Originally designed to improve starting and reduce fouling on two-stroke engines, a fine wire electrode was found to improve performance in four-stroke engines as well.
A smaller electrode requires less voltage to jump the gap, resulting in fewer misfires, which translates to increased fuel economy and horsepower. A smaller electrode also reduces flame quenching.
Reducing the electrode size on a standard nickel plug would result in a drastically shortened life span, so the smaller electrodes require exotic metals such as platinum or iridium to maintain (and at times surpass) the longevity of a traditional spark plug.
While a traditional electrode is 2.5mm in diameter, Autolite's iridium series features a 0.6mm center electrode.
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