that "the Unsers have always been attracted to automotive performance and that is why I am so captivated by DirectHits. When I saw an immediate 10.5% improvement in horsepower on a stock 2004 Chevy Avalanche just by installing DirectHits, I was convinced. After years of working with the same old sparkplugs in my racecars, I'm proud to be part of a new evolution in ignition performance!"
ROBBY UNSER RACING is a professional Auto Racing organization that specializes in product endorsements, marketing services, new business development and event promotions.
ENERPULSE, Inc. is a privately held company with offices in Albuquerque, NM. Founded in 1996, ENERPULSE, Inc. develops and markets products based on pulse power technology.
Contact:
Daniel W. Parker of ENERPULSE, Inc.
888-800-6700
dparker@enerpulse.com
http://www.enerpulse.com
Nicole Rosenzweig for ROBBY UNSER RACING
505-203-0853
robbyunser@comcast.net
< Message edited by DOC4H -- 6/16/2007 5:17:26 PM >
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