Changing the spark plugs in my '95 Accord EX 2.2 VTEC and I was looking at either the NGK Laser Platinum plugs or the E3 Premium DiamondFIRE plugs. What would you guys recommend?

 

E3 is garbage. Stick with what Honda put in at the factory.

 

NGK

 

NGK's are the only things you should ever put in a Honda.

 

ngk and denso both are oem u cant go wrong with either

 

No need to spend the extra for iridium or platinum ether. Plane old NGK ZFR5F-11 V-Power are good enough.

 

i have never bought iridium and i use platinum only on cars where Honda originally called for it ... i trust their engineering

 

I ran the iridium plugs for a while and saw no gains, aside from my wallet being lighter.

 

ya thats what i always figured too lol

 

I've run iridiums as well, and though i can't speak one way or the other to any measurable performance increase, they did last seamingly forever! maybe 90k before I decided they needed replacing.

 

NGK V-Power, or use NGK G-Power. Ran great with them no problems whatsoever. Oh and use NGK wires too.

 

Ok I figured NGK would be the way to go. I get a deal at Advance where I can get the NGK Laser Platinums and blue NGK wires all for $80, so I figured it would actually save me money due to the conditions on my coupon. $40 off and free shipping on all orders over $120.

 

Check out this test comparing OEM Honda spark plug wires vs. NGK wires:

http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-ar...rticle_id=8680

Results showed 8-yr old OEM wires still outperformed new NGK wires. I believe Sumitomo made the wires on older Accords. Although it'll be more expensive, I'd still spring for OEM wires. Nothing beats genuine Honda electrical/ignition components.

 

If you look though, that test was ran sometime before February of 1999. I'd imagine NGK has improved their wires since that test 15 years ago.

 

copper core NGK's never done me or my family wrong. best 2 dollars i have ever spent on a plug

 

Iridium plugs do have an advantage. They will not wear.
Unlike conventional coppers that gradually physically wear out the center electrode, iridium will maintain the sharp edge/tip of the center electrode. The sharp edge is where the spark will jump to/from. If there are more sharp edges the spark will take less energy to jump the gap, allowing for more energy to be used 'in' the spark itself. This is also why the J electrode has a groove in it, it adds two more sharp edges for the spark to jump to. The smaller center electrode takes less energy to saturate for a spark to occur. When a typical copper wears, not only is that sharp jump off point lost, but there is still the mass of copper that needs to be saturated prior to the spark jumping. Loss of energy saturating the electrodes rather than jumping the gap with a hotter spark will cause loss of power through wear.

Will iridium spark plugs create more power, probably not. Will they maintain a constant, consistent reliable spark, yes they will.
Your stock 150HP engine will more likely maintain 150HP over the next 100K miles, where as the coppers will wear and you will lose efficiency and a few horsepower, MPGs, and increased emissions from a weaker spark.

As for Sumitomo vs NGK plug wires.
IIRC From the dealer the Sumitomo set is ~$70 but comes with new wire retainers as well, handy if you snap an old one.
NGK from RockAuto is ~$50 shipped.
NGK has the advantage over other generic aftermaket wires in that they are of the correct length, fit, and do not pop out of the spark plug well like other generics. However, like the other aftermarket sets, they do not have to meet all of the OEM specifications that the Sumitomo ones need to meet.