Has any one used the "BOSCH PLATINUM 2 or 4" I was told that these are good but I have never used them.

 

I wouldn't waste your money on those, AC Delco are just as good and cost less. Planitum will last longer but doesn't conduct as well.

 

a/c delco plain old non anything square electrode. platinum benefits are for longevity and an initially hotter,more intense spark but the duration of the spark isnt as long as with a conventional plug. just so you know-take any splitfire ideas and do yourself a favor-dont even bother trying them. my .02 cents

 

What are the best plugs? Why? Pros? Cons?

 

JUST MY OPINION - so don't crucify me...

AC copper-cored plugs (the standard off-the-shelf plugs) are a good design with a strong insulator, deep ribs, and are available in heat ranges suitable for almost any need. They would be much better if they were plated, but have one of the best insulator seals around. The AC true platinum plugs are a good step beyond the regular steel ones, and would be my choice for the most reliable plug. Be careful not to get the platinum-clad plugs, but the true platinum tips.

Champions Copper Plus are very good plugs, and they ARE plated to resist corrosion. They also have a very good seal design and deep ribs on the insulator to prevent flashover. They are also only one of two plug manufacturers that I am aware of that make aircraft plugs (Champion and Auburn). Platimun versions are available and are identical in quality to AC platinums. Flip a coin and make your choice. The only problem with either AC or Champion true platinums is the more limited heat ranges available, and all the plugs tend to run a little hotter to stay clean.

Both AC and Champion offer plug in nearly every configuration: Resistor, straight, extended tip, extra-extended tip, shrouded or exposed center electrode, and just about any heat range in any of those designs. Finding a store that has all the choices is another matter, though.

Accels that I have seen are probably actually Champions or Autolite (Allied Signal). They have a much higher price tag for the same thing in a cosmetic package, and offer even fewer heat range choices than either AC or Champion.

Autolite and Motorcraft aren't even in the running, so don't bother. They have shorter and weaker insulators, and limited choices for heat range in many tip sizes and designs.

NGK makes very good spark plugs. The center electrode design is very durable and produces and accurately positioned spark. They have a good insulator design, deep side ribs, and a very good seal design and material. They are also plated to resist corrosion. They offer a very good variety of heat ranges in almost every size.

All of the above plugs have a single side electrode that is welded to the shell base, with no special configuration of the side electrode. None of them are intentionally indexed as built and the side electrode can end up nearly anywhere in relation to the thread lead.

Bosch used to make a decent plug, but even the high-end Porsches are using NGK plugs now. The Plus 4 plugs are about as funny as that Pro-Long crap for your oil. The random firing in any of four various places in the combustion chamber are exactly what racers try to avoid when their plugs are indexed. What a freakin' joke! But to the unknowing it seems like a good idea, and does precisely what it was designed to do - sell product, not necessarily work the best.

The Split-Fire plugs are similarly unreliable due to the random firing possibilities, but not quite as bad in that respect due to there only being two main choices. What they save in random firing possibilities is more than made up for with a cheap insulator. The fact that they have short insulators with no flashover ribs just punctuates just how cheaply made these things really are.

Auburn doesn't offer automotive spark plugs, only aircraft and industrial plugs and flame rods. As for anyone else, why bother looking. If you can't find what you need from either AC/Delco or Champion, you need to buy a horse.

BTW - I have use Champion RV15YC4 or RV15YC6 (Hot) in my TA without any problems.

Remember, these are just my opinions, not gospel. Use what makes you feel good.

 

ac delco plugs are a fine and trouble free plug, granted though, they are getting longer every year it seems like pretty soon gonna need a 6 inch deep socket to take em out. autolites=good, ngk=good,accel which is usually a nippon-denso repackage=good im just not a big fan of bosch plugs for our cars-they are an excellent plug in most factory applications,bmw,volks,mercedes, etc, they just dont take much punishment i.e.-n2o, blower, tuning abuse,meaning if the thing gets fouled out the chances of a bosch plug cleaning up and firing reliably again are much lower than with any plug mentioned above. stick with the old style plugs and dont be buying into all the bs out there about magic voodoo top dollar plugs- the best thing is ck. them for wear after they have been in service 7k or so and if the center electrode is losing or has lost that nice square tip-put in new-thats the best approach to it electricity likes to jump when there is a sharp edge.get the book by dr.jacobs about optimizing ignition systems-waywayway alot of really good info including theory behind the way it works. jacobs=jacobs ignition products-seeya

 

hey me and vader was typing at the same time and i will agree champion is a good plug too. regarding those multi-electrode plugs they are trying to suck us into buying-i agree with vader-skip them-unless the multi electrode plug youare buying fits into a mazda rotary engine,cuz that is the only application that i have ever seen that requires that type of plug-some years 2 side electrodes other years 3 or 4 they cant make up their minds-but i think it has something to do with how rapidly mazda rotarys use up plugs and (or) oil consumption issues that they are known for.