I know that someone posted on this about a month ago but I can't find it. I am running the Bosh platinum tipped spark plugs (single electrode) and was wondering if anyone else has used the plugs and if so did they perform well. Any problems with fouling or having to regap? Thanks.

 

I used the bosch plats for about 4 years now. No problems and I feel
they performed very well. However I am thinking of going to a NGK with my new setup. Seems lots of people are having great luck with them as well.

 

Thanks. I have never used these and was concerned about fouling and the life of the plug. Changing plugs is not an easy chore to do on these engines so I only want to do it once a year.

 

You'll have no problems forsure. I ran a set for 3 years but it depends on how much you drive also.

 

Ahhh. The great spark plug debate again. My favorite. There is absolutely no reason why someone should use any other spark plug than stock. Bosch Platinum, Platinum plus 4's, and all the other "gimmick" plugs on the market are wastes of money. Spark plugs are not performance enhancers. One new plug will not yield any more horsepower than another new plug. They feel great because the plugs you just replaced were just too old. Spark plugs have virtually no influence on how an engine burns fuel or runs in general. The correct spark plug (one with the proper heat range)for a given engine is just merely one that will survive the conditions within the engine.IE. Nitrous injected engines, turbo applications etc. Plugs must maintain a certain temperature to keep themselves clean. That is all a spark plug needs to do. Survive. Platinums, Platinum +4's, and yes guys, even the super duper Splitfires are wastes of money!! Stock is best.

 

The plus behind the bosch plugs are durability. The do not wear as fast as stock AC Delco plugs or any other stock type electrode plugs, they are not likely to foul as fast either due to less overall resistance as the plug wears. As a stock plug wears the gap is slowly increased, what this actually does is a 2 fold process. 1. it creates more coil saturation by "holding back" the electronic energy for a bit more spark energy. 2 creates alot more heat within the coil and heat kills electronics(stock ignitions are not built to withstand long durations of high heat)Boschsarnot as" restictive " it can tolerate increased service intervals. As for the double and quad electrodes,its alot of money but they do last longer. I run double platnum bosch in my suburban"pull a trailer and race car" and they last about twice as long as stock plugs. You can notice idle quality from NEW plugs in a general comparison " stock type as to a platnum type. They do help power but it is not noticable (dyno) I would just go with single bosch if your not into plug changes. Yes heat ranges do matter alot but as long as you tell the counter guy what you have got you will get the correct plug. Anyway if stock AC plugs are so good than why does gm use the 100000 mile"platnums in all their new cars? LESS SERVICE for the customer.If you really want to read i can email you a great book to find about electronic ignitions and theory. It can help you understand more and not be as helpless bringing your car for service. Those things that i tried to explain to you are as simple as i could descibe so you understand but there still is alot more to know just about plugs and diffrent types gaps ranges and more of how they work. That book will do it for you. I dont just bring my car to get parts changed to go fast Ibuild them ,have access to dynos etc.

 

So, the extra $$$ is for durability? I see. Thanks for the clarification!!

 

Hmmm ......actually yes. thats what i said. I explained how they work and why because the guy asked a question. Saying plugs have absolutly no effect on how a car runs? The avg consumer dont want to be under the hood changing plugs etc. You can go twice as long as long with the standard single wire platnums under regular driving without a problem. Read what the guy stated ..
"Thanks. I have never used these and was concerned about fouling and the life of the plug. Changing plugs is not an easy chore to do on these engines so I only want to do it once a year." You were the one who talk about all the other types

 

Overall, I tend to agree, which is why I went with regular platinums vs. the four prongs at 4X the price.

However, when I removed my stock plugs, I found that two of them had shed their pucks. I have heard those pucks scoring cylinder walls.

 

I never have seen that happen before but i guess its possible if you detonate the engine pretty hard. :smash:

 

peformance plugs come in to mind with high demand motors, running high test octance or a power adder. iridimum *spelling i know* create a much hotter spark versus standard or plantinum plugs, and is needed for higher output motors, however it really is overkill for the street, esp at about 10 dollars a plug. :yesnod:

 

Changing plugs is easy. All you need is patience and the right tools. It takes me about 1-1.5 hours on a vette. It takes me about an hour for my Tahoe, which is the easiest vehicle in the world to change spark plugs on.

The purpose of high performance spark plugs is to prevent problems. They are not going to add power, but you can lose power with inferior plugs. Why would you want to spend a lot of money on an engine and then be cheap with spark plugs?

 

You're correct on the spark plug issue. I did a little experiment with my '85. I installed a set of Bosch platinum plugs with the single electrode, drove the car around for two weeks with those plugs. Sometimes it took a couple of cranks to get the car to turn over. I pulled the platinums out and installed a set of Champion RV17YC Copper Plus. The car actually ran better with the Champion plugs! I main thing is to make sure the correct heat range is being used. I won't waste money on "gimmick" plugs again! :chevy

 

I tried the Bosch Platinum plugs.The ones with the single tiny electrode. The car developed a rough idle after a month. I put the plugs under a magnifier and the electrodes were covered with deposits. That tiny electrode may work fine in a low compression toyota, but in a L98 they are junk. I bought the ACFR5LS for a buck each after a year they are still fine. What a waste of money and time!

 

This is really what I was looking for. With all of the new technology and materials on the market today something as tried and true as the old stock spark plug can surely be improved upon. I was leaning toward the platinum plug mostly for the service life and cleaner burn. More horsepower is not my concern. I have had stock plugs that I have had to pull, clean, and reset more often than I cared to and I have never used any "fancy" plugs so I needed some advice. I want to thank all of you for your input on this.


[Modified by Blue88, 12:33 PM 6/27/2002]

 

No offense, but champion *a division owner by federal mogul* are known to most as pure junk plugs. I'd watch out for them.

 

I'm using the Bosch platinum plus fours. I can't say for certain that they work any better but one thing I like about them is the guarantee. If not happy with them and you keep your receipt you can return them for a full refund. Does Champion, NGK and AC Delco offer the same guarantee? To the best of my knowledge, no they do not. I'm running plus fours in my 85 coupe, 96 Avenger and 97 Caravan. I've already returned one set from my 85 coupe for a full refund after 2 years but I bought them again because of the guarantee. Whatever floats your boat.

 

My Bosch Platinums kept getting SUPER HOT! Even after the manifolds were cool the plugs were to hot to touch. I put in the ACFR5LS for $1.29 and the car runs fine and the plugs cool down like they should.

 

I like Bosch Platinum plugs. Never had any problems with them.

Except for one thing...the Platimuns cost less than the AC's!!!

As far as 'gimmick' goes, any platinum plug is better than the non-platinum counterpart, they make a noticeable improvement in low speed driving as well as reduce emmissions ( and that is measurable ).

 

TPIS claims in their "Insider Hints" book that the plus 4 plugs will produce more HP than other plugs. This was checked on a dyno. I know they sell them but so does everybody else. So I see no reason for them to make false claims.
Just my .02