2 Wheels Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 Just wondering whats the story on these Iridium plugs ! 1) do the last longer ? 2) do they give better performance ? 3) are they easier on the engine ?,,,,,eg. less strain on creating spark or is it more strain ? 4) do they reduce fouling ? 5) do they reduce fuel consumption ? Ive here different stories about these plugs and was wondering what the real story is ! Four plugs = €30 they would want to do something magical !
Moderator drewpy Posted September 18, 2010 Moderator Posted September 18, 2010 Just wondering whats the story on these Iridium plugs ! 1) do the last longer ? 2) do they give better performance ? 3) are they easier on the engine ?,,,,,eg. less strain on creating spark or is it more strain ? 4) do they reduce fouling ? 5) do they reduce fuel consumption ? Ive here different stories about these plugs and was wondering what the real story is ! Four plugs = €30 they would want to do something magical ! got a set in mine, fit and forget, been i there 2 years and still look as good. Mind I only needed 2
OllieB Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 This is one of my favorite topics! Platinum and iridium spark plugs were developed because the industry needed plugs that would go the longer haul with less gap erosion so the state of tune of an engine would last longer and pollute less. If used in a setup with a high energy ignition system, they are fine. If used in an older machine that does not have a high energy ignition system they can actually degrade performance to some degree. Platinum and iridium plugs are all resistor type plugs. I have two older Benz gassers that specify non-resistor copper electrode spark plugs. The resistors are built into the plug caps, just like our older bikes. If a set of platinum or iridium plugs are installed, along with the stock resistor caps, problems may develop. In addition, platinum and iridium are high resistance metals and some spark energy is lost because of this. Couple this with a lower spark energy ignition system and a weaker spark may result. For our older, lower energy ignition systems, my preference is to stay with the stock resistor caps, metal core ignition wires and either the non-resistor steel electrode plugs (NGK) or Nology Silver electrode plugs. Check out the link below to Nology's site and see what they have to say about electrode resistance for the various types of metals used for spark plug electrodes. Also, because of the design of the Nology Silver plugs, they have a wider heat range than standard plugs. Ones for our machines are heat range 6-8. Nology Silver plugs are available for our XS400 machines but they are a little pricey - under $10 each if you shop around. I run sets in both my Benz cars and my scoot. Have not yet purchased them for the XS400 but plan to. Silver electrode plugs also have a longer life expectancy than steel electrode plugs. http://www.nology.com/silver.html
2 Wheels Posted September 18, 2010 Author Posted September 18, 2010 So NGK plugs are everybit as good as iridium,, just that they dont last as long ??
OllieB Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 So NGK plugs are everybit as good as iridium,, just that they dont last as long ?? Depends somewhat on your personal circumstances and preference. How many miles/year are you putting on your bike? If it is several thousand, you might want to consider one of the long range types. For stock ignition systems on our older bikes, I prefer standard NGK or the Nology Silver over platinum or iridium. If you have installed a higher energy ignition coil, you can move to the iridium with non-resistor caps. I usually don't put more than 1-1.5K miles on my bike each year. At those miles, the standard NGK plugs will last many years with little attention except maybe gap check every 5K miles. One of the concerns with platinum or iridium plugs and standard energy coils is that there may be some spark "blow out" or erosion at higher rpms resulting in a possible high speed miss. Weaker spark and a very thin center electrode is thought to be the cause. Some folks successfully use platinum/iridium plugs with standard energy ignitions w/o problems while others experience problems. Some electronic ignition systems don't like double resistors - cap plus plug. I am all for reduction of maintenance and that's why I like the Nology Silver for special applications like our older bikes and my older Benz autos. Without checking records I think the Nology plugs have been in my '90 300E 2.6 for 20-30K w/o the need for re-gapping. I only have 4.5K miles on my scoot so no long term results.
chris66 Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 i have had a set in my yzf750 for a year, the bike never fouls like it used to on regular ngks it may just be a coincidence but considering you can get a set of 4 on ebay for £20 when the normal ngks are £7 each in halfords why not try them when you next service.chris
blackhat250 Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 Good posting Ollie" you"ve gone your home-work on this often confusing topic , well done:)
OllieB Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 Good posting Ollie" you"ve gone your home-work on this often confusing topic , well done:) Thanks!!
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