Berlinetta82

Is there any real performance to be gained by getting any of those "high performance" plugs like the bosch +4's and all that? If so what would be the best to get, wires too. Any performance gains? And what to get?

Thanks A Lot Guys

pat12spe

I just changed to the Bosch Platinum +4's and upgraded to 8mm wires. I was definitely impressed. I didn't feel much of a gain, only a little better throttle response and it definitely starts up a hell of a lot easier now. IMO it's definitely worth it.

25THRSS

No! Do not buy into those rip off plugs. The spark can only travel to one electrode at a time anyways so all the other 3 are doing is quenching the spark. Just buy the regular old ac delco copper plugs and you should be set.

pat12spe

It may only travel through one at a time, but those plugs have 4 different ways to hit each time. If one of them goes bad or has a low spark, then it will hit another one which would be fresh. So they are worth the money. They will last a heck of a lot longer than the single plugs. IMO I think they're one of the better ones out there, and that's why I use them.

25THRSS

Do you understand what quenching the spark means???

pat12spe

No, why don't you tell me?

MdFormula350

after running many searches a while back, i went with a/c delco rapidfire plugs (i set the gap alittle down from what they can with back to factory settings.

i also went with the accel 8.8mm wires just because i plan on getting an aftermarket coil, plus i needed 90 degree boots for them to clear the headers i have. seems to run good, enought though i am running open headers for awhile.

25THRSS

Alright, on a standard plug you have only 1 electrode which leaves a large open area around the plug for the air and fuel to get to the spark. On the plus 4's you have 4 electrodes which the spark can only travel to 1 at a time. The other 3 electrodes effectively block the incoming air and fuel mixture to get to the spark. True, the plus 4's will last longer because once 1 electrode is worn down the spark can just move to the next and so on, but they suck for power. Besides, if you have an aftermarket ignition, you do not want to run platimum plugs. Copper is also a better conductor. The best plugs you can buy are just the standard single electrode copper plug, such as the regular ac delcos.

Kennerz

Hey,

I second that last notion, I ran MSD 6 al, with a blaster coil, and reg. Bosch platinums that had about 3K mi, and in a matter of 2-3 days the ceramic insulator had black rings and the milage went way down. Based of recommendations from this site I'm Using A/C delco R45TS ( Copper) and no problems. I have ran Bosch 4+ in my SS and they did give it the best idle, and good low speed throttle response, however they are so hot , they caused it to run almost lean on top, and bad milage. Now I run ( in the SS) NGK Iridium TR55IX, ( also hot burning) but the car runs very well with them, but the idle is not as good as the +4's. Make sure to do your home work, for a relatively stock car #2 A/C delco rapid fires work well.

Good Luck

Justins86bird

I use AC R43TS plugs.

Fire"Dutch"Bird

iTrader: (1)

R43TS is the plug mentioned in the original owners hand book that came new with my car back in '88.
However they may be to cold and faul!(happened to me several times,imagine being on holiday, driving a French highway fast,and one plug,nr8 only to reach from beneath,fauls,nobody speaks English,I don't speak French,and nowere an AC plug to buy,went hundreds of miles on 7 cil. to Germany,were the problem was solved!!)
AC R45TS is the latest recomendation for our cars(or AC Rapidfire nr2)

OMINOUS_87

NGK all the way for a standard replacement plug.

LeftTurn1LE

I second the NGK's. Nothing magic about them, just a damn good spark plug. They don't cost any more than standard AC's, and they perform much better than Bosch or SplitFire or any of the other junk out there.

Svelte_SS

What's NGK?

25THRSS

Just another brand of spark plug like champion or ac delco. They are good plugs, I have them in my LS1.

IROCZTWENTYGR8

iTrader: (1)

I'd say AC Delco.

aziroc

NGK's. ihave them on the car.. and the bike

TRAXION

I run the cheapest plug that I can find locally 24 hours a day. That means find a plug that is available in your local WalMart or whatever 24-7 place sells them. I'm currently running Autolite 3923 (which is 1 heat range colder than stock and is for aluminum heads). A 2-pack of the 3923's at my local WalMart was $1.95.

oh ... by the way ... I put down 364 horsepower to the rear wheels ... with these plugs. I guess I could be a r1cer and run the 'fancy shmancy' plugs but why? Why pay $3+/plug when I can pay less than a dollar? You just need something to light the mixture. If you want to do something REAL then just buy some plugs, cut back the ground electrode, and then index them. You get much better performance out of indexed and cut backed cheap plugs then those fancy plugs.

The only twist that I will add to this is that if you tend to drive your car A LOT before changing the plugs then there definitely is some truth to running some platinums. You just have to make the call yourself. I change my plugs a good amount because I like to check the plugs to see how the fueling is doing .... and because I just enjoy working on the car.

Here's the Autolite 3923 as compared to the everpopular ACDelco FR3LS (41-629)...
http://www.celligent.com/tim/iroc/misc/DCP_0826.JPG

Tim

OMINOUS_87

Thats a real good piece of info from Trax. Always cool your plugs down by 1 heat range when putting some major mods to your motor, such as anything other then bolt ons. This would include smaller chamber heads, cam, higher then stock compression, stroker motor etc... If your gonna boost or juice the motor your gonna possibly want to go even colder with the plug. Get into the habbit of looking at the plugs on a regular basis, do not just put in a magic platinum plug and then leave it for 10000 miles, you will never know what the heck is happening inside your engine.

Again for me, NGK is my favorite one dollar plug.

onebad82z

iTrader: (7)

Another vote for Autolite 3923's.Cheap..easy to get anywhere..almost anytime of the day.And whether I spray or run NA..they work great.

25THRSS

What does cutting back the ground strap do?

TRAXION

Opens the flame front to center of the chamber instead of just the sides.

Tim

1bad91Z

iTrader: (1)

NGK-UR4's for L98's

NGK-TR55's for vortec heads

These plugs work GREAT and last a long time. They are also a $1 plug each.

I wouldn't use platinum plugs if you have ANY type of aftermarket ignition components. I run all MSD stuff and MSD said that you would melt the platinum out of the plug and onto the piston if you use platinum plugs with their ignition components.

NGK's work great with hot ignition setups and Nitrous/blower apps.

Just a thought!

Berlinetta82

Thanks A Lot. Im glad to hear that I dont have to spend a lot of cash to get the best plugs, or one of the best I guess.