spark plug boosters and powernows any good?

SPEAKERMAN

SPEAKERMAN

So here's the low-down on these devices:

1. If you bike is jetted poorly, has an old plug, has old plug wires, adding a spark booster or a power now will show an improvement in how your bike runs.

2. The devices are not snake-oil, they are not scams, they are not bogus. They are just not needed, if your bike is jetted correctly!

3. Making a hotter or longer spark has NO EFFECT on how the gases burn. The spark is not part of the combustion, ONCE THE COMBUSTION BEGINS. But, if your plug is whack, your gas is crappy, or your valves leak, it would show and improvement.

4. The powernow device is designed to MAKE YOUR CARB VENTURI SMALLER so the intake velocity inside the carb speeds up. This gives you improved throttle response at low rpms, making it SEEM like you have more power. Unfortunately, if your carb is properly jetted, the accelerator pump is tuned to perfection, the powernow will make the bike run WORSE. It will also mask carb issues, which may get worse on the trail.

The bottom line is, short-cuts don't solve problems, they mask them. Fix the problems and move on.
 
Agent2

Agent2

Car and motorcycle R&D departments spend mucho $$$ getting as much horsepower out of engines as possible. If those products did any good, they would already be installed. They don't work. If a 50 cent piece of aluminum would give 10 more horsepower, it would be on all engine packages. This is why "The Tornado" isn't installed on any engine from any reputable car or motorcycle manufacturer.
 
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14D

MY-BLUE-BEAST:

Check it out, this is a test on a spark plug up to 10,000 rpm one with and one without a spark apmlifier
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The sound reminded me of techno...

But I don't think that a spark booster or anything like that is need unless your getting spark blow out due to high compression(like if you'd get a hicomp piston..)
 
MY-BLUE-BEAST

MY-BLUE-BEAST

140rider:
The sound reminded me of techno...

But I don't think that a spark booster or anything like that is need unless your getting spark blow out due to high compression(like if you'd get a hicomp piston..)
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I looked it up, with my discount through my work I can get the iBooster for $30 rather than $80. I don't think im going to order one, but if an impulsive urge to buy something stupid ever arises I might take a chance haha.
 
A

adventurer783

MY-BLUE-BEAST:
Yet another question for the geniuses of DBA....

Well since I work at parts store and get crazy discounts on parts for my bikes I might as well ask about a few things im interested in. The first is a spark plug booster such as iBooster or the nology hotwire. what are they good for if anything at all? do they really help or is it a placebo effect? between the two which is better as they are the only ones I found. do I need a new ignition coil for it to work? well more than one question, but please let me know... any info will help, thanks :thumb:


And power nows... are they any good, are they even worth getting on my 450. will they help the 150 out? again any info will help thanks :thumb:
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i actually bought a couple of them with low expectations, on my 07 kx450f it made noticeable improvements in throttle response, not sure if any power gains but def in response, on my buddies 06 rmz 450 it made big differences in response and power, we had multiple people ride both bikes before and after as they are stupid easy to install and remove. they were called icat back then but same thing. everyone has an opinion of how they dont work and how they are a scam but as someone who has actually ran the them i can say they do work, i would have them in my bikes now if they still made them. funny how guys will spend 1000 bucks on titanium bolt kits to lighten the bike but wont take a crap before a race to shed twice the weight are the same guys who claim scam on everything.
 
D

Dreamsarefree

adventurer783:
i actually bought a couple of them with low expectations, on my 07 kx450f it made noticeable improvements in throttle response, not sure if any power gains but def in response, on my buddies 06 rmz 450 it made big differences in response and power, we had multiple people ride both bikes before and after as they are stupid easy to install and remove. they were called icat back then but same thing. everyone has an opinion of how they dont work and how they are a scam but as someone who has actually ran the them i can say they do work, i would have them in my bikes now if they still made them. funny how guys will spend 1000 bucks on titanium bolt kits to lighten the bike but wont take a crap before a race to shed twice the weight are the same guys who claim scam on everything.
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i can second this fact. the iBooster, if they still make it, is a wonderful thing. been using them on bikes for 20 years. does more then an aftermarket pipe in some cases. it will do different things on different models. and it also depends where i set my magneto plate timing. but on my 04 YZ250 it makes it over-rev nicely just like a pro-circuit pipe etc would do. huge difference. RPM does not go flat on top. just keeps on singing. on a Suzuki RMX250 i had it increased throttle response by a lot. on a YZ125 i had it reduced throttle response but added HP on the top end. i never tried one on a four stroke. they need to keep making these things!
 
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