Correction, he gets no plugs. She got the car!

 

Look: The car is cool (and fun). But... Let's not sing odes and hosannas of this engine. I also have a Mazda6 SW. (A heavier car) Mazda's engine: 3.0Liter (not 3.2L), DOHC(!) (not single OHC), 24V (not only 18), 220hp (not only 215), one spark plug/cyl (not two), takes regular(!) gas (not premium) Gets 26mpg (not 25). Tranny: 5sp. autostick, just like the xfire. The Mazda is heavier by about 300lbs, and still gets better mpg (hyway, commute traffic, no chance to get heavy footed).
In all truthfulness, i'd rather have the Mazda's 3.0L V6 24V 220hp engine in it than the 3.2L V6 18V 215hp MB motor. I think it would move/accelerate a bit better, get better mpg, and as an additional bonus, I wouldn't have to buy premium either.
I'm just trying to be truthful and objective (even to myself), and look at the hard data, and let the chips fall where they may.

 

Well, lets just compare cars to cars, not cycles, not Alfa Romeo's, etc. 99% of the CARS on the road rely on 1 plug per cyl., "nuff said. Its worked for decades and I dont see all the auto companies jumping on the bandwagon to put in two per cyl. I think Chrysler dropped the ball on a good car. Maybe the people who buy Chryslers dont walk the car lot looking for a sports car, whick Chrysler has not produced for years. "oh yea, I forgot the Neon SRT", a real road burner. Xfires are good cars, have great looks, and perform nicely, but a world beater, I dont think so. The last time I looked, I didn't see anybody say the MB slk is one of the greatest cars on the road. And our Xfires are almost totally derived from this platform, save for the Chrysler decals. The last post about a Mazda engine was good, that engine is one good powerplant and could easily be fitted to a Xfire without much difference in performance. The interior is so-so. Lots of plastic and cheap looking *****. The leather is a very sub-prime material which I would confuse for the old vinal from years ago. When you charge this much for a car, the seat you sit on should feel like the recliner in your home. These are just a few observations I've had about my car. I guess some folks cant handle the truth. I still get a kick out of it, but its just another car, no more no less.

 

The top fuel cars still used Hemi-based (the real hemi) engines with dual plugs for each cylinder and twin ignition systems.

Now, for all you nay sayers: For one, if you're only holding on to your car because you can't get any money for it, it sucks to be you! I don't think anyone on here has said that the Xfire is one of the greatest cars on the road. All cars, and I don't care how much they cost or how much praise they get, have problems or imperfections. Hmmm, let's see, BMW = Idrive, Porsche = crappy interiors (getting better though) and cooling problems, Ferrari = electronic shift issues, G35s = Oil burning engines, etc.

I've been defending the Xfire against ignorant comments pertaining to the fact that it isn't a true sports car, that many cars are far superior, bla, bla, bla.

You all need to stop bit*hin'! You have a perfectly good German built, hand assembled (SRT) sports car sitting in your garage and many of you paid less than what an Accord would have cost you. If you would rather have a boring **** Mazda, or think that a 350Z is so much better, well, go buy one and hang out at those forums! Also, for those of you who complain about maintenance costs, as Mike Rowe would say, "Get Dirty!" Open the hood and change your own oil, get some tools and change your own plugs! It's not difficult. If you're afraid of getting some dirt under your nails, go spend the money you saved by doing your own maintenance on a manicure.

I for one am happy with my SRT. It will blow the doors off of most anything on the street, it gets looks like it is some kind of exotic, and it feels more solid than my G35 Coupe did. Oh, yeah, the G35. Great car except I was told my engine would need to be replaced at 10k due to a model-wide "issue" with the engines. That thing burned a quart of oil for every 600 miles!! I ordered that thing brand new from Japan and waited over 3 months for it. P.O.S.!

 

Good maybe you can translate my Rammstein cd's...lol

Two plugs per cylinder happens a lot in the high performance engines, we don't have many ponies, the 2 plugs help us get the extra ooompf.

 

I recall that my Mom's 1982 Nissan Stanza had two spark plugs per cylinder. This is not "new" stuff we're talking about.

f.y.i The reason the mercedes 3.2L V6 has 3 valves per cylinder is allow room for the second spark plug.

 

I was wondering why my car felt so slow and heavy. Now I know. It is those darn six extra spark plugs. Jeez, what was MB thinking. Must be that faulty German engineering at work.

 

The answer to the NO Spare issue is a cell phone and AAA! We already have a pump and fix a flat so what more do you need.
I wouldn't be surprised to see more cars in the near future come without a spare tire. It's a weight savings that is bound to happen.

 

I got my 04 xfire about 4 months ago, and if someone can't change the oil in this car you are a tard, first off its Mercedes motor, the filter is on the top, all you have to do underneath is the drain plug. Talk about easy. I've had two vw corodos the g60 4 cylinder super charged and the vr6 I thought they were sweet, wow my xfire is a great looked and it can back up its sexiness. The only time someone (mechanic) touches any of my cars is when I get a flat, and I'm in the shop with them, I inspected all my cars also. I'm only 36 but I guess I'm just the old school farm boy mentality, if it breaks fix it yourself. If not you'll never really understand to ride and what its capable of

 

I was told by an auto electrician that the 2x sparkplugs in the cylinder have a very slight delay between them. The second (delayed) spark ensures all the fuel is burnt.

 

Better mileage, better combustion and more power.

 

Because they could not find room for more.

 

Cause if you only used 6 it woulda been a 3 Cylinder !!

 

.


That, and the fact it is a MB. They also put 2 per cylinder in those inline and "V" aircraft engines. They like over-designing things like 'good' engineers(?)…..


.

 

When people ask me about this at car shows, I tell them it's a tiny V12 .........

 

An amazing trek through time here; a real time capsule. Starting 12 years ago, resting dormant for 11 and rebounding to day present. Thanks folk for the resurrection. I probably wouldn't have found this on my own. Thanks Cliff1 ..

 

Huh?


.

 

No one here is going to take the time to explain this.

Short story:

Aircraft engines often have two ignitions systems for safety. To understand why they went to the trouble of putting two plugs (but essentially not two separate systems) in our engines, type this into a search engine:
why do some automotive engines have two plugs per cylinder it is an interesting read.

If you don't think two plugs per cylinder are needed, remove the second plug wire from each coil pack and see what you get.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_ignition