Iridium Spark Plug Gap

[Dan Filetti]

Dan, You are comparing a old set of spark plugs to new Yes there is going to be a difference.  You were saying the plugs were all sooted up that is telling me he is running rich

Kim-

you missed the operative word "the old plugs looked ok coming out not all sooted up or too dark/ light" I am no expert, but I can look at a plug and look for soot, and the right color,these were sootless and ~ the right color seems to me -somewhere between dark and light chocolate...

If replacing one plug with 10K miles on them, that are NOT all sooted up, can make a noticeable difference, then a different high tech plug may be even better...  Maybe not.  As to your claim that 1,000,000 volts is 1,000,000 volts, probably true.  But if you read the marketing literature, and look at the photos -the spark itself is bigger, broader.

I coppied this from the NGK page regarding their Iridium plugs:

"Iridium IX Spark Plugs are the most technologically advanced high performance plugs available. Featuring a 0.6 mm iridium center electrode tip, they offer superior ignitability without sacrificing durability. The tapered ground electrode increases flame kernel expansion, while the superior heat range design is ideally suited to the demands of high performance environments. Specially designed to meet the needs of serious enthusiasts, Iridium IX Spark Plugs offer outstanding acceleration, high fuel efficiency and long life. When you demand the most from your engine, rely on the proven performance of NGK Iridium IX Spark Plugs. "


...increases flame kernel expansion!! I'm going to get a set for my oven!  Probably marketing hype, but you never do know...

Again, folks, I'd like to hear reports from those that install them...

Dan

[scapello]

For me it's worth a try. The additional money is equal to about 4 grande Starbucks coffees. I bought mine at Checkers for $7.99 each.

One thing to remember is that every combustion cycle that did not ignite due to inefficiency of the plug fouls up the chamber, valves.... In theory the irridium plugs should have more reliable ingnition and for more cycles. In my mind that is worth it.

Steffen

PS: I am changing mine today and I let you know if I can feel the difference.

[scapello]

What's with all the fucking little rocks that want to fall into the cylinder as you change the plugs?

[the fan]

Totally different animal, but we tried them in 2 stroke dirt bikes and they wet fouled far easier than the standard plugs, plus seemed to "soot up"much quicker. I noticed no difference in power.

Never tried them in the YZF600. If I really believed I could pick up a horse or two for just the price of plugs I would. The Wired George coil relay is a cheaper solution to OEM coil spark issues.

http://www.wgcarbs.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=26

It made a big difference on starting and low RPM running on my YZF, and if you try hard enough it's cheaper than 1 iridium spark plug...

[scapello]

First impressions with new NGK 2202 Iridium plugs

The plugs I took out where all nice tan color regular NGK type and the bike ran very nice with some rough starting but the temps here are still in the 30's in the mornings.

After the plug exchange the bike started on the first turn which is somewhat new but other than that there is no noticeable difference. My last gas mileage was 46 mpg but I doubt that plugs will change tha

I will let you know how they look in a few thousand miles.

Steffen

PS: I guess all the little rocks in cylinder 1 and 2 (before I noticed) blow out on start-up 

[LA Mike]

I have been running these(NGK) for over a month and I can't say I have notice any gains in power. I was able to get them local for $20 a set. I don't know if I would have purchased them if I had to pay $32/ $8ea the standard price, especially when I can get a stock set of  NGK's for less than the  price of one Iridium plug.
I did notice and still do that my starts are always on the first crank and I only pull the choke out about 1/4 as far as before. Mileage has seem to go up a little but I want to go though a couple more gas tanks to be sure. I have only put a little over 650miles on them so they are still in the testing stage. I'll pull them and take a look at them when I hit 1K-1.5K miles.

LA Mike
89 FJ1200

[TRoy]

I put the iridiums in about 40,000 miles ago. I like 'em, so much in fact that I swapped them over to my new engine last year. And didn't have to re gap them.

But I'm kinda' fucked up like that.. I like things that last a long time and enhance driveability 

[FJ Flyer]

Got the Iridiums into the FJR yesterday.  They seemed to be pre-gapped appropriately from the box.  Have to use the Yamaha tool in the tool kit for plug removal.  Holes are really tight (no wise-ass comments) and I didn't have a socket that could fit, even some thin-walled ones.  Runs okay.  Try it tomorrow on the way to work.

Don't think I would put them in the FJ.   Then again, I'm not riding the FJ too much anymore.

[mikeholzer]

I spent 10 or so years working as an auto mechanic, and I get the differences between standard plugs, platnium, and iridium plugs. Long life is supposed to be the primary advantage of the premium plugs, and possibly better performance and economy based on the lower resistance value of the premium materials.

With that in mind, I was in a quandry, tearing my hair out over the lousy fuel economy I was getting with my 92 FJ (with 84,000 miles on it). I bought it in early March, and after two full tanks of 92 octane, my best fuel economy was 37 mpg. Granted, I do a fair share of city driving, and because it's still cold here (Minneapolis, MN, mind you), I have been letting it idle a good 5 minutes before I ride (long enough for Joe Camel and I to have a brief chat).

Based on the poor fuel mileage, and that I didn't think that the previous owner really took care of a lot of the maintenance issues in a timely manner, I went after the common items which may affect fuel mileage. I changed the oil (using the same brand and weight of oil that the previous owner used - Golden Spectro 20W-50), checked the air filter (adequate, not pristine), and the plugs. Everything seemed pretty okey-dokey, so I figured that $30.00 was a reasonable chance to take on the iridium plugs. Here are some photos of the ones which came out:

http://s681.photobucket.com/albums/vv179/mikeholzer/1992%20FJ1200%20Plugs/?action=view&current=Plugs-20090423_01.jpg

They not only seemed to have "normal" wear, they actually seemed almost new to me. No real discernable wear on the electrodes; they are, in fact, still pretty much square at the ends. The bike has been running great, it has plenty of power, no stumbles, hesitations, or glitches; it just eats too much fuel, right.

Cutting to the chase: I've used another 1 1/2 tanks of fuel since I changed these plugs. Fuel economy on the first tank jumped to 44 mpg, and the current tank appears as though it may even be better. Now, granted, the weather has been getting a little bit warmer, but not that significantly. Normaly, I'd poo-poo any clown who told me that they saw a 15-20% fuel economy increase by changing to new-fangled spark plugs. However, I am actually seeing a profound difference here.

DISCLAIMER: Individual results may vary. Blah, blah, blah...

Whatever! I still see it as money well spent. I realize that I need to ride it more to see if the economy improvement is legitimate or some wicked outliar. But, it would seem to me that the iridium plugs are worth the premium price. The fact that I probably won't have to touch them again for another few seasons is just the icing on the cake.

Mike in Minneapolis

[Dan Filetti]

hmmmmm, so they may be worth the $$ -interesting, Thanks.

Dan

[MyFirstNameIsPaul]

Mike, you could also see an increase in fuel economy by going to 10W-40.  I did, although I only get 40+ mpg on the freeway, 35 in town.

[scapello]

New data point,

I have driven 2 tanks with the Iridiums and my gas mileage went from ~46 mpg to 38mpg!! To complete the experiment I changed them back to a new standard set yesterday and will see if the mileage goes up again. Still no difference in how the bike runs and it also starts well with the new regular plugs. The Iridium plugs looked good when I pulled them out.

Steffen

[scapello]

Two tanks of hard and twisty riding up and down the canyons here in CO with the new standard plugs and my mileage is back to 44.6 and 46.1 mpg. I think I am sticking to the regular plugs.

Steffen

[TRoy]

I put the iridiums in about 40,000 miles ago. I like 'em, so much in fact that I swapped them over to my new engine last year. And didn't have to re gap them.

But I'm kinda' fucked up like that.. I like things that last a long time and enhance driveability 

..just changed them again..just for good measure i figure they must be getting tired after all these years and miles

[FJmonkey]

I guess I should check mine, not sure how many miles I have on them at the moment.