you seriously sound like a moron, but anyway onto some chem.

The stoic afr for unleaded petrol is around 14.7:1, which is the boundary ratio required for complete combustion, ie if every oxygen molecule can find a fuel molecule during combustion then both will be completely used up. This DOES NOT mean that the reaction has been most efficient!!! There are plenty of reactions in chem which are performed under a condition of excess of one or the other reagent. There are a very large number of factors to consider for this kind of reaction, piston speed (hence the time you can actually combust for), pressure, temperature limits of materials, instantaneous strengths of components etc, all come into play.

In general the leaner a mixture is, the faster it burns, due to the fact that the fuel molecule is much slower moving than an air molecule and with a leaner mixture the probablility of a fuel molecule pairing with an oxygen molecule is much higher. This however introduces the posibility of random flame fronts which interfere (insipent detonation) AT SOME AFRS AND AT HIGH CYLINDER PRESSURES, but mostly at those afrs close to or slightly leaner than stoic (14.7-20:1). To combat this we can do many things, but reducing cylinder pressure by "buffering" is one way, you add fuel which makes the mixture rich, this means that a molecule CAN'T find an oxygen molecule to burn with in the usual way. but if you cram them close enough another reaction takes place, where carbon monoxide is produced instead of carbon dioxide, to cram them closer together and to move the molecules fast enough so that they actually find this rarer case requires more heat energy absorbed by the fuel molecules, which slows the reaction and makes the reaction cooler, at the expense in this case of energy production.

The COMPLETE opposite of this is to perform the reaction in a MASSIVE excess of air, in this case a fuel molecule can very very easily find an oxygen molecule and the resultant reaction is much cleaner and produces more energy than a rich mixture, however now the reaction does not form a flame front, more it forms a pressure front. In this case you are actually trying to spontaneously detonate the mixture! Spontaneous detonation is were a chain reaction causes massive cylinder pressure due to the reaction happening spontaneously in many or all pats of the chamber at the same time rather than in a front. This is generally VERY dangerous at mixtures around stoic or slighty leaner, however the amount of nitrogen in air tends to help buffer this IF enough air is present. Hence you need afrs around 25-35:1 (IIRC) which allows complete combustion, and still allows a reasonable amount of air to form a buffer, and transfer the energy by compressing the buffering air, which then releases that energy by expansion much more slowly than the pressure front which is generated in the explosion.

This very lean system of combustion is the way in which continuous fire engines work, otherwise they would melt all their internal parts. IE a jet turbine engine uses a dense energy fuel which takes a long time to burn, thus it burns cooler, however since it is burning the fuel CONTINUOUSLY it would still impart enough energy to destroy parts, so the reaction takes place in a massive excess of air and runs a lambda of 1.9-2.1 or so. The unburnt air is used as a heat buffer - it transfers heat energy into potential energy and kinetic energy by moving the molecules closer together, and making them vibrate/move faster this energy is transfered later in the cycle (at the turbine) where a pressure differential and heat differential turns the tubine of the jet engine.

bah, seriosuly long post and I still have lots more to say and I've only scratched the surface....

lets sumarize for those who can't be bothered reading

stoic AFR has nothing to do with peak efficiency.

and engine CAN run at an AFR of 30:1 (or so, under certain circumstances)

these plugs (if they do what they claim) actually INDUCE detonation (sort of - detonation as defined as a spontaneous explosion at many points in the chamber) but in a way that means you can get lots of power from a very lean afr.

efmarek: it is obvious since you did not offer an explanation like this that you know nothing of the chemistry or physics involved, and that you are highly likely to be just another moron sprouting someone elses crap. Please prove me wrong by entering into a realistic and insightful debate about what I have just said, and what you know of the product rather than mouthing off, as if you do just mouth off, you prove that your a moron....and I have no time for morons.

To add to my previous post (as I only have 37 posts and I'm only 25) I have an engineering degree and am currently undertaking a PhD, I also teach university students in the areas of engineering, physics, and motorsports. Hopefully that is enough to recommend me, haha, If not then I guess I retract my earlier physics and chemistry lecture

hey, im not getting into this debate, i just wanted to point out, your insulting efmarek for "sprouting someone else's crap", but your post is obviously copied.
when your typing, you dont use capital letters. your copied stuff uses capitals, plus also goes on to talk about jet engines?
lets all be honest: noone knows what there on about.
were all just retards

also, what makes you think having excess oxygen will favor a reaction that uses less oxygen?

......And YES, the Plasma fills the WHOLE combustion chamber instantaneously....igniting the whole mix at the SAME TIME.

still dont get it?!

Well...what that means is......it releases all the energy in one go....so u use less FUEL

The Firestorms dont create an "arc", dude.

Basically the current alloy heads & pistons won't last that long if you were to run 40:1 AFR.

not only that, the coolent will boil!!!

d***head.....your talking bout running an engine at 40:1 with a NORMAL SPARK PLUG.

The firestorms make combustion temperatures LOWER.