How Spark Plugs Increase Mileage

Oil prices continue to soar to record levels. In return, gas prices, coupled with the major housing slowdown, is turning the economy on its head. With national averages now above four dollars per gallon, many motorists are looking for practical ways to increase mileage. To increase mileage, there indeed are several practical and inexpensive tips you can take - as well as some more drastic ones if you dare!

First, having basic knowledge of how your engine works will help understand what changes can be made. An automobile engine takes minute amounts of fuel and air into each piston chamber. This mixture is then pressurized by the piston moving upward. This pressurized mixture explodes through a spark transmitted by the spark plug.

This ignition/explosion of the mixture is the power that is used to transfer motion to through the engine into the components of your vehicle to propel the vehicle forward. This process is repeated thousands of times per minute (think RPM’s). Also, each piston chamber in your car produces this same result over and over - for example, a V-6 engine means there are 6 chambers doing this, and 6 spark plugs to support.

The action of creating the supercharged gas through the spark the best transfer possible can increase mileage. If the spark plug is losing some of its output before it reaches the compressed gas and air mixture, the resulting combustion will not have as much power available for use. A spark plug can lose it’s power through seals not being tight and corrosion of the spark tips. A new spark plus with platinum tips will result in a much higher transfer rate, reducing the amount of cycles needed to extract the same amount of power. This increases mileage by using less fuel.

Having clean, high quality spark plugs can increase the efficiency of your engines performance, and in return, increase mileage. Many spark plugs can increase mileage by upwards of 2-5%. While this may not sound like a huge increase, changing your spark plugs (at a cost of roughly $4 per plug) will pay for themselves within that month for an average driver.