Bosch Platinum +4

[Pepsi90919]

Has anybody tried these spark plugs? What did/do you think of them?

 

[snakesnfrogs]

they're probably no better than a regular plug---same as Split Fire

 

[MrBond]

My mechanic says to stay away from the Bosch line of spark plug stuff. I put some wires in my car replacing the older ones, and he said I'd have probably been better keeping the old ones.

Platinum spark plugs will up your milage, but not the amount they'll tell you at the store. We had a guy tell us they'd put our milage over 25mpg in our suburban...

Are these the 4 prong plug things? I've never been impressed with the splitfire plugs, don't expect the 4+ ones to be any better, really.

 

[Pepsi90919]

Well I'm giving them some attention because they guarantee you'll get better starts, acceleration, fuel economy, all that jazz or they'll refund your money.

 

[iamwiz82]

no difference, expect one of my friends actually had his explode. It tore the chamber to shreds. His mechanic said that the Bosch are notorious for that. I guess that speaks for itself

 

[Pepsi90919]

fascinating.

 

[Emulex]

dont use that crap on any forced induction motors. You'll have pieces of the electrode swimming around your cylinders..

 

[FiDo14DiDo]

wow...good thing i was cheap and didnt buy them

 

[Pepsi90919]

Just FYI we're talking about the 4-electrode version, not the regular 'platinum' ones.

 

[randal]

I used bosch platinum+4s in my 82 toyota 4x4 through two spark plug changes ... upon putting them in [replacing the existing no-namers] I did notice an increase in acceleration -- maybe 5%. However, starts in general [cold, hot, warm, whatever] were a *lot* smoother. Engine also seemed to not mind going 75+ as much as the previous plugs.

Get factory plugs if you can - manufacturers use them for a reason.
randal

 

[teckmaster]

I put the Platinum 4's in my car and noticed and immediate difference. I put htem in, started the car up, and revved it a little. I saw a big difference. If you are gonna replace the plugs though, I would buy a set of good wires like accel or magnecor.

 

[RaoulDuke]

please, why spend that much money on a plug, christ.

 

[Viperoni]

If anything I'd go for the AC Delce Rapidfires.
Makes a nice, rough spark.

 

[Pepsi90919]

Couldn't you just take a hacksaw to the electrode of a regular plug and create rapidfires?

 

[atomicbomberman]

I had those plugs in my 91 BMW 318i

All I had to say is they're GOOD.. my acceration is better given my limited torque, my starting is better and faster.. and my engine also seems to be more eager to rev too. When my old plugs from my current VR6 is worn out, I'll probably put those platium in =)

But good plugs also needs good wires... with these plugs I would say you should go get some aftermarket wires or something... NGK is another good brand too.. but I pefer Bosch because well.. VW use Bosch parts for almost every engine stuff for a reason.

 

[CivicSiRider]

Get denzo's or NGK's, but don't get platinum, get copper plugs. The copper will conduct better but may not last as long as the platinum plugs. So with platinum plugs are low maintenance, but copper plugs perform better. And most of the time aftermarket wires are not needed unless you have changed your ignition system and are no longer NA.

 

[Electric Amish]

I've used Bosch platinum's and Platiumu +4's in my Probe ever since I got it in '94. Never had a problem with them. Didn't do any tests to see if the performance was any different. My mileage is always around 28mpg in town.

amish

 

[slag]

<< Get denzo's or NGK's, but don't get platinum, get copper plugs. The copper will conduct better but may not last as long as the platinum plugs. So with platinum plugs are low maintenance, but copper plugs perform better. And most of the time aftermarket wires are not needed unless you have changed your ignition system and are no longer NA. >>



I couldn't agree more. I had ac delco platinums in my gtp and changed them out for NGK tr 55 plugs. They made a world of difference. In general, platinum plugs are best for people who have trouble even changing oil in their cars because they are low maintenance, but for anyone looking for the best performance, copper plugs are the way to go. The +4 plugs are a total waste of money because the spark will only jump from one place, not both, and it always jumps the gap of least resistance. If your normal plugs are gapped properly, then that is just what your car needs and will work fine. I recently changed the plugs in my wife's explorer and found the plugs were gapped around .94. Normal is like .38 or something like that. I doubt they were every changed even though the dealership we purchased the vehicle from said they changed them. The electrode was burned way down and the ceramic was cracked in a few places.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Plugs make no difference as long as they are the right heat range for YOUR engine. A plug is simply a gap for the spark to jump and set the fuel/air mixture on fire. That's it.
Platinum doesn't make any difference, it just lasts longer.

If you want a hotter spark and don't want to buy an aftermarket ignition box to get it, just increase your plug gap by about .020&quot;. The coil will have to build up more energy to jump that bigger gap, thereby producing a hotter spark. Just don't increase the gap TOO much.

 

[Emulex]

those denso iridium plugs are supposed to be pretty good too. Platinum plugs suck for forced induction high hp motors. Foul too easily when pouring a ton of gas into them (under boost you want to run a bit rich).

 

[CivicSiRider]

<< Plugs make no difference as long as they are the right heat range for YOUR engine. A plug is simply a gap for the spark to jump and set the fuel/air mixture on fire. That's it.
Platinum doesn't make any difference, it just lasts longer.

If you want a hotter spark and don't want to buy an aftermarket ignition box to get it, just increase your plug gap by about .020&quot;. The coil will have to build up more energy to jump that bigger gap, thereby producing a hotter spark. Just don't increase the gap TOO much. >>



Heat isn't the only issue, it is also how quickly that charge gets through the plug. A better conducting metal will carry that charge more quickly. I agree you won't feel much of a difference with a stock engine, but after you start modding the engine, you are going to need it.

Also as for iridium plugs, those are over doing it if your car is slightly modified. If you have a turbo or supercharger than it would be time to start thinking about iridium. It isn't worth the price if you are not going this way.

 

[Pacfanweb]

<<Heat isn't the only issue, it is also how quickly that charge gets through the plug. A better conducting metal will carry that charge more quickly. I agree you won't feel much of a difference with a stock engine, but after you start modding the engine, you are going to need it. >>

I disagree. I've talked to plenty of people with 600+ hp engines at the track, and everyone I've asked have indicated that they've tried all the &quot;gimmick&quot; plugs, and they made no difference whatsoever, on the dyno or the track.
Not just normally aspirated, but turbo'ed, supercharged, nitroused, alchohol, and plain old fashioned high compression. (14-1 and up).
A better conducting metal doesn't make any difference...you can't get any faster than the speed of light.
I've also personally tried different plug typed in my race engine, a 14-1 compression, 640+ horsepower, MSD ignition-equipped big block.
The reason you won't see a difference in very high-powered engines is simple: In an engine with an aftermarket racing ignition (e.g.:MSD,Jacobs,etc), the ignition has so much power that it is excessive, so all you need is a plug that has a gap for the spark to jump.
Example: I traded engines with someone. He was running the engine I now have using alcohol. I am running racing gas.
I didn't change plugs at first, since his were indexed already. They were a drastically different heat range than I normally ran, yet they ran fine, and I didn't pick up any power when I finally changed them. The MSD simply was putting out plenty of spark, thereby making the plug type irrelevant.