Will an AC Delco R45TS spark plug work for a 1985 Corvette
 

Hi all,
I own a C6 but a friend of mine has a 1985 Corvette and is looking to change the plugs. The auto store didnt have R43TS AC Delco plugs and recommended R45TS AC Delco plugs instead (gapped to 0.045 inches) which run a little hotter. They told my friend that the hotter plug would help with burning off carbon deposits in the engine.

His Vette is all stock except for a performance chip which was installed before he bought the car (he doesnt know the brand/manufacturer of the performance chip). Is the the R45TS plug ok for his Vette? I dont want him running into any problems because of a wrong spark plug selection. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Hi Everyone,
I recently purchased a black 1985 corvette [no mods] from California and in my searches on the CF was wondering if the R45TS AC Delco plugs (gapped to 0.045 inches) is the way to go. Any intel is greatly appreciated.

I try to read and research many threads before posting questions as I know that many topics have been covered over and over.

Thanks,
Darcy Bast

Install the specified plug with the specified gap. A good running engine under mixed driving should not need to worry about burning off carbon deposits.

Steve

The plug is a little hotter, but should work. The "standard" gap should be .35 for the 1985, but the HEI will fire a gap of .45 without problems.

Increasing the gap by .010 inches will not do anything for the heat range of the plug. If the specified plug is R43TS, then I wouldn't put a higher heat range plug in its place. First the higher heat range plug will not, "burn off carbon", and second, the hotter plug will deliver more heat into the coolant and on hot days you will likely experience an overheat.
Modern fuel injected engines should not have any carbon in them and if they do, no spark plug will get rid of it and you should be finding out what is wrong with the engine that it is depositing carbon!
Find someplace that does have the correct spark plug.

The recommended plug for his car is the R43TS. Ecklers has them for @ 19.95 a set. But don't quote me on the price.