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Spark plug reviews for N/A cars

Warhellride

Warhellride

New member
There's a pretty large thread in the SC section, so I figured I'd ask what plugs the N/A guys are running and why.

I replaced the stock plugs with NGK TR55IX at about 75k mi and have had good results (run smooth, no noticeable increase in power but didn't expect any). Street driven DD with few mods.
 


I had good results with those when I had my 3.8l n/a. Well I guess I should say no negative affects. The original plugs only had about 10k miles.
 
Okay, Ive followed the thread in the S/C'd section and I have a challenge for those that may be able to do it.

We all speculate on how good a product is, many times without any real evidence. If I use a motor oil, spark plug, filter, etc. and it doesnt cause any noticeable harm, then we generally call it a good product and we often repeat purchase. I can testify to the fact that just because a product like a motor oil doesnt cause any noticeable harm doesnt mean its doing what its supposed to. I cant tell you the number of times Ive been told "Well my dad used X motor oil in his car and got 200k out of it". Well thats all well and good but it still doesnt mean its the best nor does it mean it offered the best protection.

The same goes with spark plugs among other products. If I put one in and it works until its time to put a new set in, most will say its a good plug. But by what standards of evaluation are you using? We also are subjected to the wild claims and supposed data that backs it up from the manufactures. But how much of that can be related to the everyday motorist? How do we substantiate their claims on a repeatable basis?

So my challenge to you is to discuss how you would compare one plug to another so that we first come up with the standards by which every tested plug will be judged. Then discuss how we can implement those tests in a safe and repeatable fashion.

I have seen other sites do a large product comparison. I think this would be good to do with plugs. Have a Spark Plug Shootout if you will. We dont even have to have a large scale test all at once either. If we can come up with a set of fair and reliable standards then maybe everyone, at the time they change their plugs can fill out the data and we can come up with an overall database that gives us a fair picture of how each plug compares.

Im not after conclusive evidence, Im more after application specific, real world experience. Let everyone else do what they will with the information.

So what say all of you? Sound like something we could work together on as a community? I may even post this over in the S/C'd section as well to see what we can come up with.
 
As I illuded to in the s/c section, this may be a test hard to get conclusive data, because of variables like mod level, condition of the vehicle, etc. Although I haven't seen the HotRod magazine article where they dyno tested the TR6IX plugs on a Lightning, it was realyed to be by a well respected member here. As I understand it, they dyno's the Ford with whatever plugs it had and then replaced them the TR6IX and dyno'd again. The gain in HP was so high that it makes me wonder whether the plugs that came out may have needed to be replaced and some of the gain was just from having new plugs.

It seems the only way to do this would be with a dyno run on each of the new plugs. Looking at KR levels and HP/torque curves. A 60 mile trip on the hiway with cruise control set at the same mph done with each plug. It would be nice to get the hiway readings where the population is low enough the cruise would not have to be turned on and off. Seat of the pants tests on all new plugs would likely not show any clear winner unless a given set of plugs were operating out of the engine specs for a spark plug.

I like your idea and would love to see more discussion on this.
 
Yeah, I figure its going to be a task. I didnt think it would be easy, but we could let the discussion begin and see what we come up with. If it dies as an idea, then so be it. Im not really interested in overall hp gains. Thats nice but I would find that more subjective than just testing the plugs themselves as it would depend on the type of dyno, weather condtions, mods, and so on. And yeah, KR would be a big influence on that.

I like your thoughts more on the highway cruise test. Maybe we can narrow the test to this range and come up with something. I think it would be safe to assume that any plug that does well here over and above any other would also do well in track use or WOT runs where less time is spent than at cruise.
 
Another good way to test would be to find someone with a dyno (or maybe even get one of the vendors involved) and test each of the plugs, using brand new plugs each time to see if there is a noticeable difference.

Maybe even do the test on several engines, one N/A, one stock GTP, and one moderately modded (i.e. 3.4 pulley and supporting mods) GTP to see how different plugs perform at higher boost levels.

Another test is longevity. A good way to do that would be to have individual members note the condition of their plugs and the mileage when they pull them. It will take a long time to get data, though, since most of us don't replace plugs very often.
 


SyntheticShield said:
Okay, Ive followed the thread in the S/C'd section and I have a challenge for those that may be able to do it.

We all speculate on how good a product is, many times without any real evidence. If I use a motor oil, spark plug, filter, etc. and it doesnt cause any noticeable harm, then we generally call it a good product and we often repeat purchase. I can testify to the fact that just because a product like a motor oil doesnt cause any noticeable harm doesnt mean its doing what its supposed to. I cant tell you the number of times Ive been told "Well my dad used X motor oil in his car and got 200k out of it". Well thats all well and good but it still doesnt mean its the best nor does it mean it offered the best protection.

The same goes with spark plugs among other products. If I put one in and it works until its time to put a new set in, most will say its a good plug. But by what standards of evaluation are you using? We also are subjected to the wild claims and supposed data that backs it up from the manufactures. But how much of that can be related to the everyday motorist? How do we substantiate their claims on a repeatable basis?

So my challenge to you is to discuss how you would compare one plug to another so that we first come up with the standards by which every tested plug will be judged. Then discuss how we can implement those tests in a safe and repeatable fashion.

I have seen other sites do a large product comparison. I think this would be good to do with plugs. Have a Spark Plug Shootout if you will. We dont even have to have a large scale test all at once either. If we can come up with a set of fair and reliable standards then maybe everyone, at the time they change their plugs can fill out the data and we can come up with an overall database that gives us a fair picture of how each plug compares.

Im not after conclusive evidence, Im more after application specific, real world experience. Let everyone else do what they will with the information.

So what say all of you? Sound like something we could work together on as a community? I may even post this over in the S/C'd section as well to see what we can come up with.
Click to expand...

:eek:

Can you just tell me the type of plug to put in and then ask me questions about it later?

:p
 
I tried the NGK TR55s and hated them. Mine had ****ty screw on caps, and I would get an intermittent cylinder misfire. Changed them out for some Autolite 605s and didn't look back. My engine fires up on the first crank and haven't had any issues since.
 
JCGT said:
I tried the NGK TR55s and hated them. Mine had ****ty screw on caps, and I would get an intermittent cylinder misfire. Changed them out for some Autolite 605s and didn't look back. My engine fires up on the first crank and haven't had any issues since.
Click to expand...

LOL screw caps do suck. You have to tighten down the screw caps and a little high temp thread lock wouldn't hurt.
 


I got the TR55s but didn't have a screw cap, no complaints other than my gas millage seems to be lower....

If there were proof for the gain from Iridium plugs then I'd spend the money, but I don't have it to waste if I'm not gonna gain anything
 
02BlueGT said:
I got the TR55s but didn't have a screw cap, no complaints other than my gas millage seems to be lower....

If there were proof for the gain from Iridium plugs then I'd spend the money, but I don't have it to waste if I'm not gonna gain anything
Click to expand...

I love the iridiums, however, as long as you get the right plugs for your car I don't know if it matters too much. You shouldn't have lost mpg with the TR55's since they are the right heat range and spec for a 3.8. I assume you set the gap for your engine requirements? The cold weather will lower your mpg as well.
 


I've had really good luck, sticking with Autolite and AC Delco iridium. I tried other plugs like NGK and Bosh, only to be let down by poor gas mileage and longevity. Anyone here tried Denso? Heard they have a very reputable plug on the market.
 
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