My dad used to work for toyota in there racing division and he said toyota uses 2 dollar coppers in the racing trucks, the only way to go. The downside is you have to replace them every 30k, big deal. I used to run coppers in my 97 and now use them in my 2000, no problems.

 

Cu's are almost 8$ for the VQ35 though, Ir's are about 8.50 & Pt's about the same.

 

Iridium is both a stronger and more conductive material than platinum so the Iridium IX would actually be better. After doing research on conductive metals and their strengths I found that Iridium is better than platinum in all aspects except price so the Iridium IX would actually last longer that the Laser Iridium.

 

NGK laser platinum. Huge responsiveness increase and more power and better fuel economy.

 

Geeze Newb attack. Regardless 15K on coppers and they are still working quite well.

 

Do your research. Platinum is less conductive than Iridium which means it Platinum also has more resistance which means less spark. Conductive metals from best to worst is Silver, Copper, Gold, Aluminum, then somewhere down the line is Iridium, then even farther down the line is Platinum. So Silver would be the best then Copper, but their down fall is that they are weak materials so they don't last long. Iridium is both stronger and more conductive than Platinum, which is why even Nissan now puts Iridium plugs in their cars instead of Platinum.

Oh and I'm not really a newb, been a member since Jan 2010. I just don't post unless I have good information or I have a unanswered question.

 

which plug would provide better fuel mileage? Just a thought..

 

From an electrical standpoint I would say the most conductive material would use the least amount of energy to create the same spark. So IMHO I would think that a silver plug would give better gas mileage followed closely by copper, then iridium, then platinum. I've never seen any independent tests performed nor have I done any so I can't definitively say so this is just my opinion.

If I were to replace my spark plugs right now I would go with Iridium IX's though. because I don't want to replace my spark plugs every 15k-30k miles and it's my DD.

If I had a race only car I would use silver plugs or copper plugs. Silver would be my preferred choice, but it's expensive and harder to find than copper.

 

When i took my plugs out they were ngk-r platinums. Idk of thats oem but anyways. Tips were pretty much gone. It was coated with white **** and smelled like hard water. Im assuming its coolant burning but different thread for that. I bought ngk iridium ix cheap on amazon. I didnt feel any difference in response or idle or anything. Still sounds the same.

 

If all of this controversy over whats best is because we think one metal conducts better than the other, why does a resistor plug have 900-1000 ohms built into it? Its there to reduce the voltage but allow the amperage ( # of electrons) to continue to ground thru the harness as its a series DC circuit. The reduced voltage (pressure) cuts the arc blast that errodes the tip and ground electrodes and increases plug life. The real difference between types is... what will last the longest in a corrosively hot atmosphere during operation. Now the type of metal or plating used makes a difference. I use platinum plugs because they still work at 100k miles and don't really gap out much. Platinum is the type used in most highend aviation motors too. Those plugs go @ $40 each

 

You're not going to feel a HP gain from replacing your plugs because the difference is minute. You might feel the car idle smoother, but that's all you'll feel. Sparkplugs.com actually dynoed multiple plugs and here's what they came up with:

http://sparkplugs.com/sparkplug411.a...Results&mfid=0

As for metal strength platinum is usually strengthened by combining iridium with it. Iridium is stronger than platinum and should last longer because of it's strength. Even Nissan uses iridium in their new cars now and my guess would be they feel the same way I do about iridium vs platinum which is iridium is better in all important aspects, conductivity and strength. Here are some links to show you what I'm talking about:

http://www.spark-plugs.co.uk/pages/t...park_plugs.htm

http://www.rochoet.com/product_categ...crucibles.html

http://www.sigmundcohn.com/pdf/EN/hi...ile%20wire.pdf

http://www.nology.com/silver.html

 

You know I wish they didn't use an SRT-4 for this comparison. The turbo 2.4 is known to blow out the spark on some plugs. They are rather finikey motors.

 

02 maxima SE. bought Pulstar iridium plugs. the plugs come with a .040 gap. Hanes manuel reads that a 02 max requires a gap of .043. however, later in chapter a side note reads that on 2000 and later models the manufacturer suggests that no gap modifying is needed. what the hell do i do?

 

Dude, this thread is from 2003........

 

Ngk plugs specify .044"

 

just leave it alone unless you absolutely want to mess with the gap.

 

Ok so im going to Napa tomorrow, what spark plugs should i ask for? since coppers seems to be the best bang of the buck what brand should i ask for? im looking for performace, i wouldn't care if i would have to replace it after *****miles. what would u guys suggest? Thanks allot

 

if you like changing your spark plugs, then just go with copper, they work best, just won't last long with direct coil ignitions. If you want longevity, stick with the NGK Laser Platinum which is OEM...

 

For performance get Copper, or silver if you can find them and are willing to spend the money on them. For longevity get NGK Iridium. Laser Iridium is what Nissan is currently using from the factory, but Iridium IX is better.

 

Really? Iridium IX is better and that's why it cost less? Laser Iridium cost more and from what I remembered, the IX is a more affordable type... maybe less iridium? so how is it better? Maybe I'm wrong... but that's just from what I remembered reading somewhere.

 

For the vq35, injected performance carries NGK Iridium plugs. Plus they offer them in 3 different hear ranges. Also $49 shipped for a set of 6 for the vq35 motor.
http://www.injectedperformance.com/n...for350zg35.htm

I got mine in 2 days after placing an order

 

The tip of the center electrode in the Iridium IX plug made of Iridium.

The tip of the center electrode in the Laser Iridium plug is also made of Iridium plus it's ground electrode has a Platinum pad welded to the side facing the center electrode, hence the increased cost over the IX.