spark plugs

[Schurkey]

****** plugs are ****** plugs no matter what engine they're in.

I quit buying Champions thirty years ago. Soft, fast-wearing electrodes, and the most-brittle porcelain in the industry. If any of that's changed since then, I don't know about it because I'm DONE with them.

Too many Autolites are now made in China.

 

[gyver]

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So, I posting this to ensure that I look like a cheap ******* here on the forum.

I don't mind forking out for "premium" parts but hate spending money on gimmicks etc.

So on the subject of spark plugs.....

I can get brand name spark plugs for under $2, but then comes the iridium option. Well that's gonna put me up around $8-9 a piece. Is there any true advantange to running iridium plugs on the Vortec motors?

I understand the "you get what you pay for" mentality. Yes, you get that warm fuzzy feeling that you've treated your vehicle to the best. But it that warm feeling have any actual performance backing in this situation?

So, I posting this to ensure that I look like a cheap ******* here on the forum.

I don't mind forking out for "premium" parts but hate spending money on gimmicks etc.

So on the subject of spark plugs.....

I can get brand name spark plugs for under $2, but then comes the iridium option. Well that's gonna put me up around $8-9 a piece. Is there any true advantange to running iridium plugs on the Vortec motors?

I understand the "you get what you pay for" mentality. Yes, you get that warm fuzzy feeling that you've treated your vehicle to the best. But it that warm feeling have any actual performance backing in this situation?

I don’t use the iridium plugs. They just don’t last. I should say my valve seals do leak on one side so my plugs do have to be cleaned or replaced every 6 months or so and it will start missing. When I remove the iridium plugs the ceramic shoulders are disintegrated and carbon is caked up. Since I use the conventional plugs I don’t have that much of a problem and they are much cheaper. After I get my seals replaced I’m still going to use the cheaper conventional plugs. R45TS

 

[SAATR]

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50k mile 41-993's out of my Suburban, with about 360k on the clock when removed. No performance issues when pulled, just was replacing the wires due to one arcing out and figured plugs were due. But, some people run TR55's with no issues at all, so YMMV.

Also, the 41-993's are marked ITR4A15 on the base, which is an NGK 5599 Laser Iridium, so they are manufactured by NGK.

 

[Schurkey]

Thanks for the reminder. I pulled the original plugs out of my Trailblazer at 90K, and they looked so perfect that I tightened the gap about two thousandths on each one, added a little anti-seize on the threads, and screwed 'em right back in.

I didn't change those plugs until 160K miles.

The "new" plugs have 90K on them, so I suppose I'm due to yank 'em out and see how things look.

 

[RichLo]

^ LOL, now thats being a cheap *******!

 

[Schurkey]

^ LOL, now thats being a cheap *******!

In High School, I had a T-shirt that said "I am Cheap and Decadent".

Here's the plugs at 165K:

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[SAATR]

In High School, I had a T-shirt that said "I am Cheap and Decadent".

Here's the plugs at 165K:

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I do believe you got ALL the goody out of that original set. That plug ceased to be iridium tipped at least 30k miles prior. Looks like a good running plug short of all the wear. Had a 4.7L Durango come into the shop years ago with a slight misfire under load. Turns out the OE copper Champions were still there at 130k miles, and worn such that the center electrode was recessed into the insulator. Hell of an ignition system on that engine to still fire that plug reliably, as the gap had to be in the .100 range.

 

[454cid]

Wow that's a lot of thread!

 

[RichLo]

I bought my old ZR2 Blazer with about 150k miles on it and the PO said he replaced the plugs every 50k miles and they were 'all' fresh when I bought it. Well I took one plug wire off and it was a new plug so I didn't worry about them for another 50 or 60k miles.

Well for one plug you have to remove the steering shaft to get it out and apparently the PO didn't want to go through that much effort and 5 out of 6 must have been good enough to qualify as 'all' in his mind. So that one plug I assume was still OEM at 200k miles. The gap was huge and the ground strap was feather thin but it was still running just fine. I was just doing preventative maintenance, I couldn't believe it was still firing, lol.

 

[sewlow]

I bought my old ZR2 Blazer with about 150k miles on it and the PO said he replaced the plugs every 50k miles and they were 'all' fresh when I bought it. Well I took one plug wire off and it was a new plug so I didn't worry about them for another 50 or 60k miles.

Well for one plug you have to remove the steering shaft to get it out and apparently the PO didn't want to go through that much effort and 5 out of 6 must have been good enough to qualify as 'all' in his mind. So that one plug I assume was still OEM at 200k miles. The gap was huge and the ground strap was feather thin but it was still running just fine. I was just doing preventative maintenance, I couldn't believe it was still firing, lol.

My '69 Chevelle, SBC/headers, would take 20 minutes to get the 2 back plugs out. Each. 2 universals, 1 long & 1 short extension & a cut down socket.
My '70 Nova, BBC/headers, (smaller car, bigger engine) & I could swap all 8 out in about 1/2 an hour.
Buddy had a '69 Mach-1 with a Drag Pack 428 SCJ/4-gear.
He had to un-bolt the headers, remove the shifter & bell-crank, un-bolt the mounts (engine & trans) remove the driveshaft, undo some wiring, then pull the engine up & about 8" forward just to get to the 2 plugs down by the engine mounts! After the 3rd. or 4th. go-round with that nonsense, he did what every other Mach-1/428 owner did. Drilled a 2" hole in each inner fenderwell. Removing the front wheels to get at those 2 plugs was a lot easier!

 

[DavidAlan]

Will add my 2 cents in,I have used every type a plug out there from cheap to expensive,I favor one over all the rest,but found ones I love are hard to find now,but if your vehicle is stock,I go with ACDelco plugs,they were designed for the average driver,now if you modify well then you can go the broad spectrum ,and find what you like or hate,I found a guide you may be interested in:

https://www.thedrive.com/reviews/27526/best-spark-plugs

Now I been used Bosch Platium 4's in my chevy's for last 20 plus years and love them,but we all have favorites....