Welcome to the North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club Thursday March 28, 2024
Home Forums Images WikiNASIOC Products Store Modifications Upgrade Garage
NASIOC
Go Back   NASIOC > NASIOC Technical > Normally Aspirated Powertrain

Welcome to NASIOC - The world's largest online community for Subaru enthusiasts!
Welcome to the NASIOC.com Subaru forum.

You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, free of charge, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.







* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads. 
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-10-2002, 01:11 AM   #1
erice1984
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 11778
Join Date: Oct 2001
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Illinois
Vehicle:
1980 VWRabbit Diesel
w/AAZ Swap

Default Best Spark Plugs...

I know this subject has probably been covered before, I just wanted to clarify, for myself and others, what the best set of plugs are for any subaru, assuming the difference is very small between the different engines. Except the FI engines.

I was wanting to get rid of my crappions and needed a direction to go. I was thinking of platinum-4 ones, but I just liked them becuase they are cool...lol. help me out here
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
erice1984 is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
Old 03-10-2002, 01:42 AM   #2
Eric SS
Sooby Guru
 
Member#: 1914
Join Date: Jul 2000
Chapter/Region: SWIC
Location: 2014 Q60S, 2016 Chevy SS
Vehicle:
2000 2.5RS w/ EJ22T
swap and N20. gone. : (

Default

There are two bests (in my opinion) depending on what you mean by best.

1) if by "best" you mean the ones that will last the longest you should ge with any platinum plug (not sure which one because I hate platinum plugs)

2) if by best you mean anything besides which will last the longest, I would go with NGK TR 6's.

Eric
Eric SS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2002, 02:31 AM   #3
outback2.5HO
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 15135
Join Date: Feb 2002
Chapter/Region: NWIC
Location: Bend, Or. USA
Vehicle:
95 GF WRX
Black

Default

NGK platinums or coppers.

30k maintenance interval on coppers, 60k on platinums.
Platinums are worth the extra $, and are generally a better burning plug.
outback2.5HO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2002, 03:01 AM   #4
Eric SS
Sooby Guru
 
Member#: 1914
Join Date: Jul 2000
Chapter/Region: SWIC
Location: 2014 Q60S, 2016 Chevy SS
Vehicle:
2000 2.5RS w/ EJ22T
swap and N20. gone. : (

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by outback2.5HO
Platinums are worth the extra $, and are generally a better burning plug.
This is a huge misnomer (sp.) with spark plugs. Platinum is not a better buring plug! The reason auto manufacturers are going towards platinums is because of the life span. Platinum doesn't wear out as quick as copper so it lasts longer. Therefor, platinum plugs maintance interval is longer. This allows auto manufacturers to state "100,000 mile maintance intervals" or whatever on commercials.

In a platinum plug, little pieces of platinum are "glued" onto the ground strap and electrode of a spark plug. To get a picture of this, think of a normal looking plug and then just pretend that a little circular piece of metal is glued to the ground strap side (the little thing that protudes from the end of the plug). Now, say that this plug is gapped to .045" and everything is going fine. Now, say that somewhere down the line that little piece of platinum comes off nad gets flushed out of the talepipe. All of a sudden your gap on your plugs is .070" or so! This is horrible for performance and gas milage.

And honestly, on Subaru's, the plugs are very easy to change. It is a 10 minute job at the most.

Corvettes (from at least 1994 to present) come with Platinum plugs and about half of the plugs I look at have blown the platinum "puck" off the ground strap. I end up changing them because a gap of .070 is actually very dangerous because it can cause the cylinder to "load up" which causes detonation and we all know that detonation is bad.

Anyway, I;m done giving my monthly i-club spark plug spiel...

Eric
Eric SS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2002, 03:27 AM   #5
HndaTch627
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 6551
Join Date: May 2001
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Carol Stream, IL
Vehicle:
'01 GC8 Dinged STM
'09 Concours 14 ABS Black

Default

[quote]Originally posted by Imprezinator
[b]

This is a huge misnomer (sp.) with spark plugs. Platinum is not a better buring plug! The reason auto manufacturers are going towards platinums is because of the life span. Platinum doesn't wear out as quick as copper so it lasts longer. Therefor, platinum plugs maintance interval is longer. This allows auto manufacturers to state "100,000 mile maintance intervals" or whatever on commercials.

In a platinum plug, little pieces of platinum are "glued" onto the ground strap and electrode of a spark plug. To get a picture of this, think of a normal looking plug and

he is absolutely correct

Jeremy
HndaTch627 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2002, 08:52 AM   #6
spshultz
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 1415
Join Date: May 2000
Chapter/Region: RMIC
Location: Anytown, USA
Vehicle:
2015 F150 3.5EB
2014 Jeep GC

Default

Out of the below plugs I have run in my car over the last 73,000 miles I liked the NGK the best. Each plug change had an ECU reset and air filter change. And with the NGK's I did last week there is definitely a noticeable difference this time. The Bosch Plats were the worst. With the Plats I had a slight hesitation off the line. Not to sure why. All plugs were firing.

1. Champion
2. Bosch Platinum
3. Nippon Denso
4. Bosch Super
5. NGK
spshultz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2002, 01:12 PM   #7
erice1984
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 11778
Join Date: Oct 2001
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Illinois
Vehicle:
1980 VWRabbit Diesel
w/AAZ Swap

Default

When I was asking which one was the best, I was looking for the most performance (hp/torque) gain that could be possible. I think my suby is still running the stock crappions and I need some new ones... just wondering which one would have the best performance results.

Thanks for help.
erice1984 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2002, 02:17 PM   #8
spshultz
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 1415
Join Date: May 2000
Chapter/Region: RMIC
Location: Anytown, USA
Vehicle:
2015 F150 3.5EB
2014 Jeep GC

Default

Honestly I don't believe you are going to feel a lot of HP/Torque from plugs. My car also used the Champions. As I said above I tried all of those and finally have found a plug that seems to provide smooth power, steady idle and run nicely. Most but not all of the people here use NGK's. My '99 requires BKR5E-11.

You could try NGK Iridium's. Kinda spendy for little to no difference.

All you'll get are opinions and my opinion:
NGK V-Power


And I don't think anyone has done a dyno run or two to show the power difference in plugs. If they have I sure would like to see it.
spshultz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2002, 02:52 PM   #9
spshultz
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 1415
Join Date: May 2000
Chapter/Region: RMIC
Location: Anytown, USA
Vehicle:
2015 F150 3.5EB
2014 Jeep GC

Default

I also found this on automotiveforums.com:



Quote:
Here are some of the thermal conductivities of some commonly used metals (Watts / centimeter*Kelvin) :
Zinc == 1.16
Aluminum == 2.37
Copper == 4.01
Steel == 0.70 - 0.82
Platinum == 0.716
Iridium == 1.47
You can easily see why Copper is the metal of choice for the core of the spark plug. It's just about the best thermal conductor on earth. Occasionally, you still find plugs with an aluminum core - stay away!


So, what we want is the sharpest tip possible such that it does not melt the electrode nor does it stay so hot as to cause pre-ignition. Let's break it down:

Bare Copper
They have a low melting temperature and the tips will vaporize away - they have a very wide tip so each little bit that disappears will not change the gap size greatly, but they still must be inspected often to make sure there is sufficient electrode material left. They are great for very hot running engines which must avoid pre-ignition at all costs since the wide tip will not stay hot(high boost forced induction and nitrous engines come to mind).

Platinum
Platinum plugs are usually constructed similar to copper plugs except that they have a thin coating of Platinum sputtered onto the electrode tips, about 0.010" thick (a human hair is about 0.005" thick). Because of the high melting point of Platinum, the tips can be made significantly sharper without fear of the gap changing shape. But the copper core is still sufficient to whisk the heat away fairly quickly. These are great all-around plugs, particularly for use on NA engines, and they should last a very long time. Very high heat engines should probably not use them because the sharper tips may not conduct enough heat away to prevent pre-ignition under adverse conditions.

Iridium
This is the new guy on the block. They are much like platinum plugs just with iridium in place of the platinum. Because of the extremely high melting point of iridium, they can have very sharp tips without risk of melting and they should last a very long time. These would be best for high-rpm NA engines where the sharpest tip is needed for the best spark, but there is little danger of pre-ignition.

Strange electrode geometries
For the most part - don't buy it. Splitfire (one of the originators) is undergoing all kinds of lawsuits for false claims. I won't go into detail here, but if you think about the Gauss' law thing (sharp points vs. brass balls) you really can't get any better a spark than between just two sharp points, and you're also increasing the shrouding of the spark with more or bigger electrodes.

An exception to this is retracted gap plugs ("surface-fire"), which are a lifesaver if you have severe detonation or plug-piston clearance problems, but they take a very powerful ignition to spark (no sharp points!) and they don't often get a good clean burn going.

Other tips
** Disregard any BS about the electrical difference of the metals - as I stated in my previous post, the micro-ohm difference in 0.010" of Copper vs. Iridium means exactly squat when there is a huge air gap equivalent to tens of mega-ohms of resistance right there in series with it.
spshultz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2002, 07:58 PM   #10
Richard L.
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 8465
Join Date: Jul 2001
Chapter/Region: NWIC
Location: Puget Sound, WA
Vehicle:
'00 2.5RS Coupe, AW
'93 GMC Typhoon AWD

Default

-> Platinum vs Copper NGK Spark Plugs

NGK BKR6E-11's work best for me. I tried those Bosch Platinum +4's once, but didn't like them as much as the regular copper NGK V-Power ones.
Richard L. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2002, 08:58 AM   #11
jlyttle
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 2815
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Hanover, MA, USA
Vehicle:
2004 Forester XT 5sp
Silver

Default

I just changed to the Denso's listed in the manual, K20PR-U11 I think. They work great, and are the same exact part as the NGK I have heard. Same factory, same production line. They even have the same V-groove. Just depends on what your local shops carry, both these and the NGK should average $1.50 a plug.
jlyttle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2002, 11:59 AM   #12
jwainwri
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 7805
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Fremont, CA
Default

I just had my 30,000 mi maintenance. Anyway they changed the pluges and I'm afraid they put the crapions back in. The service manager was no help as to what plugs they use.

Does anyone know?

I guess I can always pull one out if all else fails.
jwainwri is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2002, 12:29 PM   #13
outback2.5HO
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 15135
Join Date: Feb 2002
Chapter/Region: NWIC
Location: Bend, Or. USA
Vehicle:
95 GF WRX
Black

Default

Didn't mean to start a huge spark plug debate....Spshultz most accurately described the pros and cons of all of the plugs.

NGK or Densos, regardless of material type are the best plugs fos Subarus.

Don't think Imprezinator has changed plugs on a DOHC 2.5, usually a bit longer than a 10 minute affair. 2.2s and SOHC 2.5s are much easier to change plugs on..
outback2.5HO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2002, 12:38 PM   #14
RSarte
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 4965
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: detroit @ www.widestance.com
Vehicle:
2004 WWhite Evo8 GSR
2010 Outback 2.5i Premium

Default

NGK BKR6E-11 - $1.69/ea at Pepboys
Stock wires - about $19K, includes MY01 Subaru GC8
Nice performance with an idle at about 600 rpms... Awesome!
RSarte is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2002, 12:11 AM   #15
grubaru
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 5788
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: My meal ticket?
Vehicle:
What I can't pay for
my own shrimp?

Default

NGK V-Powers. They don't last as long as platinum, but best bang for the buck. (pun intended)
grubaru is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2002, 01:16 AM   #16
Eric SS
Sooby Guru
 
Member#: 1914
Join Date: Jul 2000
Chapter/Region: SWIC
Location: 2014 Q60S, 2016 Chevy SS
Vehicle:
2000 2.5RS w/ EJ22T
swap and N20. gone. : (

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by outback2.5HO
Didn't mean to start a huge spark plug debate....Spshultz most accurately described the pros and cons of all of the plugs.

NGK or Densos, regardless of material type are the best plugs fos Subarus.

Don't think Imprezinator has changed plugs on a DOHC 2.5, usually a bit longer than a 10 minute affair. 2.2s and SOHC 2.5s are much easier to change plugs on..
I bet I've changed my plugs more than you've changed you oil Not to mention I pull them and check them every week (yes, every week. I know it;s overkill) to make sure everything is still kosher in the engine.

Eric
Eric SS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2002, 06:24 PM   #17
jay25RS
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 4273
Join Date: Feb 2001
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: CT
Vehicle:
2015 Taco
& 2015 Legacy Ltd.

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by Richard L.
-> Platinum vs Copper NGK Spark Plugs

NGK BKR6E-11's work best for me. I tried those Bosch Platinum +4's once, but didn't like them as much as the regular copper NGK V-Power ones.
The NGK BKR6E-11's work great for me. I noticed that my car ran smoother and i got slightly better gas mileage. Besides, these plugs are downright cheap compared to the Bosch and in a Subaru, they are quite easily changed.

-Jason
jay25RS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2002, 08:40 PM   #18
SubiDo
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 16211
Join Date: Mar 2002
Vehicle:
2004 WRX STi
PSM

Default

Oh the dollars I have spent over the years in the relentless pursuit of the biggest, baddest, meanist plug. I do agree that NJK makes a mighty fine plug, but I also found that an Autolite is good too. I am surprised no one mentioned this, but you can optimize ANY plug by indexing it.

http://www.automedia.com/xml/pht/pht20001001sp.xml

Again, this is not going to yield NOS type horsepower, but you will be doing the right thing.

Also, anyone have any advice on changing the heat range of the plugs? I used to run colder plugs in other cars.


I was about ready to buy those iridium plugs from someone on eBay (NJK version). You guys (and gals... no offense meant to anyone) have made me remember my old days.
SubiDo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2002, 02:32 AM   #19
remarcable
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 2362
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: South Carolina, USA
Vehicle:
1999 Legacy Outback
Blue w/ Paint Chips & Mud

Default

Wait... who said changing plugs is easy on a subaru?

It's a pain in the ass!
remarcable is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2002, 04:29 AM   #20
Eric SS
Sooby Guru
 
Member#: 1914
Join Date: Jul 2000
Chapter/Region: SWIC
Location: 2014 Q60S, 2016 Chevy SS
Vehicle:
2000 2.5RS w/ EJ22T
swap and N20. gone. : (

Default

I said it. I don;t know how anyone can think it is hard. try changing plugs on an LT1 Camaro if you think changing Scooby plugs is hard!

Eric
Eric SS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2002, 04:53 AM   #21
HndaTch627
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 6551
Join Date: May 2001
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Carol Stream, IL
Vehicle:
'01 GC8 Dinged STM
'09 Concours 14 ABS Black

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by Imprezinator
I said it. I don;t know how anyone can think it is hard. try changing plugs on an LT1 Camaro if you think changing Scooby plugs is hard!

Eric
NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i did a cap and rotor tooo

i HATE THOSE CARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HndaTch627 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2002, 04:37 PM   #22
outback2.5HO
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 15135
Join Date: Feb 2002
Chapter/Region: NWIC
Location: Bend, Or. USA
Vehicle:
95 GF WRX
Black

Default

Imprezinator,

Wasn't trying to be sassy, have been informed of your extensive motorsports backround... Just trying to make the point that the DOHC 2.5 takes more time to change plugs on than a 2.2 or SOHC 2.5 (they are a 10 minute job). Can you at least acknowledge that fact for those that haven't changed plugs on ANY Subaru before.

BTW, have changed plenty of oil in my life, glad I'm not a lube jockey for a living (gets old after a while). It's more fun for me to keep them running for a long time (requires lots of oil changes, timing belts, cv boots) and making them perform better than stock.

Just looking into an LT-1 engine compartment is enough to give a Subie tech a headache! Not quite as user friendly as a Subie.
outback2.5HO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2002, 09:28 PM   #23
Eric SS
Sooby Guru
 
Member#: 1914
Join Date: Jul 2000
Chapter/Region: SWIC
Location: 2014 Q60S, 2016 Chevy SS
Vehicle:
2000 2.5RS w/ EJ22T
swap and N20. gone. : (

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by outback2.5HO
Imprezinator,

Wasn't trying to be sassy, have been informed of your extensive motorsports backround... Just trying to make the point that the DOHC 2.5 takes more time to change plugs on than a 2.2 or SOHC 2.5 (they are a 10 minute job). Can you at least acknowledge that fact for those that haven't changed plugs on ANY Subaru before.

BTW, have changed plenty of oil in my life, glad I'm not a lube jockey for a living (gets old after a while). It's more fun for me to keep them running for a long time (requires lots of oil changes, timing belts, cv boots) and making them perform better than stock.

Just looking into an LT-1 engine compartment is enough to give a Subie tech a headache! Not quite as user friendly as a Subie.
np.

Maybe I'm doing something different than eveyone else. I do the left bank (passenger side) first. You don;t have to remove anything. Get a spark plug socket with a rubberholder in it so you don;t screw up the gap by droping it in the engine. I think I use a 3" extension and then the ratchet and they go right in and out.

On the drivers side, I remove 2 philips screws move the windshield fluid reservoir out of the way. That takes literally less than a minute. From there, I just do them like I did the other side. I don;t move anything out of the way. What does everyone else do different? Have I stumbled onto an easier way to do it.

Eric
Eric SS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2002, 05:07 AM   #24
outback2.5HO
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 15135
Join Date: Feb 2002
Chapter/Region: NWIC
Location: Bend, Or. USA
Vehicle:
95 GF WRX
Black

Default

On the DOHC (as with most other jobs), the right tool for the job is necessary. The tool I use (on 2.2 & 2.5) is a double swivel spark plug socket with no extension. It is easy to use from above or below (if you use a lift for the DOHC) the car.
outback2.5HO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2002, 09:15 AM   #25
yamarocket630
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 9436
Join Date: Aug 2001
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: My member# is lower than yours
Vehicle:
05 Saab 9-5 Aero

Default

[quote]Originally posted by HndaTch627
[b]
Quote:
Originally posted by Imprezinator


This is a huge misnomer (sp.) with spark plugs. Platinum is not a better buring plug! The reason auto manufacturers are going towards platinums is because of the life span. Platinum doesn't wear out as quick as copper so it lasts longer. Therefor, platinum plugs maintance interval is longer. This allows auto manufacturers to state "100,000 mile maintance intervals" or whatever on commercials.

In a platinum plug, little pieces of platinum are "glued" onto the ground strap and electrode of a spark plug. To get a picture of this, think of a normal looking plug and

he is absolutely correct

Jeremy
Yep, he sure is.
Platinum plugs actually take MORE energy to spark, and will slightly reduce the efficency of your ignition system. And regardless of what any OEM says, 100k mile plug intervals is BS. About 60k is max even for platinums.
yamarocket630 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
what is the best spark plug on the market?? omega Normally Aspirated Powertrain 28 11-08-2002 02:00 AM
What is the Best Spark Plugs??? wrx0024 Engine Management & Tuning 7 10-27-2002 04:13 PM
the best spark plugs to use wrextuner Factory 2.0L Turbo Powertrain (EJ Series Factory 2.0L Turbo) 16 03-12-2002 02:14 PM
opinions on best spark plugs sube-j North West Impreza Club Forum -- NWIC 1 06-02-2001 11:43 AM
Best Spark Plug Niloc Normally Aspirated Powertrain 4 01-16-2001 10:07 PM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:32 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Copyright ©1999 - 2019, North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club, Inc.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission
Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.