Obespalov

One is 11$, the other is 3$. Granted that money is not an issue, is there a difference here b/w the two?

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

I bel the double plats are the oem type. NGK has it on their site. I believe the doubles are a grade higher and have a longer replacement interval.

Bobo

The doubles are also referred to as laser platinum, are they not? I believe I will stay with the OEM plugs as I'm a low miler and am concerned about the coppers corroding and wouldn't consider the GP platinum.

tomservo291

copper all the way... i like more conductive metals myself.

nexgenmax

iTrader: (14)

When I bought the car, it has platinum on it. Don't know for how long has it been in there, but when i replaced it with copper, the ride is a bit different. The engine is a lot tighter. Like it now than before.

mbandi

iTrader: (1)

The Gp platinums are junk! We had a lot of problems using them at our shop. They would crack and short very easily. It seemed like a less expensive alternative to the laser platinum, but it was a big mistake. The V-power plug (or copper) is an excellent plug, especially for the price. The laser platinum is the way to go since it is the stock plug.

Bobo

What do you mean by the engine is a lot tighter? That is nonsense. Perhaps you simply feel an improvement in performance to the fact that you have new plugs period!

I find it amazing how coppers are recommended, yet the same people use synthetic oil and synthetic tranny/transaxle fluid. I have phoned around to various shops, parts suppliers and dealerships, and not one has recommended the coppers over the OEM platinums. They all say to stick with the OEM plugs that came from the factory. That is what I intend to do.

tomservo291

Because that's what they HAVE to say, people may become liable if they tell you to go with something other then the original equipment and something bad happens.

However it's proven that the NGK coppers won't harm the engine, obviously many of us use them. Simply put, copper is a better conductive material. I don't care if they dont last as long personally, seeing as they are easy to change and under $2.00 each that's fine by me. Also, after buying my car the previous owner had just changed the plugs (to Bosch plat 4+) right before I bought it (I mean RIGHT before) and after finding these forums I read about the NGK's and promptly switched to coppers. The engine DEFINITELY improved significantly! However it's known the Bosch 4+ are not good for our engines, but still it's a premium plat plug and I know the coppers I put in work much better.

Lawtown

iTrader: (5)

Can anyone please tell me what web-sites sell the NGK Platinum or copper plugs? There is only one store around here that sells the platinums and they want $15 each. I've called up Nopi but they seem to always be out of stock

tomservo291

I had luck with NAPA.. Autozone, DIY and Carquest near me didn't have coppers (NGK v-power.)

Try www.napaonline.com

Broaner

iTrader: (10)

Coppper for life...

turbomax97

iTrader: (6)

+1 on the copper for me too. If it's giving me this good of a spark under the boost i run without any problems - I'm assured that it's plenty for NA. I don't care what the shops are trying to tell you about how the oe stuff is the best. Chemistry is chemistry - and copper conducts better than the oe platinum.

Ruthless

I got the NGK iridum's , they are the best as far as I researched

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Copper Plugs - 30K mile life expectancy.
Platinum Plugs - 100K mile life expectancy.

There is absolutely no differance in performance between the two. If you want to save a few bucks, put the Coppers in and change them every 30K. If you want less maintenance issues, put the Platinums in and forget about them for a while.

The reason OE Mfgr's are using Platinum tip plugs is to cut down on the maintenance interval on your engine. (100K tune up's)

Obespalov

Thank you, I will go w/ the double platinum as they are the OEM recommended. I googled to see if I could find a definative answer on performance re copper vs platinum and I can't seem to get anything valid. Can anyone seriosely confirm better driving through new coppers vs new plats vs iridium

Bobo

And the notion that an OEM platinum plug on a 4th Gen Maxima requires replacement at 60K is utter nonsense, unless the vehicle has either been lugged in constant city driving or somehow abused. I recently took my plugs out, just before 58K, cleaned them up on a wheel, and put them back in. The car is running as strong as ever.

At the same time, my friend's brother, who has a 99 Maxima with 78K on it did the same thing and his car has only been treated to 87 octane in the 2 years he has owned it, and the plugs are original.

Coppers corrode over time. I have yet to see any thread on the longevity of NGK copper plugs. I wonder what the longest anyone has kept them without compromising performance and fuel economy and similarly, the longest anyone has run OEM platinums on a 4th Gen without adversely affecting those parameters.

tomservo291

copper core > plat (this means conductive metal needing to be attached to another metal.)

this first introduces a transfer of electrons between two substances = worse then not doing so.

copper = more conductive then plat ... this is good.

of course coppers won't last as long; it's a softer and more likely to corrode. that's why their life span reflects this fact.

COPPER ALL THE WAY.

thanks for your time

RobUsaf81

Save some money and get the coppers. This topic has been discussed many times, coppers are just as good as plats.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

The last Max I tuned up was a 2000 with just over 100K on the clock. The original owner (org member) told me he never did any maintenance to the engine except regular oil changes and air filters. The Platinum plugs I took out showed their age. The tips had worn down to the point that the gaps were noticably bigger. The car was running fine according to the owner.

My best friend has a 98 I30 that he abuses regularly. Never changes the oil, drives it hard, uses low grade fuel and does very little to maintain it. The car has 180K on the clock and still runs excellent. (I wish my tranny shifted as tight as his does) The last time the plugs were changed was back around the 60K mark. We put OE NGK Platinums back in it when the 60K service was done. Those plugs are still firing with 120K on them.

Bobo

So, so far we have an instance where NGK platinums have run 100K and 120K. I don't plan on leaving mine in that long. I think Nissan's recommendation of changing 4th Gen plugs at 60K revolves around them being in an aluminum block. I have heard all kinds of BS about don't leave them in too long or you may have trouble removing them etc. Mine were in 10.5 years, came out easily, were cleaned up and went back in.

tomservo291

you mean plats are just as good as copper since they have twice the prongs to make up for their lack of conductivity.