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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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10/17/2006
21:42:58
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 Subject: halo plug update
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As promised here is an update on my halo plugs.
Just to recap. The truck is a 2002 QC 4x4 with 4.7L auto 3.55 LSD and had ~60,000 miles at the time of the plug installation. I'm the 2nd owner, the truck had ~43k miles when I bought it. I do not know the previous maintenance record.
When I changed the plugs, the old champions were well worn and looked to be the original plugs from the factory. I was getting 15-16mpg depending on driving conditions (% city vs % highway, traffic congestion, speed etc).
My first tank of gas I got 15.2 mpg which was a slight drop in my overall average. On my second tank, I got 15.4 mpg which was a little on the low side of my overall average. During the first 2 tanks, I drove ~700 miles.
Fast forward. I have logged ~3500 miles since doing the plug install and have found that my avg mpg is 15.5-15.6. But you say that's what I was getting BEFORE the halo plug install. You're right, that is. However, I've been doing more city ( < 45 mph) and faster highway driving (70-75) than I normally do. My wife and I have been looking for a house so we've been doing alot of stop and go driving and alot of < 35 mph driving. In addition to this, I've been logging more highway miles at faster speeds.
What does this mean. It means that even though I've been driving faster on highway trips and logging more "city" driving I've been constantly getting the same milage.
Another item I need to talk about was the installation of my leer fiberglass shell. Even with the addition of the shell, I'm still getting the 15.5 - 15.6 mpg mark.
What does this mean. This means I AM getting a slight increase in fuel economy. Even with the additional city stop and go, fast highway speeds and the addition of the shell I'm getting the same mpg.
One side note. My wife did take the truck with some friends on a long trip to helen for oktober fest. She logged 25mpg on her trip (she has a much lighter foot than I do). This trip consisted of her and 3 friends with associated "woman" luggage in the back under the shell. I'll just say with my driving I would never get that kind of milage.
One thing I just noticed a week ago was that I have a big exhause leak at the header to cat pipe connection. The header to the block is fine, the leak is at the joint that connects to header to the pipe that the cat is welded on. This may be causing a drop in pressure and a drop in milage. I'm in the process of trying to find a good shop to repair it. After doing so, I'll post another update on milage.
With all things considered i'm getting a slight increase in milage. The thing that I can't determine is if this is due the new plugs or due to halo plugs.
Was it worth the $9/plug? Well, only time will tell. I need to wait and monitor my milage after fixing the exhaust leak and logging alot more miles (long term test).
One thing I have noticed which is no big surprise.. on highway trips if I drive 65 with cruise I get alot better milage than driving 75 or even 70.. How much better? 3+ mpg.
If i can do a real world test (my daily work commute with no extended city or highway driving) i am guessing I would get 17+ mpg. I just need to set the cruise and go with the flow but it's just so hard to do that with the mag 8 under the hood :)
- Dan M
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Bob Lincoln
Dodge Dakota
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10/18/2006
08:33:27
| RE: halo plug update
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Sounds like you're comparing gas mileage with the old, worn plugs to that with new plugs. Any new plug will increase your mileage. The only way you'll get a fair comparison is to run new plugs of the original brand, then replace them with new halo plugs.
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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10/18/2006
12:50:15
| RE: halo plug update
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bob - correct, which is why i said ..
"With all things considered i'm getting a slight increase in milage. The thing that I can't determine is if this is due the new plugs or due to halo plugs."
I have no plans on installing new champs anytime soon. If I get some extra time, I will, but that isn't likely going to happen until January next year at the earliest.
- Dan M
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N56629
Dodge Dakota
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10/18/2006
13:31:46
| RE: halo plug update
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Sounds like you made a guesstimate that matches your expectations of increased gas mileage.
Considering that the 4.7 is supposedly more efficient than the 5.2 I'm very disappointed in your results. In combined city/highway driving I get between 17.6 and 18.4 mpg. Previously I had gotten between 18.2 and 18.8, occasionally getting just over 19 mpg.
Last spring I replaced my Bosch P4's with colder Champions just to see if I would get the better performance that everyone was so excited about. I don't know if I got a performance increase but may be getting .5-1 mpg less mpg. I'm going to replace them with the used P4's and see if there is any change. I'm not expecting much because it is getting colder out and mileage is already dropping.
Bottom line, every time there is a gas crunch new plugs come out and new claims are made and they both eventually fade.
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DanK
Dodge Dakota
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10/18/2006
14:04:04
| RE: halo plug update
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Some observations over my many years, Dan.
The shell on back adds weight, but improves overall vehicle aerodynamics slightly, so will contribute to better fuel economy if the improvement in drag overcomes the work necessary to move the extra weight down the road.
Changing the oil will almost always improve fuel economy slightly, until it soots up and the additives start to degenerate over time due to engine operation.
Changing to new spark plugs may also noticably improve fuel economy, at least until the electrodes start to lose their nice sharp edges and/or start to accumulate deposits. If you want to find out which plug gives better performance, comparison of new plug heat ranges or sets from different manufacturers is the only way to tell, as Bob Lincoln indicated.
The D/C 4.7L engine appears to be sensitive to the type of plug used (even to the brand of plugs) and, as you may have seen by the many posts on the subject on this forum and others, not everyone gets the same results with the same plugs. This could be due to plug manufacturing tolerances, engine manufacturing tolerances, PCM programming, fuel quality, etc.
The best advice is keep away from gimmicks, go with proven, name brand parts, and stay "tuned in" to how your engine is running and performing.
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N56629
Dodge Dakota
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10/18/2006
15:34:38
| RE: halo plug update
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"The best advice is keep away from gimmicks, go with proven, name brand parts, and stay "tuned in" to how your engine is running and performing."
Given that I don't understand why you wanted to try halo plugs. Very gimmicky, not exactly a name brand and definately not proven. I can understand wanting to try something different but doesn't fit the philosophy.
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OBIO3
Dodge Dakota
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10/18/2006
15:58:59
| RE: halo plug update
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Message:
Nice post danK. Everything you said is correct although there are a lot of guys out there that well say differant on the plugs. there just is no such thing as a SPECIAL PLUG. They all do exactly the same thing. Special plugs all have one thing in common. They change the outer electrod to look differant. This always amounts to more metal and this has the tendensy to shroud the spark. Not a good idea. the only things you can reasonably do to change what a plug does is heat range and the type of metal used. Of the regular plugs, Platnium is very long wearing metal but low resistance delivering a weaker spark. Ac plugs have hard metal giving a bit longer life. Champions are the softest metal with shortest life but because of this they fire the best. All the rest are somewhere in between. I've tried them all Not just on my rigs but customers in my shop over 40plus years. The best plug I've ever found is the champion truck plugs . I'm sure lots will say there choice is better and maybe they are. That's exactly what keeps all these companies in business. I said it before and I'll say it again. If it pleases you then that's the thing to do.
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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10/18/2006
18:13:12
| RE: halo plug update
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I'm still hopefull to see a noticable increase in city milage after fixing my exhaust leak - it's a big one. Also, given that the highway milage is much better than stock and with me moving (in the November/December time frame) and my commute will adding 4 highway miles and taking away 4 city miles I'm hopeful to get 16-17 mpg combined with ease.
N56629 what kind of truck do you have? Mine is a heavy QC 4x4 with a uws toolbox in the bed with ~200 lbs of stuff in it.
Also, the epa estimate for my truck is 14/18. I was already exceeding that before I started. Granted, no 2 trucks run the same so it's not uncommon.
I'm still working, slow as it is, toward my goal of 20 mpg combined. Ambitious? of course, but that's half the fun :)
If nothing else, it looks differnet with the tube steps and matching cover. And I now have plenty of room for my weekend camping/fishing trips. I'm thinking about making a wooded frame to fit against the toolbox so I can just sleep in the bed under the shell instead of having to pitch a tent.
- Dan M
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blakdak
Dodge Dakota
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10/19/2006
08:53:47
| RE: halo plug update
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Dan doesn't want to picth a tent anymore???
But seriously, I installed a set of Halo's in my '02 4x4 QC 3.92 and I now have 4 tanks of data. 17, 16.75, 15.75, and 16.75 on my highway drive up to our lake place. I previously had gotten a best of 16.5 with most of the identical trips between 14.5 and 16. Some of those were with fresh Auto-lites too.
So it does appear to do something for my truck. Continue to be skeptical because they are only plugs, but then again it just might make a difference for the better! Someone else try it and maybe we can gain some more confidence.
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