Why not buy the Autolites and gap them to .044?

 

I could do that, but doesn't answer my question...Why does Autolite set the gap for that plug differently? They are the only ones who do, and they've never been different from manufacturer specs on any other vehicle I have ever owned. Only on the Jeep they are different.

 

I suspect the gap depends upon the plug voltage and compression ratio, which varies from engine to engine. You'll note that the 2.4 has 4 individual coils directly connected to the plugs.

 

.035 was a standard gap size for older points type ignition. As ignition systems became more powerful, they've increased the gap. It could be the plugs our 'Riots use cross references with an older vehicle and since they were originally produced at that gap, they may not have changed the manufacture process.