Sparkplugs

[Flounder]

Just today I purchased 6 Bosch Platinum +4 plugs for my Explorer. However, before I installed them, I wanted to check the reviews (I am a semi-impulse buyer). It seems that there are mixed feelings on them. Some say that it makes their car run smoother, but the car loses a little HP. Others say that they are a good plug and they recommend them.

What I want to know is what you think of them, and if these don't add a HP or two, which brand of plugs would? I have an OHV, so I am scraping for power wherever I can.

Oh yeah, I read one review that said Champion plugs would be best for added power. Any agree/disagree?

 

[DOGMAN]

My opinion is that spark plugs alone are not going to increase your horsepower, no matter what any of the manufacturers say. I think most claims are just a gimmick to get you to buy.

I still think the best way to go is to stay with the standard OEM Motorcraft plugs. They work well and are inexpensive. I'm not really a fan of the precious metal plugs, like platinum. Sure, they won't corrode as easy as a standard copper plug, but platinum is not as good a conductor as copper is. So I think the standard copper plugs perform the best. Look at what racers use, Winston Cup, NHRA, etc. They DO NOT use platinum plugs, they use high quality copper plugs. And they want every little smidgen of HP they can get. So what does that tell you?

I tried a set of Bosch Platinum +4 plugs in my 91 OHV 4.0 V6. At first they seemed to work OK. As far as performance increases goes, I think most of us let our mind tell us that since we've installed a "performance" plug, we think it's giving us a little more ooomph, whereas in reality, performance really stays the same. Ever see any actual dyno data that supports these claims of HP increase? I never have.

Anyway, after about 3 months of running the Bosch +4's, my motor started missing under fairly hard acceleration. It was progressively getting worse as time went on. So I pulled all the plugs, and low and behold, most of them were trashed! The center conductor insulator on two of them was severely cracked (where did the pieces go?), and most if not all of of the electrodes on all the plugs were moderately to severely out of alignment, meaning the gaps were way out of wack. I was pretty shocked by all this. I never once had a problem with the stock Motorcraft plugs, other than wear and tear.

So I installed a new set of OEM Motorcraft plugs, and the motor ran fine again.

I know many people really like the Bosch plugs, but my experience with them was horrible. So I would not recommend them.

So again, I would recommend the stock Motorcraft plugs. If you want something different, Autolite, Champion, and NGK make a good product, but I don't think you'll gain anything over the Motorcrafts.

 

[IAMCDN]

We just had a discussion on this in the Modified discussion area. Look for the Bosch +4 title. I asked a similar question a few days ago.

The answer was quite split. Some love 'em, others(like me) see it as a gimmicky waste of money.
I say buy regular plugs or regular platinums and put difference toward new plug wires, that usually gives noticable results.

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by DOGMAN
My opinion is that spark plugs alone are not going to increase your horsepower, no matter what any of the manufacturers say. I think most claims are just a gimmick to get you to buy.

I still think the best way to go is to stay with the standard OEM Motorcraft plugs. They work well and are inexpensive. I'm not really a fan of the precious metal plugs, like platinum. Sure, they won't corrode as easy as a standard copper plug, but platinum is not as good a conductor as copper is. So I think the standard copper plugs perform the best. Look at what racers use, Winston Cup, NHRA, etc. They DO NOT use platinum plugs, they use high quality copper plugs. And they want every little smidgen of HP they can get. So what does that tell you?

I tried a set of Bosch Platinum +4 plugs in my 91 OHV 4.0 V6. At first they seemed to work OK. As far as performance increases goes, I think most of us let our mind tell us that since we've installed a "performance" plug, we think it's giving us a little more ooomph, whereas in reality, performance really stays the same. Ever see any actual dyno data that supports these claims of HP increase? I never have.

Anyway, after about 3 months of running the Bosch +4's, my motor started missing under fairly hard acceleration. It was progressively getting worse as time went on. So I pulled all the plugs, and low and behold, most of them were trashed! The center conductor insulator on two of them was severely cracked (where did the pieces go?), and most if not all of of the electrodes on all the plugs were moderately to severely out of alignment, meaning the gaps were way out of wack. I was pretty shocked by all this. I never once had a problem with the stock Motorcraft plugs, other than wear and tear.

So I installed a new set of OEM Motorcraft plugs, and the motor ran fine again.

I know many people really like the Bosch plugs, but my experience with them was horrible. So I would not recommend them.

So again, I would recommend the stock Motorcraft plugs. If you want something different, Autolite, Champion, and NGK make a good product, but I don't think you'll gain anything over the Motorcrafts.

Now, what do you think of high performance spark plug wires such as Jacobs, Taylor, Magnicore, etc.?

Thanks...

 

[Flounder]

Well, it looks like I am taking them back. I think it'd be smarter to spend the money towards a KKM Induction kit to get a few HP, then later an exhaust system. Not to mention I need four shocks.

However, I too am interested in aftermarket wires. Any recommendations?

 

[D]

I had platnium bosches in my 91 worked good for a few months then it ran like crap. I pulled them and the ceramic on the inside was all red on all 6 of them. The local High school auto shop teacher said you should only use those kind of plugs in european cars aka BMW and mercedes.

 

[JDraper]

Ran Platinum Bosch's (regular, not +4's) in my '92 for 60k+ miles and still was getting about 20mpg. Never had a problem with 'em.

 

[DOGMAN]

Al and Adam,

Performance plug wires, such as the ones Al mentioned (there are a number of others also, such as MSD), work well. But honestly, the stock Ford ones are pretty darn good. The performance wires arn't cheap, they start at about $30 or so, and go up from there. If the motor and ignition is all stock, I really don't see the need for upgraded wires. I don't think you're going to see a gain in performance just by replacing the plug wires. Now if you upgrade the ignition (MSD, Jacobs, etc.), then I'd go ahead with the performance wires. But if everything else is stock, I'd stay with the Ford wires and spend the money somewhere else, like a K&N or upgraded muffler. Now, if you want the performance wires just because they look cool, hey, there's nothing wrong with that. I think they look cool too. But strictly for performance enhancement, you're really not going to get anything significant from the wires alone.

To add about the Bosch +4 plugs, after my problem with them, I started thinking.

Bosch says they use four electrodes per plug for maximum spark efficiency. So how come all the racecars don't run four electrode plugs? Seems to me that with a four electrode plug, there's three more chances over a regular single electrode plug that the gap could be off. Think about it. Gap is a critical factor in spark plug performance. My observation is that the electrodes on the +4's are not as stout as a regular single electrode plug, hence it would seem to be easier for them to become misaligned. On the +4's I ran, that definitely was the case.

And those who are very serious about performance don't use platinum plugs either. The platinums are made to last a long time, not to be the utmost in performance.

The easiest noticeable performace gains are to add a K&N or KKM, or a performance muffler (Flowmaster, Dynomax, Magnaflow, etc), or both (preferred). After that, the best money spent on the 4.0 would probably be the addition of a performance camshaft, which is in the $200 range. That will net you some nice, noticeable gains.

 

[JDraper]

What Dogman said. The biggest performance boost I got on my '92 was adding a flowmaster cat back. Added a significant (10-15%) amount of power, and my gas mileage got a little better. If you're running a stick, the chip won't do as much as it does for the auto, since it also reprograms your shift points to keep you up in the power band longer. Intake will definitely help, and a hotter cam will probably do the most. Only thing on the cam is to be careful when choosing your lift and duration. It's great to add horsepower, but you can add it in the wrong place for what you want if you are not careful. For off-roading, a cam designed for low end torque will work better, but for highway running you want a cam that works at higher rpm's

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by DOGMAN
Al and Adam,

Performance plug wires, such as the ones Al mentioned (there are a number of others also, such as MSD), work well. But honestly, the stock Ford ones are pretty darn good. The performance wires arn't cheap, they start at about $30 or so, and go up from there. If the motor and ignition is all stock, I really don't see the need for upgraded wires. I don't think you're going to see a gain in performance just by replacing the plug wires. Now if you upgrade the ignition (MSD, Jacobs, etc.), then I'd go ahead with the performance wires. But if everything else is stock, I'd stay with the Ford wires and spend the money somewhere else, like a K&N or upgraded muffler. Now, if you want the performance wires just because they look cool, hey, there's nothing wrong with that. I think they look cool too. But strictly for performance enhancement, you're really not going to get anything significant from the wires alone.

To add about the Bosch +4 plugs, after my problem with them, I started thinking.

Bosch says they use four electrodes per plug for maximum spark efficiency. So how come all the racecars don't run four electrode plugs? Seems to me that with a four electrode plug, there's three more chances over a regular single electrode plug that the gap could be off. Think about it. Gap is a critical factor in spark plug performance. My observation is that the electrodes on the +4's are not as stout as a regular single electrode plug, hence it would seem to be easier for them to become misaligned. On the +4's I ran, that definitely was the case.

And those who are very serious about performance don't use platinum plugs either. The platinums are made to last a long time, not to be the utmost in performance.

The easiest noticeable performace gains are to add a K&N or KKM, or a performance muffler (Flowmaster, Dynomax, Magnaflow, etc), or both (preferred). After that, the best money spent on the 4.0 would probably be the addition of a performance camshaft, which is in the $200 range. That will net you some nice, noticeable gains.

Thanks for the answer.

What about fuel economy?

 

[AgExplorer]

I recently replaced my Jacobs wires with Magnecor KV85's. I noticed a smoother idle immediately and have seen fuel mileage increase at least 1 MPG. Also noticed a little better seat of the pants performance. They are pricey but carry a lifetime warranty and are very well constucted.

 

[Scott B.]

It's been my experience (and talking with others) that with a Ford, you want to run Motorcraft or Autolite plugs. Actually, they are the same except for the label.

Both of my '93s came with platinum plugs, and that is what I have run for 176K miles. I run the single platinum - since I have not ever erroded the ground strap, I don't need the double platinums.

A copper plug will last about 10K miles, whereas I change my platinums at 20K.

AgExplorer - how old were your Jacobs wires? Perhaps they were just old when you changed them. I replace my entire set last year, and noticed a difference in performance. No matter what they say, a plug wire will not last forever.

 

[AgExplorer]

The Jacobs wires were about 3 years old. You are right about them not lasting forever. They had served me well though.

 

[Scott B.]

Do you like the Magnacores? I was at their site last week, and was quite impressed. I'm not overly impressed with Jacobs these days.............

 

[Rhett]

I am curious, what color are the Magnacor wires?

 

[AgExplorer]

Scott, the Magnecor KV85's are the best wires I have ever used. Smoother idle, better performance and 1 MPG increase in fuel mileage. The increase in fuel mileage will pay for the wires.

Rhett, the wires are red.

 

[BExplorer]

Try this!

Try this link, it will answer couple of question and YES the trick works. I've been running my Exp with the side gaped plugs and have noticed more power in the low end. NO it's not some kind of 50% power increse and you have to check the plug more frequently because the are wearing faster, but if you want a low buck cheap trick here it is.
http://performanceunlimited.com/illustrations/sparkplugs.html
So forget al that crap about performance plugs!