by listoff, January 30, 2006
Hello everyone.
Time to do the spark plug thing, and I'm finding that iridium spark plugs are not cheap. Can anyone suggest places online or in the USA to buy replacement plugs? Advance Auto wants $7 per plug for NGK (part 1FR5T11 - Toyota recommended).
Also... Do you HAVE to use iridium plugs? Platinum should work just as well, right? And costs half as much. Other than being longer lasting, why iridium over platinum?
Thank you in advance!
Mike (Listoff)
Iridium plugs generally do better with lower voltages supplied to them initiating the spark. Most of the OEM Iridium plugs also have the fine wire electrode - yielding more space for the flamer kernal to propogate. Platinums plugs can also be used - but I've heard horror stories of burnt out coil packs, broken ground electrodes (especially with Bosch Platinum +4), and poor performance. I've also heard of people swapping them and having zero problems - as they say, your mileage may vary.
Note that these Iridums are supposed to be good for 120K miles - most people have gotten atleast 90K out of them (that's when I changed mine ~$13 a piece). For as long as they last - might be worth the extra money - but that will be completely up to you.
friendly_jacek
it boils down to a simple rule:
regular: 30000miles
platinum: 60000miles
iridium: 120000miles
However, some special situations like cars with turbo cannot tolerate platinum and use regular "copper" instead.
Also, cars with "waste spark" ignition (subaru is one of them) have to use regular or special double platinum plugs.
IMHO, $7-13 for a 120000 plug is not expensive. But I'm hearing autolite brand is good and cheap.
what type of electrode metal and it being a waste spark system are not related. mistubishi's 4g6x engines use waste spark coil packs (2 packs for 4 cylinders) and do not NEED iridium plugs. the center electrode metal type is pretty much upto the manufactuer, toyota probably went with iridium to give the car longer service intervals as an addiotional selling point.it boils down to a simple rule:regular: 30000miles
platinum: 60000miles
iridium: 120000miles
However, some special situations like cars with turbo cannot tolerate platinum and use regular "copper" instead.
Also, cars with "waste spark" ignition (subaru is one of them) have to use regular or special double platinum plugs.
IMHO, $7-13 for a 120000 plug is not expensive. But I'm hearing autolite brand is good and cheap.
Ok. So, iridium plugs seem to be the way to go. Does anyone know where to get one cheaper than $7 per plug online?
Thanks for all your input everyone. It's very informative and helpful.
Mike (Listoff)
$7 is about the cheapest I've seen - especially at a physical outlet. The absolute cheapest I've seen the NGK 1FR5T11 OEM plugs were $6.15 + shipping on a group buy a few months ago. Factor in shipping to be at minimum $3.95 (USPS) - $7 is cheap.
Fantastic! Thanks for all your help all! I placed the order with AdvanceAutoParts.com. I got 8 plugs (I have 2 Corollas) and a tube of anti seize for $55.68 and free shipping ($6.96 per plug + $2.98 anti seize). Should have 'em in a few days.
Thanks again guys!
Mike (Listoff)
Bikeman982
My Chiltons says - When a regular spark plug is installed in an engine that is functioning properly, the plugs can be taken out, cleaned, gapped and reinstalled without doing the engine any damage. Spark plugs suitable for use in your Toyota's engine are offered in a number of different heat ranges. The amount of heat which the plug absorbs is determined by the length of the lower insulator. The longer the insulator, the hotter the plug will operate. If most of your driving is long distance high speed travel, you may want to install a spark plug one step colder than standard. If most of your driving is of the short trip variety, when the engine may not always reach operating temperature, a hotter plug may help burn off the deposits normally accumulated under those conditions. The factory spark plug is chosen to perform well under a wide range of operating conditions.
I didn't catch this thread in time. I use standard NGKs in my turbo car. I think they are just copper. They have been proven to work best at the track and the dyno. It's my understanding the the cheap ones acually give a better burn, but most people want long term plugs that they don't want to mess with.
I don't get it. They are sooooooooooo easy to change in a I4 engine. They cost like $2.50 each. Who cares if you gotta change them every 30K miles.
Bikeman982
I didn't catch this thread in time. I use standard NGKs in my turbo car. I think they are just copper. They have been proven to work best at the track and the dyno. It's my understanding the the cheap ones acually give a better burn, but most people want long term plugs that they don't want to mess with.Definitely true. They are very easy to change on our engines. I also use the standard NGK plugs in my cars, although they are not turbo. I usually don't change them but clean them when doing a tune-up, or when they look bad.I don't get it. They are sooooooooooo easy to change in a I4 engine. They cost like $2.50 each. Who cares if you gotta change them every 30K miles.
I didn't catch this thread in time. I use standard NGKs in my turbo car. I think they are just copper. They have been proven to work best at the track and the dyno. It's my understanding the the cheap ones acually give a better burn, but most people want long term plugs that they don't want to mess with.I don't get it. They are sooooooooooo easy to change in a I4 engine. They cost like $2.50 each. Who cares if you gotta change them every 30K miles.
Definitely - If you run any forced induction, plain copper plugs perform the best - especially since you'll run through them when tuning it initially. I've run plain platinums with turbocharged engines with no problems - but that was only after they have been tuned up. Copper is great if you don't mind changing them every 10K-15K miles (longer with a good tune). But the Iridium and Platinums will give more consistent performance over a longer period of time - perfect for people you don't want to mess with cars every weekend or have time to be bother with shorter tune up intervals. Some people just have time to pump in gas and that's about it.
friendly_jacek
what type of electrode metal and it being a waste spark system are not related. mistubishi's 4g6x engines use waste spark coil packs (2 packs for 4 cylinders) and do not NEED iridium plugs. the center electrode metal type is pretty much upto the manufactuer, toyota probably went with iridium to give the car longer service intervals as an addiotional selling point.it boils down to a simple rule:
regular: 30000miles
platinum: 60000miles
iridium: 120000miles
However, some special situations like cars with turbo cannot tolerate platinum and use regular "copper" instead.
Also, cars with "waste spark" ignition (subaru is one of them) have to use regular or special double platinum plugs.
IMHO, $7-13 for a 120000 plug is not expensive. But I'm hearing autolite brand is good and cheap.
Bitter,
go ahead and reread my post. I did NOT say that waste spark requires iridium. I said REGULAR (copper) or special DOUBLE PLATINUM (not platinum wire).
The Denso IK20 (and I believe it is IK16 for the 1ZZ) seem to be popular with the performance crowd. I've seen them around for under $9 per plug.
Bikeman982
The Denso IK20 (and I believe it is IK16 for the 1ZZ) seem to be popular with the performance crowd. I've seen them around for under $9 per plug.
Isn't Iridium radioactive?
No, not radioactive. It's in the group of prescuous metals along with platinum. It has the highest corrosion resistance of all metals. It resists high temperatures and occurs naturally in mixed ore containing platinum and osmium and is usually a by-product of nickle mining.
No, I'm not some chemistry geek. I just did a Google search. Ahhh... the information age.
Concrete is radioactive.
Bikeman982
No, not radioactive. It's in the group of prescuous metals along with platinum. It has the highest corrosion resistance of all metals. It resists high temperatures and occurs naturally in mixed ore containing platinum and osmium and is usually a by-product of nickle mining.
No, I'm not some chemistry geek. I just did a Google search. Ahhh... the information age.
Sorry - I must have had it confused with Plutonium!
Concrete is radioactive.
Yes, the flyash in concrete comes from the burning of coal. Coal has naturally occuring trace minerals that are low level radioactive sources. Overall the dosage from exposure to normal concrete is not significantly more than other common naturally occuring sources. Also, living near a coal fire pwoer plant does not substantally increase your overall dosage. Most radiation exposure is from medical X-rays and natural radon gas leaching up throug hthe soil. Radon gas is from the decay of Uranium and other radioactive sources dee pin the earth. Check out the link below. Wow... I'm on a roll with Google searches.
http://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/energy/factsh.../FS-163-97.html
SOrry... this post can go back on topic now
Sorry - I must have had it confused with Plutonium!
You can thank the Romans or the Greeks... but most meatals end in "um" i.e. sodium, potassium, aluminum, magnesium, platinum... it goes on and on. The other names of metal were more commonly occuring in ancient times and there are english words for them.
Bikeman982
Concrete is radioactive.Maybe I shouldn't fall asleep on my concrete floor anymore?
