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Iridium automobile spark plug question.

AX-O

Well Known Member
All,
I did a search and found some information regarding automobile spark plugs. I am trying to figure out what automobile spark plug to use with my Pmags. Their book says that NGK BR8 ES and NGK BR8 EV have been used and work ok. I spoke with Dayton last night and he told me to use the Iridium type NGK BR8 EIS. I can?t find that plug. I can find the NGK BR8 IX or NGK BR8 HIX. Do you guys have experience with any of those two plugs? Thanks for any help or guidance.
 
Axel,

My P-mags fire the NGK BR8 ES plugs with no issues. At 100 hours I spend the $16.49 and replace all eight, even though they don't need it.
 
Waste of money

I think that is the one I am going to order. About $7 each.

Axel,

You're wasting money. The standard plugs work great. A friend tried the Iridium plugs thinking, "they cost more, they must be better." Did nothing but use up some fuel money.

I use the standard plugs and have for 500 hours with dual Pmags. Not one plug issue. Replace each annual for around $16.
 
I agree. The iridium plugs are good for going long distances, ie 100,000 miles in a car. At $2 each (or cheaper if you buy bulk) the standard plugs are cheap enough to throw away every 50-100 hours or whenever when stop looking perfect.
 
There was a fairly animated debate on this very subject not too long ago, and the facts remain the same: Iridium plugs are used because they make cars more "maintenence free". Iridium plugs deliver a consistent spark over a long period with zero maintenance... Hardly a consideration in aircraft, which are operated relatively infrequently and opened up on a regular basis. I replace my BR8ES plugs every year, despite them still looking new. I see no advantage to going with iridium, unless you were going to run the same set of plugs for 5 years or more which would allow their higher cost to amortize over longer time. So there's a potential cost savings, but there has been no evidence that the iridium plugs perform better.
 
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I've got the plasma 3 and the original plugs were removed at 100hrs, worn terrible. I replaced with the iridium plugs and now starts better and runs better. I think they are worth it.
 
Waste of money

Brbes at $1.19 from the local Knects...toss em every handred hours. If you run LOP (and even better avoid 100LL) they will run perfect and never load up.

Frank
 
I wish that standard plugs would last longer... after two sets in less than 50 hrs I went to Iridium and have had no more issues.
 
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Aaaa- spark plugs

I've got the plasma 3 and the original plugs were removed at 100hrs, worn terrible. I replaced with the iridium plugs and now starts better and runs better. I think they are worth it.

Just my spin, personally I have ran the NGK standard electrode, V-groove, Platinum, and Iridium?s. All within 2 heat ranges of one another. The poorest seat of the pants performance and along with miss managed fuel mixture settings in order, were the standard, v-groove, and platinum. At the moment I?m running Nippon Denso Iridium?s. So far they seem to be the best for my performance application. I believe that the fine wire electrode exposes the spark better and from the same point of the electrode tip, which just seems to perform better. The question that I have is for the folks that run the standard plugs, have they ever tried the fine wires in there same application?

Thomas S.
www.g3ignition.com
 
Well then I have to qualify my statement..I run purely autofuel and almost exclusively run LOP..I could see that maybe the standard plugs could foul with 100LL or ROP running.

but for me the standards work just fine...I.e they never misfire..so they either work or they dont..A mis would be easy to detect.

Frank
 
I wish that standard plugs would last longer... after two sets in less than 50 hrs I went to Iridium and have had no more issures.

25 hours per set... WOW!

I run 100LL exclusively, split my flight time equally between cross country @ peak/LOP; and full throttle, full rich acro/goofing off - and my standard NGK's still look like new at 100 hrs. I almost feel guilty throwing them out.

I guess the thing to do is start cheap and work your way up until you find a plug that works.

...Just glad I can stay on the bottom floor...
 
I will say that we went straight from the cheapo Denso plugs straight over to the NGK Iridium plug. Also, the plug wear was noticeable in the short period of flight time with the Densos. I pulled the iridiums during the condition inspection yesterday and there is zero sign of any wear period. :)
 
Iridium? di-lithium crystals?

..I think I'll go Iridium, cause it just sounds sexier, and in airplanes that's gotta mean better, stronger, faster!
..plus,. I can tell my wife that they're earrings or something when she sees it on the mastercard statement ( for a while!)

are they hard to gap accurately? What gap do most guys run?
...seems the littel wires would be springy, & prone to break?????
 
..I think I'll go Iridium, cause it just sounds sexier, and in airplanes that's gotta mean better, stronger, faster!
..plus,. I can tell my wife that they're earrings or something when she sees it on the mastercard statement ( for a while!)

are they hard to gap accurately? What gap do most guys run?
...seems the littel wires would be springy, & prone to break?????


Gap on mine = .026
 
..I think I'll go Iridium, cause it just sounds sexier, and in airplanes that's gotta mean better, stronger, faster!
..plus,. I can tell my wife that they're earrings or something when she sees it on the mastercard statement ( for a while!)

are they hard to gap accurately? What gap do most guys run?
...seems the littel wires would be springy, & prone to break?????

.032 on my el-cheap-o NGK's. Even after 100 hours of 100LL on my low compression engine and dual P-mags, they look great.

I wonder how that will change with the O-360.
 
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