Geeze... you'd think that in a modern world "snake oil" products would be something you only read about in history books, but obviously these types of scams are alive and well (albeit "modernized" to present day beliefs).
Spark plugs aren't "mysterious" devices. They have been researched to death for a whole host of reasons, and their properties are well known. Their primary function is to ignite a small kernel of the air/fuel mixture. Once that task is completed, their job is done.
Pulse plugs incorporate a pulse circuit, which stores incoming electrical energy from the ignition system and releases the stored energy in a powerful pulse of power. Instead of 50 watts of peak power typical of all spark plugs, pulse plugs deliver up to 1 million watts of peak power. So where does the pulse plug get its incredible power?
OK, first, the amount of power available is determined by the ignition coil. The energy that is released into the secondary coil (the high voltage winding that feeds the spark plug) is stored in the magnetic core, and the amount of energy that
can be stored is finite. This is known as "saturation". Our coils are already driven into saturation so you cannot extract any more power from them than you do now. Unless there is a power wire connected to these plugs, they cannot by themselves increase the amount of power delivered to the spark gap. This should be the first clue something isn't right with their claims.
When the ignition signal is sent to a traditional spark plug, it begins to ionize the spark gap. This means that the voltage builds in the gap until a spark can be formed. During this ionization phase, which lasts about 5 millionths of a second, the incoming voltage (which has nowhere to go) heats up ignition components including the spark plug. This is wasted energy. When the ignition voltage overcomes the resistance in the spark gap, the spark is created with an initial discharge of approximately 50 watts. Once created, the spark resides between the electrodes at very low power for over a period of 30 millionths of a second.
What is different about a pulse plug is that instead of heating ignition parts during the ionization phase, this energy is stored in the integral circuit inside the pulse plug. When the ignition power overcomes the resistance in the spark gap, the pulse circuit discharges all of its accumulated power - 1 million watts - in 2 billionths of a second!
They obviously don't understand voltage, current, and power. The incoming voltage has nowhere to go? Please
Voltage is electrical pressure. If there is no completed circuit for current to flow then no power is delivered, regardless of how much voltage potential exists. Power is derived from multiplying voltage by current... and anything multiplied by zero is still zero! If there is no power delivered then how could it possibly waste energy by heating up ignition components?
I could go on and really rip this apart but I think you guys get the picture. It is rumoured that roughly 80% of all aftermarket power improvers are a waste of money, and I believe it. These guys are cashing in on a huge market filled with myths and wishful thinking. I kinda wish I had thought of this myself!
For those who are interested in studying modern-day snake oil products, have a good look at Slick50 and the company that made billions from it. Even after their products were revealed to the world as crap, they STILL manage to sell the stuff to unsuspecting buyers worldwide! Incredible