best spark plugs..?

time to replace the spark plugs. what's the best material that spark plugs are made of? I've heard mixed stories on every different type. What's the best of the best?

[ebpda9]

go with some ngk v powers or some plain old regular champions. the later ones seem to be cheaper and do the same job as the twice as expensive ngk's

[BlackDeuceCoupe]

Originally posted by hondaman-iac
go with some ngk v powers or some plain old regular champions.

I gotta agree! I love copper-core plugs. I've been running Champion #318 Copper Plus plugs lately and they rock! $1.79 each on sale, so no bragging rights, but you can't beat their performance...

[pdiggitydogg]

nkg and champs here as well

nothing but NGK's here. Best plugs I have ever used. Personally I dont think platinums are worth it. Platinum plugs last longer but platinum is not as good as conductor as copper. Theoretically copper should produce a stronger spark. In the real world I am not sure if it really makes a difference. I change my plugs way too often to use the advantages of platinums. As far as Iridium plugs goes I dont have any experience with those. I have heard they are good plugs for nitrous and boost. Other than that they are pretty much a waste of money for NA applications, or so I am told.

[ebpda9]

i used irridium plugs on my car and the car ran like crap. switched back to ngk's in 3 days. my old worn ngk's made the car run better than the iridiums. i want my $50 back

Not to hijack this thread, but will a car run differently if equipped with "colder" plugs like the ZEX spark plugs?

not really. Depends on how many heat ranges u go down. One or two heat ranges the car should run the same. The only issue is a colder plug wont give u any indications of engine combustion off nitrous (the correct brown tint wont show up). Obviously on nitrous the colder plugs will be in the correct heat range and u can read the plugs after a run.

[Sivik]

NGK all the way! Available at your local Advanced Autozone store... plus I change mine like once a month due to turbo ana whatnot, but no problems there!

[BlackDeuceCoupe]

To save myself some time, I pulled up a past discussion on SHO that might be of interest to you. So, if you don't mind a copy 'n' paste...

BTW, when I wrote this, I was convinced NGK copper core plugs were the only way to go. Since then, I have discovered Champion Copper Plus plugs to be every bit their equal, if not better. As a matter of fact, I haven't bought NGK plugs in over a year. Keep that in mind while reading this.

Enjoy!

Originally posted by BlackDeuceCoupe
Okay, here's my philosophy on plugs; the smartest guy on SHO...

Assuming there isn't some SPECIAL consideration[s], like you drive a burner, or a racer, you're not lazy, or broke, or rich, et cetera, the most important thing is having FRESH plugs in your ride. That is, you need to change them a lot...

I've known ppl that change plugs at every oil change; ditto for the air filter. I think this is excessive, but they NEVER have to worry about the condition of these items, do they?

Originally posted by 94exsedanvtec
I think your not supposed to run platinums with NOS, but it is fine with SC an TC

Originally posted by BlackDeuceCoupe
Generally, it isn't a good idea to run any plugs with welded tips, i.e. 'plats' or 'rids' on any high performance application. They can break loose and play havoc on your valves and seats. Be warned!!!

Originally posted by frank828
...i can definetely feel a much smoother idle and gas mileage is slightly better.

Not to mention that the plugs were dyno'ed and had an increase of 3whp(stock plugs had about 30,000 miles on em).

Originally posted by BlackDeuceCoupe
Your first point is subjective and anecdotal. Your second point is bullsh!t...

Iridium plugs are advertised as having about half the resistance of platinum plugs [which are horribly ineffecient to begin with], while supposedly lasting about twice as long. Such plugs also are advertised as having overall better performance, while requiring less voltage to fire off. That's pure hype IMO! If you wanna believe in the spark plug fairy, be my guest, but that's 'blue sky' thinking as far as I'm concerned...

The performance and voltage benefits described in iridium plug advertising can be realized using a better set of spark plug wires, than what came stock from the factory, hence my Magnecor recommendation.

Why the hell would someone waste money on iridium plugs without installing better spark plug wires in the first place? And, if you get something akin to Magnecor 'cable' quality, why the hell would you need iridiums?

See my point?

Originally posted by frank828
...almost all of them seem to agree that there is a difference in performance, and the FIRST thing they notice is the idle...

Originally posted by BlackDeuceCoupe
Then, in other words, at least some of them don't agree it makes a difference in performance. And, the ones that think there is a difference also think it changed their idle.

This is the hallmark of a snake oil style "dinosaur killing space metal" product. How does a spark plug effect the idle? It doesn't. But, many fools will proclaim, "It idles faster now!"

As far as your dyno chart goes, would you please explain why there is a difference between run #19 and #20? And, while you're at it, where's #21???

Also, explain how they changed 6 sets of plugs and did two dyno runs in 19 minutes? Just curious...

And, does anyone else smell a rat here? The new $16 iridiums were 'tested' against used OE plats with 30,000 miles on them? That's like crossing the USA 10 times, or about 2-3 years of normal useage. What kinda whack comparison is this???

Originally posted by frank828
...and about spark plugs effecting the idle. Of course it can effect it, its a vital part of the ignition system.

Originally posted by BlackDeuceCoupe
Yeah, okay, whatever! According to you, iridium spark plugs effect the idle, but doing dyno runs with worn out OEM platinum plugs doesn't make any difference.

What kind of pancakes do you like???

Originally posted by frank828
...stock platinum plugs are designed to last 100,000 miles...

...would you like to try some [rids] at my cost...

...u sound like an ass...

Originally posted by BlackDeuceCoupe
You're quite a salesman, freak828, but no thanks!

Look, silver spark plugs work the best. It's a fact, not a myth.

Copper core are the next best thing, but you have to change them more often.

Now, I ask you, do you know how a 'plat' or a 'rid' is made? All 'they' do is take a regular spark plug and weld a platinum or iridium TIP on them.

There's NO magic here. There's no spark plug fairy! They aren't going to give you 3-HP if you put them 'under your pillow', they aren't going to increase your torque, and they won't make your car idle faster.

Anybody that believes this stuff has their heads in the clouds...

Originally posted by Mojo-Jojo
Actually DON'T get split plugs.


Twinfires, quadfires, etc.


You can't shroud (I think that's the right term) your plugs if you do that.

Shrouding is where you shim the plug so that when the plug is all the way in, the curve of the electrode is as out of the way of the spark and the majority of the cylinder as possible.

Originally posted by BlackDeuceCoupe
Yep, you're right! It's just more 'snake oil' salesman doing their thing. This time --- if one ground electrode is good, four ground electrodes are 4X better.

What YOU are saying is true, and the word you are hunting for is INDEXING. That's what racecar mechanics do to spark plugs and THAT does make a difference. When you blueprint and dyno a motor for peak performance, you don't want any variables, including having all your electrodes pointed in different directions in the combustion chambers.

Anyway, this is OT, so I'll stop...

Originally posted by BNut

The stock plugs had b/w 30-33k miles on them. According to Honda this is about 1/3 of the spark plugs life time since they are rated to last until your major service at 100k miles. (I still have the stock plugs if anyone would like me to post pics of them)

According to NGK:

SOURCE: NGK Spark Plug FAQ

Unfortunately,there is no single answer to this question [how long plugs last - bdc]....

...As spark plugs grow older, ...the center and ground electrodes are slowly eroded away. As the gap between these two points grows, the voltage required to bridge the gap increases proportionately. Even the best ignition systems will be strained to supply enough voltage...

Replacing worn out spark plugs with new ones... effectively restores the ignition system's efficiency...

Bingo! Why guess? Honda doesn't know how long plugs last. Even NGK doesn't know how long they will last. The 'answer' is to use copper-core NGK V-Powers and replace them often. Now, who suggested that???

It is my personal opinion that platinum plugs are not ideal for performance... what you give up for longevity is performance.

I agree 100% !!! And, the same applies to iridiums...

I wouldn't say that performance increase is the result of Denso Iridium plugs. In my opinon, if you replaced the stock NGK platinum plug with copper NGK plugs you would also see a performance improvement.

We agree again...

If you don't believe me, fine. I do this to satisify my own interest, and I share the results with the other members of the forums I post in. If you guys don't believe it, that's your perogative.

I believe you. Your version of the 'truth' makes much more sense than freak2828's. Thanks for sharing, bro!

Originally posted by Roky
hmm... very interesting.

so silver beats gold with 106 and even copper beats it with 100 points.

wow... didn't know that gold is such a bad conductor and platinum, oh dear! :p

Originally posted by BlackDeuceCoupe
The most important decision when buying spark plugs is the materials they use, not the electrode shape. Silver is the best electrical and thermal conductor of any metal and, therefore, the best material for the center electrode. In managing combustion chamber temperatures caused by different engine and load conditions, silver is unsurpassed.

Having said that, they cost more than I'm willing to pay; 6 to 8 bones each. Copper core plugs are a good compromise. They're cheap and work better than anything else, except silver...

Originally posted by BNut

Not even close...
(Higher number equals better conductor)
Gold = 65
Platinum = 15

Check out this page for more metal listings:
http://www.amm.com/index2.htm?/ref/conduct.HTM

Originally posted by BlackDeuceCoupe
Good link, but let me put it in perspective...

Electrical Conductivity MS/m

Silver = 66
Copper = 57
Gold = 45
Platinum = 10
Nickel = 10

Thermal Conductivity W/(m•K)

Silver = 407
Copper = 384
Gold = 310
Platinum = 70
Nickel = 59

Originally posted by BlackDeuceCoupe
How are those plats lookin' now???

Originally posted by BNut
About as good as stink on a dog turd!

[C's 94 InTeGrA]

ngk all the way.. i was running boush platnium 4's in my teg and it made it run like crap and it use to smoke a lot and then i put ngk's in and it ran like a champ

[BlackDeuceCoupe]

NGK V-Power plugs will work fine, but I'm here to tell you they don't work as good as Champion Copper Plus plugs. Try the Champs some time and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Hope this helped, Mischief(LTS). With that, I'll fade back into the woodwork...

I got Bosch Platinum 4 sparkplugs if you want them real cheap, 10$ + shipping. Brand new, never opened. Email me PeterV1228@yahoo.com

[thermal]

Originally posted by BlackDeuceCoupe
To save myself some time, I pulled up a past discussion on SHO that might be of interest to you. So, if you don't mind a copy 'n' paste...

BTW, when I wrote this, I was convinced NGK copper core plugs were the only way to go. Since then, I have discovered Champion Copper Plus plugs to be every bit their equal, if not better. As a matter of fact, I haven't bought NGK plugs in over a year. Keep that in mind while reading this.

Enjoy!





























According to NGK:
Bingo! Why guess? Honda doesn't know how long plugs last. Even NGK doesn't know how long they will last. The 'answer' is to use copper-core NGK V-Powers and replace them often. Now, who suggested that???


I agree 100% !!! And, the same applies to iridiums...
We agree again...
I believe you. Your version of the 'truth' makes much more sense than freak2828's. Thanks for sharing, bro!

Holy fucking shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!..... I remember this thread on SHO civic forum years and years back when I first bought my car in 99! Ha ha ha..... daym BDC

Yes, i also remember quite a good post from BDC a few yearz back.

[Shaved &/or Laid]

why doesnt this guy post more often ?

[pdiggitydogg]

because hes hst's gargoyle....always watching

i did not know spark plugs could help so much with power can someone tell me this

if i raced another 2002 civic si and i had plugs and he didnt will i win bcause of the mods?

[pdiggitydogg]

no
and why are you saying you have a type r civic?

[Sivik]

^^^^ haha, i was wondering the same thing

every engine has spark plugs... well except for desiels... but we dont drive those so anyways, no plugs would not decide who would win.