I have a d16y8 and i dont know which is better, i have been using the NGK Iridium plugs, but are the NGK Platnums better for it?

 

NGK coppers are more than you'll need.

Unless you're sporting a 600whp car.

 

If im not mistaken, those are the ones with the "R" written on the side, correct?

 

The typical, standard, NGK 4 dollar plug will work 100% fine. To may more for a stock setup makes you an idiot.

 

Lets put a real sentence together before you try to insult me.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by yoffer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Lets put a real sentence together before you try to insult me.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Okay, I'll rephrase it for you since the first time seemed to be too difficult for you to grasp.

If you buy anything other than the base NGK $5 dollar plug for a stock setup you're a retard.

 

First of many things, how do you know my setup is "stock" and i just wanted to know the difference between the two because i change my plugs often and i wanted to save some money this time around. I was asking about some advice, but all i seem to be getting out of you is your opinion, so what do you really know about Iridium's anyway?Do you even know the difference between Iridiums and Platnums? Or are you just cheap and dont feel like buying them?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by yoffer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">First of many things, how do you know my setup is "stock" and i just wanted to know the difference between the two because i change my plugs often and i wanted to save some money this time around. I was asking about some advice, but all i seem to be getting out of you is your opinion, so what do you really know about Iridium's anyway?Do you even know the difference between Iridiums and Platnums? Or are you just cheap and dont feel like buying them?</TD></TR></TABLE>

*sigh* - shutup, jackass.

Read what I said carefully...read it 9 or 10 times, see if it soaks in, maybe you'll get lucky and understand it.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Syndacate &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If you buy anything other than the base NGK $5 dollar plug for a stock setup you're a retard.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Read that to yourself over and over again until you see my point.

You don't seem too bright since you didn't search at all (yes, google is a lot bigger of a search engine than H-T search, so don't bitch about the site being broken). So in the name that you're not too bright, I'll give you a hint:

What I said was an "if" and "then" statement, nothing more.

(*zoom* as that went over your head)

EDIT:
It's sad when I don't even have to read past the first sentence in a response.

 

haha this is awesome

 

Ok, well your still not even coming CLOSE to answering my question. I asked what was the difference between the two spark plugs, not what you think about them. You obvisouly could not answer that. Thats sad, so why even bother to post a comment? I didnt ask your opinion on the spark plugs, so why tell me that im a "retard" so to speak, on buying Iridium plugs? And if i wanted you to act like a 13 year old i would have asked you.

Here let me be like you

EDIT: Posting comments that are paragraphs long dosnt make you look intelligent. Just a FYI.

 

Actually you know what, I was on my way to bed, and I found the perfect answer to your question.

How do I know you're running a stock setup? 'Cause you're asking a question like this.

Lemme guess, stock D series with cheap **** I/H/E and possibly a cam that you think puts you into the 12's?

If you were running any hardcore setup that would actually require different plugs you wouldn't be asking this question.

================================================== ======

Change in pace:

And maybe I should be a good boy and answer your question:
Iridium plugs are better for high temp application, the iridium tip has a higher melting point so the spark isn't messed up at higher temperatures (higher RPM) - at stock redline they're not necessary. Also, the other deal behind it is that Iridium conducts electricity better than platinum (which was the old "omg, omg" before Iridium became more widely used), so it makes a "cleaner" spark with theoretically less power needed. Some say it sparks better, some say with high comp ratio engines it works better, it's all say though . Usually iridium plugs are good if you have nitrous as the extra heat doesn't really affect them as badly so you still get a good, powerful spark.

Platinum plugs are all about durability - some claim to last 80-100k. I personally think it's a crock of **** and rather tune it up @ an oil change or whatever to keep **** running crisp. Though I'm running a stock setup and I only need the base NGK ~$4 plugs.

EDIT:
PS: You'd probably get a better answer on what's better for your car if you posted your actual setup.

 

OMG shut up, iridium spark plugs last longer and put out more spark which is not needed unless pushing boost or over 200whp

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 924doorEG &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">OMG shut up, iridium spark plugs last longer and put out more spark which is not needed unless pushing boost or over 200whp</TD></TR></TABLE>

I think ur telling him to shut up though I'm not really sure who ur telling to shut up, but in any event - platinum plugs supposedly last longer than iridium, that's why they're on all the newer cars that claim "go 80-100k without changing the plugs" or some **** like the older puegots where changing plugs is a nightmare - so you want to do it the least amount possible.

Though yeah, you don't need either, or unless you have a high output setup.

No 92-00 Civic/Integra motor is considered a "high output setup" that would require diff plugs.

 

You need to get a grasp on reality before you post comments like the ones you have been posting. i asked a question, i didnt ask you to be a dick and post some random off topic statement about me being a idiot. Theres a lot of people that dont know the key differences between plugs. So before you go off swingin your internet dick in pride knowing that you've successfully pissed someone off. If you have said that to me in person, i would've decked your ***.

 

Is that better? He put a sentence together fine. He just made a typo of one letter.
Well, though you might want to know what the difference between an NGK Iridium and an NGK Platinum plug is, that's not what you asked in your first post.

To clarify, this is your original question:
Neither plug will work better. It's more about longevity than performance. If you have a stock setup, just go with stock spec plugs (meaning, you don't need a ton of extra electrodes). Anything more is wasting your money.

Stock '96-'00 SOHC Civic Spark Plug Specifications:

(U.S.: HX)
NGK: ZFR4F-11
DENSO: KJ14CR-L11

(U.S.: DX, EX, Canadian: DX, Si)
NGK: ZFR5F-11
DENSO: KJ16CR-L11

Spark Plug Gap:
1.1 mm (0.04 in) +0 / -0.1 mm


Some plugs might work better for different setups beyond stock though. So in the event that your D16Y8 is not stock (like you hint it might not be stock since you asked us which is better for your mysterious D16Y8, yet insult Syndacate for telling you what's up because he doesn't really know if your engine is stock or not), we would need to know what is done to the engine.

A "better" plug might not be better for all engines of course. You could go out and buy $30 plugs with polonium tips, and still get just the same power out of a stock Y8.

And to answer your second question about the plugs, the major difference between the iridium plugs and the platinum plugs is one has an iridium tip and one has a platinum tip. This affects the longevity, as I posted before.

A few Google searches actually teach you most of this too btw.

Why Should I Use Platinum Spark Plugs in My Teg?
Elements in Spark Plugs

And since you say you change your spark plugs often (which makes it sound like you might have a problem):
Spark Plug Colors, and What They Mean

I'm copy this all here becaues I had to use the cache to catch it and it's yellow text on white, making it difficult to read.

Mythbusted: Platinum vs Copper Spark Plugs
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"><FONT SIZE="3">Mythbusted: Platinum vs Copper Spark Plugs</FONT>

by: Metroplex



There's been a lot of talk about how copper plugs are better for performance due to the electrical conductivity of copper vs platinum and iridium.

Well, I decided to do my own test and see for myself.

I have:
2 new AWSFA-12C plugs (copper)
8 old AWSFA-12C plug with 13k miles
16 new AGSF-22WM plugs (platinum)
8 old AGSF-22WM plug with 21k miles

Using a multimeter, I measured the resistance between the center electrode tip and the connector.
The heat range should not have an effect on resistance due to the fact its just the design of the insulator.

Out of my sample of 16 new AGSF-22WM spark plugs, the median is around 5.45k ohms and the average was 5.52k ohms. The lowest being 4.75k and the highest 6.93k. So that's approximately +/- 2k ohm deviation.
The old AGSF-22WM measured 4.75k ohms.

The new AWSFA-12C measured 5.85k ohms, and the old AWSFA-12C measured 5.45k ohms.

As you can see, the copper plug did not have significantly less resistance than the platinum plug as everyone thinks.

If you went by the theoretical resistivity differences (at 20*C):
Copper: 1.68x10^-8 ohm-m
Iridium: 5.07x10^-8 ohm-m
Platinum: 10.6x10^-8 ohm-m

You would find that the platinum plugs should have about 6 times more resistance than the copper plug. In reality, the spark plug center electrode resistance were comparable.

Cu: 1.68 * 10^-8 ohm-m
Pt: 10.6 * 10^-8 ohm-m
Ir: 5.07 * 10^-8 ohm-m

For the naysayers that are screaming "but resistance increases with temperature..."

Here are the alpha values (temp coeff):
Cu: 0.0068
Pt: 0.003927

Let us assume that we're measuring initial resistance at room temperature and then calculating change in resistance at 500*F or 260*C.

At room temperature, let us assume the copper plugs are 5.5k ohms and the Pt plugs are 5.5k ohms.

R0 = 5.5k ohms
T0 = 20*C
T = 260*C

R = Ro [1+ alpha(T-T0)]

R for Cu = 14.5k ohms
R for Pt = 10.68k ohms

The platinum plugs would actually have lower resistance if the cores were actually made of platinum and if the cores actually reached 500F. What is my point?

The plugs use the same core material, therefore the resistance is the same. The electrode tips have different materials and thus will react differently at higher temperatures and pressures. Spark plug design, construction, and manufacturing quality is more important than just the material choice itself.

-------------------

Here's why there wasn't a significant difference between copper and platinum plugs:

The cores are all copper and equipped with carbon suppressors, but the center electrode and ground electrodes are coated differently (platinum/nickel/iridium or plain copper). Even then there's not enough of a difference to change the overall resistance.

The AGSF-22WM spark plugs held up fine after 21k miles in the 5.4L SOHC V8. There were no signs of fouling, gap erosion, or electrode wear.

The AWSFA-12C spark plugs looked worn out at 13k miles. There is very noticeable gap erosion.

Even assuming your whiz-bang plugs do have 10 times the resistance of a copper plug around 50k ohms, applying 35,000 V from the coil through the core will yield approximately 34.88kV out the other end jumping across the gap (assuming 15 megaohms of resistance in the air gap) which means a loss of around 120V out of 35kV. This loss is insignifcant when you factor in losses from spark plug wires, resistance from distributor contacts, increased resistance from higher temperatures, etc…

Copper is very soft and pliable compared to Iridium and Platinum. On a car, you can change plugs easily. On a E-250, it took me 5 hours and bloody knuckles to change 8 the first time. I do NOT plan to change them every year or 10k miles and that means copper plugs are out of the question.

The electrode material does make a difference but not so much in terms of electrical resistance.
The thermal conductivity differences in the materials as well as the plug design probably play a much more important/crucial role.

-------------------

There are reports that the platinum plugs are not suitable in performance applications due to increased chamber temperatures and pressures which can break off the tips of the electrodes. This was common on the AGSF-12EE plugs on the Lightnings. They probably come off because the weld/adhesion comes apart due to the temperature and/or pressure. Ford uses similar plugs on 98-up Crown Vics, AWSF-32P/PP. These are known to burn out or have other problems.
This is a problem with the spark plug design/manufacturing process rather than just the material.

There are different types of platinum spark plugs. Fine-wire platinum spark plugs such as the AGSF-12FM1 are used as OE plugs on Ford performance cars like the 2003-2004 Mustang Cobra and the late model Ford Lightnings both platforms are supercharged and run significant amounts of boost. These fine-wire plugs have less surface area on the center electrode which somewhat shrouds them from the increased temperatures and pressures in the combustion chamber which may prevent the tips from breaking off. If that is not the case, it is possible the supplier has improved their plug manufacturing processes. Perhaps it is not a coincidence fine-wire iridium plugs are known to work well in NOS applications whereas platinum plugs have run into problems in said applications.

NASCAR stock cars and other dedicated race cars tend to use copper plugs. The lack of coatings and non-similar metals on the electrodes adds to the reliability of the plugs under racing conditions. However, race cars were designed for a specific purpose and are torn down after each race. I prefer to enjoy my free time relaxing or doing something fun rather than change spark plugs in the cramped engine compartment of a Ford E-series or Ford F-series.

-------------------

From Wikipedia:
Iridium: A heavy, very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum family, iridium is used in high strength alloys that can withstand high temperatures and occurs in natural alloys with platinum or osmium. Iridium is notable for being the most corrosion resistant element known and for its association with the demise of the dinosaurs. It is used in high temperature apparatus, electrical contacts, and as a hardening agent for platinum. Iridium is found uncombined in nature with platinum and other platinum group metals in alluvial deposits. Naturally occurring iridium alloys include osmiridium and iridiosmium, both of which are mixtures of iridium and osmium. It is recovered commercially as a by-product from nickel mining and processing.

Iridium is a very hard but brittle material which means there's less chance of gap erosion and thermal pitting due to increased temperatures. Since it is used in alloys, the brittleness is addressed using materials that are more pliable and resilient. However, copper electrodes are extremely soft and easily pitted, worn away, and bent.</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ek forever guy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">NGK coppers are more than you'll need.

Unless you're sporting a 600whp car.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

NGK BKR7e-11 FTW

 

Christ this got out of hand.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by yoffer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">First of many things, how do you know my setup is "stock"?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Because if you had a car that required to use of a hotter spark you wouldn't be asking this question.

There are 500-600whp civics out there on factory ignition systems buddy.