Spark Plugs - which brand is best?

[anchman]

I just bought a set of Ignition Solutions Plasma Coils for my M52 motor, and I plan on replacing my spark plugs when I install the Plasma Coils.

Which brand of spark plug (and which model, e.g., platinum, etc.) do you recommend I use in my M52 engine in conjunction with the Plasma Coils?

Everyone is welcome to offer his/her opinion, even if you don't have any particular experience with Plasma Coils.

Thanks very much to everyone who responds!

Cheers and happy holidays!

[chgolatin2]

OEM Plugs!!!

[GUINNESS]

Long thread on this topic... try searching. It's a few pages long. Concensus seemed to be OE or NGK.

[croberts12]

I went to BMW of Murray and said. I need to purchase some spark plugs. they gave me some. I bought those.

[ChosenGSR]

I went to BMW of Murray and said. I need to purchase some spark plugs. they gave me some. I bought those.

:lol

[Dispatch20]

I went to BMW of Murray and said. I need to purchase some spark plugs. they gave me some. I bought those.

And how much did they charge you?:rolleyes

[kevjoh]

Last I checked it was 1 arm, both legs, and your first born.

[ModenaM3]

Probably 16 dollars a plug.

I was a moron once, and paid 16 dollars a plug from the dealership. They wanted 200 to install them. 300 for a sparkplug change? No thanks.

[BenMGP]

I use Denso Iridiums.

[FierySphere]

Anthing but +4's, Split fires, U-grooved, V-grooved, french-tickler lookin' plugs.
Check for the current sucessors for the OE Bosch or NGK.

[savage217]

When you say +4 what exactly do you mean?

[raoke]

If you decide to order online, check out sparkplugs.com
They usually ship faster than what they say too.

[FierySphere]

When you say +4 what exactly do you mean?

Bosch Platinum +4. Suckage. Search.

[dbbmwm3]

Beru racing plugs.

[John in Houston]

I got you all beat... I run Motorcraft plugs in the car ;)

Dyno'd the iridiums, bosch plat 2 & 4 and the motorcraft. No noticable difference other then the lightness of my wallet.

[mobil1]

NGK irridium or Bosch OEM.

[savage217]

I thought you were talking about the bosch 4's. I thought those were supposed to be great plugs. I know on my 325i the stock bosch ones seemed to be the best over ngk and denso iridium.

[ParadigmGuy]

NGK and stock coils. Plasma coils are not an upgrade.

[anchman]

I went to BMW of Murray and said. I need to purchase some spark plugs. they gave me some. I bought those.

You're satisfied with OE only? Then why spend time on BF.c -- a website pretty much dedicated to those of us who are NOT satisfied with OE?

Besides, I thought the fact that I'm not satisifed with OE was implicit in my question about which brand/model spark plug most people think is best. Case in point never to assume anything.

Thanks for the input anyway.

[Braymond141]

Dealer OEM here.

Cost me $72 for all 6. ;)

[Patrick33]

I put some Denso Iridiums in 2 days ago... much better than the Bosch +4 platinums that were in there...

[anchman]

I got you all beat... I run Motorcraft plugs in the car ;)

Dyno'd the iridiums, bosch plat 2 & 4 and the motorcraft. No noticable difference other then the lightness of my wallet.

Hi John,

Thanks for your comments, and your point is well-taken. No doubt most major spark plug brands offer similar performance when they're out-of-the-box new. However, over time, differences in quality (in terms of materials used, plug design and/or manfuacturing processes) become very apparent.

I seriously doubt, after several thousand miles of hard racing, that a set of over-the-counter Motocraft plugs would still perform as well as a set of top-quality Berus, NGKs, etc. I could be wrong, but then so would most racing teams out there. I mean, if you could get the same level of performance from a relatively inexpensive spark plug as you would from a high-end plug, and maintain that same level of performance over the life of the plug, why would anybody spend more?

All the racing teams out there who use top-quality plugs spend the extra money for them because, in fact, top-quality plugs offer higher levels of performance, and consistently maintain higher levels of performance, than do those Motocraft plugs you bought.

Anyway, thanks for your input.

[vinnymac]

NGK from http://www.sparkplugs.com/

[John in Houston]

Hi John,

Thanks for your comments, and your point is well-taken....
I seriously doubt, after several thousand miles of hard racing, that a set of over-the-counter Motocraft plugs would still perform as well as a set of top-quality Berus, NGKs, etc. I could be wrong, but then so would most racing teams out there. .....
All the racing teams out there who use top-quality plugs spend the extra money for them because, in fact, top-quality plugs offer higher levels of performance, and consistently maintain higher levels of performance, than do those Motocraft plugs you bought....
Anyway, thanks for your input.

No problem ;) Another point to keep in mind.... race teams replace plugs a heck of alot more often then most of the users on the board. You don't think they run a whole season on the same plugs, do you? So the ability to compare that is just not there.

Me, I change my plugs 2 times a year... and my cost is still less than 1/2 of what the IRs run.

[The Boston GRUN]

bosch

[95werksm3]

I use Denso Iridiums.

:werd: same here

whatever you do don't buy those POS bosch platinum 4's, the porcelain cracks

[anchman]

No problem ;) Another point to keep in mind.... race teams replace plugs a heck of alot more often then most of the users on the board. You don't think they run a whole season on the same plugs, do you? So the ability to compare that is just not there.

Me, I change my plugs 2 times a year... and my cost is still less than 1/2 of what the IRs run.

You make a good point John. I'm sure racing teams have changed spark plugs during a race, let alone during the season.

However, that still doesn't address my point of why they (or anyone else) would pay more for one plug when they could get the same performance out of a less expensive plug. If you have any ideas about that, I'd very much like to hear them.

Otherwise, thanks anyway, and I appreciate your thoughts thus far.

Best regards

[BenMGP]

Have any of you actually seen the process involved when making spark plugs? There are alot of things involved when manufacturing the plugs, and I have seen the differences first hand.

Sorry I do not have the technical background to explain in detail each step of the process, but you do get what you pay for.

Then again, my cousin works at Denso, so plugs are pretty cheap for me. :)

[99M3Riverside]

I just ordered NGK from sparklugs.com. They arrived the next day! I was using Denso plugs, I will post a pic. They are trashed. I had them in around 15K miles.

[BenMGP]

There are many things that can cause fouled plugs... most of the time it's not the plugs.

[stupenal]

I just got a set of NGK BKR6EIX iridiums off a seller on ebay. He sells 6 for $36 plus $6 shipping. Local for me so I just stopped by and picked them up. Previous threads gave these plugs good reviews, we'll see how they work.