I switched out my NGK OEM Platinum plugs today (the car had 93k on it and I'm not sure if they've ever been changed. I recently bought it) I decided to go with the NGK Copper plugs as recommended in the HowTo, mainly because they were only $1.59 a piece as opposed to almost $11 a piece for the OEM.

The care seems to run fine, but now it seems to idle aroun 550-600rpms when it used to be more in the 700 range, is this normal?

 

are the plugged gaped to spec?

(0.39 - 0.44)

 

I recommend resetting the ECU.

 

^WHY? The plugs are new, that's all it is. Adjust your idle and be done with it. Like mentioned above, you did gap them yourself, right?

 

i would seriously advise you to either switch back to the NGK's.. or at least another platinum plug.. anyone thats knows about these motors will tell you the same.. they are very partial to correct plugs, and the motor requires a platinum plug.. this is not something you want to skimp on when it comes to saving money.. please do yourself the favor , you can develop problems..

to answer your question though, as to would this cause it , i will make an educated guess and say yes, and that the difference your seeing is because the copper is not as good an eletrical conductor as platinum.. dont bother touching your ecu it wont do anything.. there is a very good reason your car came with plugs that cost that much much.... yea it sucks.. but it is what it is...

 

facorty platinums replacements sound like a good idea, but I've been hearing (jump in all) that the coppers perform just as well as the plats but have half the life of them, that is the only diff between them, besides price.

Many people on here have put in coppers and found no performance loss whats soever.


jump in if people have experienced otherwise.

 

first off, copper is a better conductor than platnium. plenty of people run coppers with no issues but having to replace them earlier than if they were platniums. the 3.0 does not require platniums, that is just the oem plug.
just because the car came with them does not mean there is not a suitable more affordable solution. ive run ngk coppers in my 3.0 since i took my plats out at 30k with no issues and working on the second set @ 57k. do your research before you spread false information.

 

im running ngk platnums and there just as good as my platnums

 

I got the NGK Copper plugs mentioned in this how-to. http://www.vqpower.com/v2/modules.ph...howpage&pid=33
I realize I'll have to change them after 30k as opposed to 60k for the platinum ones, but being about 1/6 the price I thought it was worth it. The how-to also states they give a better spark.

I didn't gap them, but I did compare them to the platinum ones I took out and to the naked eye the gap looked the same. I suppose I can pull one out and measure it just to make sure.

But like I said the car runs fine with no noticable side effects except a slightly lower idle.

 

you think copper is a better conductor than platinum i shoudlnt even answer your thread. your over-confident , uninformed, and completely arrogant. know what.. mabye your right, the copper one is better, thats must be why it cost $1. and i didnt say " it will definately cause problems" , i said it can.. and i say that goin on what ive read on this site from other members that have experience issues when using other plugs. ive been on this forum for about 6 years now and i answer posts to try and help people, and its ****in *******s like you that make me regret it

 

This doesn't make sense. What do you mean?

 

As stated here http://www.corollaperformance.com/Te...parkplugs.html

copper is a better conductor than platinum


Types of Spark Plugs

Platinum is an interesting metal – not only is it a decent conductor and incredibly expensive, it is also very dense on a molecular level. It is this property that makes it attractive to engine designers looking to extend tune-ups out to 100,000 miles, i.e., a platinum plug by the nature of its metal is more resistant to erosion due to spark arcing which reduces electrode wear which maintains plug gap, etc. You get the idea. Please note that its main drawback is that it is not as conductive as copper (or silver, which is also used in spark plugs).

 

if copper "can cause problems" then why do boosted max's run copper plugs with no problems??Just as long as they have the correct gap..???
I switched to 1/2 step colder ngk copper plugs from platinum when I first started boosting and have no problems ever since...hmm...

 

your an *** dude just stop plantinum is not a better conducter. even my dad who has a phd in electric engineering says so that is the bigges bs I have ever heard. the reason there is plantinum plugs is so they last longer not because they conduct more electricity.

 

all you had to do was google it and find out for yourself. maybe you should go stunt somewhere else.

 

I've got platinums, I believe most post 95 cars come stock with platinum due to their long life. I think that copper or iridium would work fine as long as they are gapped correctly and installed correctly. Personally I like to go with what comes stock when it comes to plugs, since i'm not boosted or running Nitrous. Just one mans opinion. I do believe that copper plugs are use for boosted or nitrous cars due to their lower temp. I've read alot of poststhat if you're boosting or adding nitrous it would benefit you to change to copper because the platinum would cause problems. Can this be verified by somebody?