AFTER READING THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, PLEASE POST A RESPONSE ON THE POLL, AND LEAVE ANY ADVICE. THANKS AGAIN!

Heres a quick ponder for those who know the specifics of these kinds of things: Bosch+4 Platinum spark plugs are supposed to deliver better spark, less misfires, better gas mileage, longer plug life, smoother acceleration, no adjustments or gapping, etc. (among some other positive characteristics). Personally, I installed a full set of them on my 3.8l, and I've noticed a well rounded increase in overall performance and stability. HOWEVER, the standard AC Delco plugs that they had replaced had probably around 40k miles on them, and seemed in desperate need of changing anyways.

THE QUESTINONS:

A) Theres no doubt that Bosch had created these plugs to out perform "ordinary" plugs, BUT, how do these plugs compare statistically (meaning I'm looking for hard numbers) to other performance plugs such as Autolite platinum or XP, NGK Iridium , Chapion Iridium, the "Y" shaped E3's, or even the original bosch platinum 0r +2's? (and any other top notch plug)

B)The +4's come factory pre-gapped. This is great for making instalation easy (or for the people that dont know the difference between.25mm and 2.5mm), BUT, as significant upgrades are added and possibly timing/fuel ratios/displacement/spark strength change, the gap needed to deliver a precise spark might need to change also(right?). If a gap change is needed with a +2 or +4 plug (or similar), will it affect the plugs "advantage" over the competition?(if possible to correctly change the gap on such plugs). Generally, the plugs were made for factory standards. Will they perform, if at all, when altered (if needed), and put to the test?

C)Bosch +4 Platinum plugs are a "High Performance" plug. (emphasis on the quotation marks) BUT, how much performance do you get from this "performance" plug? or, at what point is it better to switch to a profesional type "racing" plug rather than sticking with a "performance" plug?



P.S. I promise not to be a ***** this time if I can get a real answer, and not a wise remark about my intelegence, or my choice to have a V6. (yes i know the Z28's are better!) THANKS AGAIN! HAPPY ANSWERING!

P.S.S. If you're willing to GIVE me a Z28,...well then I'll have to think about it lol

 

so are we gona get to see pics of your car lol.

i dont like bosch i ran them in a 3.4 and a 3.1 and both time it made the car run like crap and could figure out what was wrong regaped the plugs 3 times in the 3.4 and still nothing so i went and got the stock plugs and car ran fine.

 

nooo the bosches in my formy where ****

 

But the +2's and +4's dont need gapping because they come pregapped from factory. are these specifically any better?

 

i think they're not good for N/A but good for FI

 

Personally, I think they are a marketing ploy and will not really show a gain unless your old plugs aren't performing up to their promised spec. From my past good experiences with both Autolite and NGK, those are the two brands I would be more swayed towards. As for the gapping issue, it is hard at all. You can buy a spark plug gapper from just about any auto parts or hardware store and they only run a few bucks. Also, to answer your other question, by playing with the gaps, you can gain a couple more ponies, but you will not know if you are making positive or negative changes unless you have your car on a dyno, and that cost will outweigh a few horsepower gain in my opinion.

 

Honestly, The Bosch plugs aren't terrible... That being said, the +2 and +4 plugs are basically pure marketing BS... Electricity takes the path of least resistance... Whichever ground electrode is closest, will get the spark... Not that this makes them bad plugs... They just aren't anything special...

If you run NOS, then stay away from platinum plugs... Other than that, you won't find much if any difference in performance based on your spark plugs unless you are running the incorrect heat range plug for your application...

I use the Autolite double platinums in my V8... I had the original AC Delco's in for about 115K miles... Lots of people use the NGK plugs with good results...

 

I don't bother with fancy plugs. I run regular AC Delco plugs in my cars with no issues at all. I know a lot of 3.8 guys like NGK plugs...

- Justin

 

wrong, horrible for boost, will foul in a heatbeat

 

As others have said, I don't think they are that much, if any, improvement over regular plugs and they cost quite a bit more. I'd say just get some AC Delco plugs and you should be all right.

 

woops..already bought them. installed. eh... they were $5.88 each. not too bad though. I suppose BOSCH is a "NAY"! soo...NGK works good huh? What's the best for a LS1? I'm getting one soon.

 

anything with the word Bosch sucks, including their wiperblades. I will never install anything that has the word bosch on it in my car.

 

AC Delco plugs are what belongs in your engine, and they work just fine even with anything that MSD, Accel, or anyone else can throw at them. Get AC Delco platinums if your car came with platinums, but otherwise the standard $1.35 plugs work fine. Bosch is selling a gimmick when they advertise multiple anything (sparks, electrodes, threads, whatever) that offer no performance advantage. Change plugs every 50,000 miles or so (daily driven street car!!) and you'll never have any complaints.

 

I would have to agree with this statement completly. It is all for a marketing ploy, if you want to get a good plug look for a true iridium plug, I think I read somw where on the web these things run nearly the life of the car. As far as performance you need to determine the heat rating that you need to run, I am having a problem with that right now for my Z. If it were me I would spend the money on something else and go with a good NGK plug, but that is just me.

 

what if you ran a hotter plug? would you get a better burn?