what do you guys think about the bosch platinum +4's??? I ran 8 of them in my 4 banger ranger and they were a huge improvement over stock.... I want to change the plugs on my blazer this month and I cant decide what to buy....

 

I think SparkPlugs.com posted to the same effects that I have always stated. I think they are a gimic. Electricity will always follow the path of least resistance. There will never be multiple simultaneous sparks to all of the electrodes. And once the other electrodes get built up with by-products of combustion, they will be rendered useless. There is more, but I don't have the time to type it up while I'm at work.

 

well, anything was beter than motorcraft plugs on my ford...lol so what would you reccomend for optimum performance and efficiency? maybe iridium?? in particular the NGK IX Iridium

 

It all depends on the engine. I installed AC Delco Double Platinums in my Bravada because they do a damn good job and last a long time. I was tempted to use the Iridium plugs because they are supposed to have the spark energy of a copper plug with the long life of a double platinum, but I couldn't justify the cost. The newer ignition systems are already potent enough that they can deliver a very strong spark even with a platinum plug.

As I have said before, my Bonneville came stock with double platinums as well, but I am running regular coppers because it can use more spark energy with the boost turned up! LOL

 

i may go with the NGK IX Iridium plugs... I can get them for like $6 each...... thats not that bad considering competitior iridium plugs ar $12 each

 

I wonder what the difference is between all these plugs. The reason I am changine plugs is because I want a noticable increase in performance like everyone else is that are changing their plugs to these ac delcos. I just dont know which ones to buy, will iridium plugs give me a bigger boost?

 

definitely dont buy the Bosch Platinum +2 or +4, they suck, here are some pics of the +2 I pulled out of my Blazer and replaced with the AC Delco Platinum's





one electrode white, one black and covered in deposits

 

Plugs in and of themselves will provide very little to no increase in performance. If you have good plugs, with the appropriate gap, that are clean, you probably won't notice any difference in performance. I replace mine as preventative maintenance as I stated earlier. As such, I do not notice any difference after the change. It is when your old plugs are bad that you will see/feel a difference. How large of a difference depends on the condition of the old plugs.

To that effect, everything from the coil to the plug has an effect on the spark. So check your wires, cap, & rotor for signs of wear, spark leakage (spray bottle of water at night), and carbon fouling (plugs, cap & rotor specific).

 

unless you are running a stand alone ignition system you dont really need plugs that arent stock, I doubt you will see any different between 1 electrode and 4, I personally wont run anything other then ac delcos, Even my drag engines ran r45ts's the ONLY plug that i think anyone gains any benift from are the shorty header plugs and thats just for clearance. I could be wrong but I have worked in the industry for years, both civilian and military mechanics.

 

I agree plugs won't give you much of a power increase but, on the other hand, some of the improvements i've seen with plug swaps
1. improved idle
2. better throtte response
3. better mpg (slight)

some wierd notes:
my ls1 camaro felt like it picked up 10hp with just a plug change (plugs had 9200.00 miles on them. yes, 9k) the stock gaps were all over the place..only long tube headers gave me a sotp improvement like the plug change did.

my 5.0 mustangs hated bosch +2's. car would barely idle, and had no throttle response...
pulled out the brand new +2's swapped in a new set of std bosch platinuims and the car ran great..
(std bosch plats allways ran better than any other plug in my stangs)