171 years ago this month, the first known spark plug was invented by Edmond Berger, historians say. Unfortunately, Berger failed to patent his spark plug invention, so documented history points to Sir Oliver Lodge of England, whose sons parlayed the “Lodge Igniter” into a profitable company founded in 1903. The next year, Albert Champion, a world renowned bicycle and motorcycle racer who made extra cash by handcrafting spark plugs and selling them to friends, moved from France to Flint, Michigan and founded Champion Ignition Company. Investor drama left Champion jobless, but he soon found himself appointed president of the AC Spark Plug Company formed with backing from Buick Motor Co. AC spark plugs were used in Charles Lindbergh’s and Amelia Earhart’s trans-Atlantic flights and fired the second and third stage rocket engines that took Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins to the moon.
Fast forward one century and the garden variety spark plug hasn’t changed much, outside of manufacturing materials and techniques to make them cheaper. That is, until E3 Spark Plugs entered the scene. We figured 100 years was plenty of time to go without a major advancement, and we had a gut feeling that a better, more environmentally sensitive product was possible. So, we headed back to school – literally – and recruited researchers specializing in combustion and engine dynamics from leading engineering universities.
The result was a totally revamped electrode design. Gone was the antiquated J-wire electrode. And after several years of testing and back-to-the-drawing-board drudgery, we debuted the DiamondFire spark plug design. The DiamondFire design features multiple sharp edges (rather than the traditional single edge) to the circular edge of the center electrode, allowing the spark to seek the path of least resistance. This design boosts combustion pressure and completely burns the fuel/air mixture within the cylinder, allowing for higher power output, increased fuel economy and reduced emissions. That means you get more horsepower using less fuel and leaving less mess in the air, helping to reduce air pollution and global warming.
We have verified every claim via testing using the most sophisticated diagnostic equipment available and via independent testing. Even the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) reports that E3 Spark Plugs’ DiamondFire technology offers “clear advantages in HC and CO emissions control while at the same time improving power and fuel economy.” In fact, E3 Spark Plugs is the only spark plug mentioned in EPA rulings as a supplemental emissions control device.
We’ve come a long way, baby! Find out for yourself how E3’s DiamondFire spark plugs can improve the performance of your engines from your Winnebago to your weedeater. Browse our website to find and E3 spark plugs dealer near you or send us a comment or question via our convenient online email form.
