I have searched the boards through and through about spark plugs and wires. I have not seen a general concensus on what brands to use at all. So my question is this, what are the best combinations of spark plugs and wires? My engine is a fairly stock 305 TPI. So far I have read that much of this subject deals with trial and error, but unfortunately, my time is limited as to when I can work on my car, mainly because it is my only car and I am in school. Any help would be appreciated. Thanx.

 

AC's with MSD wires

 

AC delco wires/cap/rotor/plugs....don't waste you time and money with anything else especially if it is stock.

 

The best spark plug is the Bosch Platimum plus 4's, without a doubt! It delivers the best spark due to it's 4 tips rather than the normal1 electrode or the so called groove type plug. It never has to be gapped and they last a very long time. They are between $4.50 to $5.99 each (depends where you buy them) and if you have headers on your 3rd gen then you'll appreciate their longevity and quality. I've had mine for almost 3 years now and they are still in great shape. I do a lot of weekend racing and also use my car as a daily driver.

The best wires I've found (and I've tried many brands) is the MSD's 8.5 mm wire. The wires are extremly well made and have the best connectors on both ends that far exceeds all of the others I've used. They have the least resistance loss of any I've used and can withstand the high heat level that headers produce.

You will be very pleased with this combination. If you want even better results buy yourself a MSD 6 or 6a spark controller and be prepared for a huge gain in power, gas milage and overall performance.

 

Hey,

any more info on this MSD spark controller, "huge increase in power and mileage".

Tom

 

All those expensive spark plugs are GARBAGE.

The only reason that newer cars EVEN use the Platinum plugs is to lengthen the life of the parts, so no issues pop up during the warranty.


AC Delco plugs...@$1.00 each.

If you plan on headers, or even not, because I like to route the wires how I want them...

Taylor Cut to fit wire set. @$50

The centerbolt made 4 u wire looms are worth every penny at $40 too...

Makes it look good, and works VERY well.

You guys keep spending $5 a spark plug...

Today when I'm helping my buddy get his 10 SECOND Nova ready for it's first run of the season, we'll have a beer and laugh about it as we install AC DELCO plugs.



Barnum was right...

 

And as far as MSD wires...they aren't bad at all...but the Taylor wires are cheaper, take MUCH abuse, and the boots are lower profile for headers too...


As for MSD ignition boxes...


There again, seems like money better spent somewhere else, but that's just me....

Out of all the REALLY fast, DRIVEN cars I know of, only a couple even have an aftermarket ignition box..and those I'm thinking of all have nitrous w/ control to automatically retard the timing during each nitrous hit...that's money well spent on a Nitrous motor.

 

Well while you and your buddy are replacing your $1.00 spark plugs "Again", those of us who use the plus 4's can sit back and relax knowing that we won't have to replace our plugs fpor at least 3 years, no matter how much racing we do!

Don't knock them until you have tried them.

 

LOL

When tuning the car, we pull the plugs after EVERY RUN to check 'em....Still one of the best ways to see how a non computer controlled engine is running.

Now on daily-driven cars...

You know what... YOUR RIGHT...these plugs are the BEST.

I'm completely wrong.

Besides it's much easier to let you believe that the $60 you spent on PLUGS ALONE is worth it, than otherwise. Besides, it's your money, your car.

BUT...do a little researh on basic electricity / current...

It doesn't MATTER AT ALL That there are 4 tips on the plug...doesn't matter if there's 40 tips....it's using the same amount of spark to do the same job....

And one of the MAIN REASONS I won't ( And alot of hardcore racers, tuners, and people ALOT more experienced than me ) use "gimmick" plugs like this IS the fact it "doesn't need gapped"... but I digress.

Do me a favor though...you say you've had those plugs in for 3 years right? Pull a few of them and see if your 'PLUS 4' is now a 'PLUS 3 or 2'.


Just a thought, since ALOT non single electrode plugs like to break off into the engine.

 

The platinum plugs, heh, so fun to read/talk about. For some, they run fine, for others they run like crap. Electrically-wise, platinum is one of the most conductiv materials out there. However, i learned in science class, that platinum is also very corrosive. This boils down to, the more spark energy you send through the plugs, the faster they corrode. Why do cars of today run platinum plugs? because they dont have the most powerful ignition systems out there and can get away with running them for their conductivity. The second you start pairing them up to a powerful, high output ignition, they go bad, faster. Why do Delco plugs seem to last so long? They are non platinum and have a far lower rate of corrosion. So when they are put with a powerful HEI, they do not go bad as rapidly.

You want my opinion on which spark plug to use? Get 8 of all of them. Find out which runs best for YOUR application.

As for wires, ive seen good results with MSD 8.5mm Super Conductor wires. They run about 45 or so ohms of resistance per foot of plug wire. But yet have a very high RFI suppression rate.

 

Good point...


And let's not get into the fact that if the whole "plus 4" plug idea is so great...then why have professional racers and engine builders been filing the end of the tip BACK to help performance? Not a new trick...proven though.

Wouldn't covering the end with the tips be the opposite?

Oh well.. LOL


Use what works for you.....


But I'd rather use AC's, and then use the $50 I save to buy a couple gallons of race gas for the track, buy a pack of cigarettes, case of beer, and some munchies. lol

 

Why do the racers file the tips back? 2 reasons, mainly. It exposes the air/fuel mixture to more spark and it reduces the chance of pre-ignition from the ground strap being too hot.

 

LOL

I knew the reason, I was trying to make a point...

But nice explanation...


I wonder if alot of the younger guys even know what "indexing" spark plugs is?

LMAO

 

Haha, i'm only 20 (well i will be March 11), Does that count as "young?"

 

Thanks for the opinions, but the fact of the matter is that I am not going to be racing my car anytime this decade so does it matter if I get the more expensive spark plugs and not have to worry about changing them every week. I didn't want this thread to turn into an argument amongst people. I just wanted to know what plug and wire combos people recommended.

 

AC delco plugs, autozone oem type wires, accel cap & rotor set. Car runs like a dream. A very fast dream.

 

Again, if your engine is stock, just go to the autoparts store and get good 'ol AC Delco...you can't go wrong.

 

Like stated MORE than a few times..

You can't go wrong with AC Delco plugs, ESPECIALLY if it's stock or mild..that's what the factory put in them.

As for wires. If you want to cut them to fit so you can run them like you want, Taylor or MSD work fine. If not, and you don't mind they way the stock ones are routed, definitely buy an AC Delco wire set, just stay away from the "lifetime" wires that alot of the auto parts stores sell.

 

I work in the product engineering department at Honeywell spark plugs, we make Autolite and Motorcraft plugs, among others so maybe I can help. Regarding +4's, since electricity follows the path of least resistance you're only going to get one spark to one electrode just because it's .0001" closer than the other three. After a while that electrode will wear out and the spark will just start jumping to another electrode. If you run the plugs a long time, the spark will carve a trench through the ceramic because the centerwire is eroding into the ceramic so the spark has to travel out of the hole and to the electrode. After the sparks make their rounds to all four electrodes you'll have four trenches cut through and it's possible for one of the pieces of ceramic to break in your engine. We have had this happen in test engines while our platinum plugs that were run in the same engine still look healthy.

The best plugs to use are finewire double platinums. The platinum greatly reduces wear (and is NOT a performance enhancement like many people think) and the finewire (referring to the diameter of the center electrode being small) decreases required voltage.

Factory igniton coils, wires, and control modules are capable of 6000rpm+ and you don't need an MSD box or upgraded coil or module unless you're turning above that. In fact, because the msd box has to support such high RPMs, it charges and discharges much faster than a factory coil which means less energy output in the spark compared to a factory coil until you hit high RPMs where the factory coil doesnt have enough time to charge/discharge. Less energy doesn't necessarily hurt anything, it just means that at low RPM's the MSD box is doing absolutely nothing for you.

 

Very good point Ukraine. Well explained also.