NGK Iridium Plugs?

[AdrianR]

Well, should I get them?  Are they really better then the standard NGKs? Their 3x the price.

Thanks!
AR

[st2sam]

Hell yes!
I don't have a problem spending your money Adrian, but I gotta ask.

New plugs already? Did you look at the old ones?

If I remember reading correctly you always burn non-ethanol high test.
IMO - unless you have at least 50,000mi. or bike is running bad, or plugs look worn, why new plugs?

[98valk]

very little extra benefit per cost vs std plugs. I believe they were originally made for pressurize engines which can blown out the spark from a std plug.

I have had good results with plugs that have a reduced center electrode from Autolite and right now the Champion Powersports plugs with smaller electrode which I like better than the Autolite.  both about same cost as OEM plugs.  This is with a GL1500.

[bscrive]

Nope, not worth the extra cost Adrian.

[ledany]

I agree with Brian 

[Robert]

Well seems Im in the minority here, but I do somewhat agree with the other posts.

They do make a difference though its not earth shaking, and to me its worth it. The original plugs were of course fine when I took them out with much life left in them.

 The advantages I find are a smoother idle and running, quicker starts and just ever so slight lighter feel on acceleration. Its like when you tune a motor up and it just feels better, that is the feel they give me. I like the idea they are fine wire and will last longer and keep the spark more consistent with less voltage from the coil. The other offset is mileage since they last longer. The manual has a replacement time of 16k miles for the plugs and most wont change plugs then, but these will give even more life. Twice the life equals half the cost.

Are they earth shaking no, it all depends if you want the best and money is not as important as the last drop of perfect running you can buy.

I put the Denso's in mine and like them as a plug, I like them just a little bit better than the NGK since on rare occasion I have had misses after installing NGK"S sometimes. Dont get me wrong I use NGK's quite a bit but the Denso's just seem to be a little better.

[AdrianR]

Well seems Im in the minority here, but I do somewhat agree with the other posts.

They do make a difference though its not earth shaking, and to me its worth it. The original plugs were of course fine when I took them out with much life left in them.

 The advantages I find are a smoother idle and running, quicker starts and just ever so slight lighter feel on acceleration. Its like when you tune a motor up and it just feels better, that is the feel they give me. I like the idea they are fine wire and will last longer and keep the spark more consistent with less voltage from the coil. The other offset is mileage since they last longer. The manual has a replacement time of 16k miles for the plugs and most wont change plugs then, but these will give even more life. Twice the life equals half the cost.

Are they earth shaking no, it all depends if you want the best and money is not as important as the last drop of perfect running you can buy.

I put the Denso's in mine and like them as a plug, I like them just a little bit better than the NGK since on rare occasion I have had misses after installing NGK"S sometimes. Dont get me wrong I use NGK's quite a bit but the Denso's just seedm to be a little better.

I  was waiting for you to respond.  I remembet you saying that you instslled them. Was curious. Incidently, I put standard NGKs in last year. Bike had 8k on it. The stock Densos looked perfect, however when I installed the NGKs  I noticed a nice increase in runnabillity.  So imo,  I thought the Densos sucked in comparison!   The NGKs in there now are fine.  They only have about 4k on them, but I want every pony I can get without modification!

[Robert]

I want every pony I can get without modification!

That the kind of thing I would say 

I want my bike to run the best it can and be consistent in its running. When I start I listen to how it sounds and it gets a thumbs up or down and as we go every once in awhile I will focus on the running and again listen and evaluate. To many questions we look at the issue otherwise we ride. 

[98valk]

Well seems Im in the minority here, but I do somewhat agree with the other posts.

They do make a difference though its not earth shaking, and to me its worth it. The original plugs were of course fine when I took them out with much life left in them.

 The advantages I find are a smoother idle and running, quicker starts and just ever so slight lighter feel on acceleration. Its like when you tune a motor up and it just feels better, that is the feel they give me. I like the idea they are fine wire and will last longer and keep the spark more consistent with less voltage from the coil. The other offset is mileage since they last longer. The manual has a replacement time of 16k miles for the plugs and most wont change plugs then, but these will give even more life. Twice the life equals half the cost.

Are they earth shaking no, it all depends if you want the best and money is not as important as the last drop of perfect running you can buy.

I put the Denso's in mine and like them as a plug, I like them just a little bit better than the NGK since on rare occasion I have had misses after installing NGK"S sometimes. Dont get me wrong I use NGK's quite a bit but the Denso's just seedm to be a little better.

I  was waiting for you to respond.  I remembet you saying that you instslled them. Was curious. Incidently, I put standard NGKs in last year. Bike had 8k on it. The stock Densos looked perfect, however when I installed the NGKs  I noticed a nice increase in runnabillity.  So imo,  I thought the Densos sucked in comparison!   The NGKs in there now are fine.  They only have about 4k on them, but I want every pony I can get without modification!

spark plugs in general do not increase HP unless there is a mis-fire issue, such as insufficient ignition system.  I have Dr Jacobs ignition book. some plugs are better than others at reducing the number of misfires and slight misfires which according to some always happens to a very small extent. Jacobs testing always showed the reduced center electrode always helped. However he stated if it is a high output ignition system it didn't matter what plug was installed.   I always cut back the side electrode to were it is parallel with the outer side of the center electrode. always makes a difference and doesn't cause shorter life.  Research articles by David Vizard, he does this mod and also other mods which work, backed by many dyno runs. the org dyno testing of those thin wire plugs was done on high output supercharge engines which would blow the spark out. the thin wire did not blow out and increased HP ~12.  The thin wire material does not conduct electricity well. the reduced dia center electrode plugs I mentioned do and work really well at a much reduced cost compared to the Iridium plugs and a zero performance difference btwn them would be noticed.

[Robert]

Misfires means you dont get full performance or smoothness, so if the plugs straighten this out you do see an increase in HP and mileage. We do not have High energy coils either and as such the smaller center electrode does require less electrical current to fire thus saving the coils and sometimes a lean burn miss.

Consistency has been a much overlooked commodity in many engines. I believe this is where the Iridium plug excels. Not in HP gains since I agree there is not much, and in fact I dont think there is way to measure the slight differences in running. But I have seen the spark from a conventional plug and an Iridium and the difference in color, intensity, and consistency of placement of the spark and the uniform one spark rather than multiple weaker sparks out of a bigger contact area do make a difference. A bolt of lightning spread out in multiple contact areas is not as powerful as one directly on one spot.

I have tuned engines and know the difference to a car or bike that just feels like it wants to move. When I do a tune up I seek to make it the best it can be and little changes like smoother idle and a bit crisper throttle response makes all the difference in the world for the driver. Sometimes this change is simple like making sure the gap on the plugs was correct or adjusting when possible fuel mixtures, cleaning of the throttle body or countless small adjustments. Heck I have seen the placement of supposedly good plug wires make a change to the running of the engine. So many variables that not even the experts could calculate. In the real world things are so much different, and some of the best engineering marvels have turned into disasters. 

So I dont disagree with the experts and engineers, but what I have seen and experienced I have confidence in knowing that I am doing the best for my bike and there is a performance edge even if its only consistency in a few areas. That along with durability goes along way to make small changes well worth it.

[AdrianR]

Misfires means you dont get full performance or smoothness, so if the plugs straighten this out you do see an increase in HP and mileage. We do not have High energy coils either and as such the smaller center electrode does require less electrical current to fire thus saving the coils and sometimes a lean burn miss.

Consistency has been a much overlooked commodity in many engines. I believe this is where the Iridium plug excels. Not in HP gains since I agree there is not much, and in fact I dont think there is way to measure the slight differences in running. But I have seen the spark from a conventional plug and an Iridium and the difference in color, intensity, and consistency of placement of the spark and the uniform one spark rather than multiple weaker sparks out of a bigger contact area do make a difference. A bolt of lightning spread out in multiple contact areas is not as powerful as one directly on one spot.

I have tuned engines and know the difference to a car or bike that just feels like it wants to move. When I do a tune up I seek to make it the best it can be and little changes like smoother idle and a bit crisper throttle response makes all the difference in the world for the driver. Sometimes this change is simple like making sure the gap on the plugs was correct or adjusting when possible fuel mixtures, cleaning of the throttle body or countless small adjustments. Heck I have seen the placement of supposedly good plug wires make a change to the running of the engine. So many variables that not even the experts could calculate. In the real world things are so much different, and some of the best engineering marvels have turned into disasters. 

So I dont disagree with the experts and engineers, but what I have seen and experienced I have confidence in knowing that I am doing the best for my bike and there is a performance edge even if its only consistency in a few areas. That along with durability goes along way to make small changes well worth it.

Bob, I'm in the same camp. I want the best advantages I can muster without modification.  This is why I run the oil I do, treat the fuel with an ethanol conditioner, use all synthetic final drive oil, and change it often (usually every 4k..it's cheap, one bottle lasts forever lol) and now use the best spark plugs I can acquire.  My bike runs insanely well!  I believe the Iridium spark plugs did make a difference...not night and day, but I can tell...The throttle response is better, it runs smoother, it accelerates a slight bit faster, well it revs quicker, and lastly the exhaust note is more pronounced...  The changes are subtle, but I can tell...  I like them so much that I will get four of them for my Warrior....which is another great motor!  My Warrior is no slouch..that bikes hauls ass too!   Thanks for the insight dude...

[Robert]

A bit off topic something I noticed and wondered if anyone else has noticed. When in the 90 plus range for a bit and maybe some full acceleration when back to normal speeds the exhaust note changes. Not for ever but until the next startup. Of course no one could do those type of speeds except on a track which is where I was but just wondering.