spark plugs,how much difference does the brand make?

I was changing the plugs on my'41 Ford PU and it hit me that I was not using the rule of thumb my older brother taught me decades ago about using Motorcraft in Fords , AC's in GM's Bosch in European cars etc. I've had some problems with Champions fouling (years ago) but not much else in the way of issues that I tied to a brand. I suspect many of you have strong opinions about specific brands. Does brand matter much to you or do you just buy the one on sale or what? Is there much difference between brands in your experience?

 

I have no scientific evidence but it seems to be that way for some reason .
My Olds hated the champions , seemed to love autolites though and of course AC .

 

I always use champion copper core. Federal Mogul owns em now and their Hecho En USA

 

i think it has a little less to do with brand and a little more to do with the plugs specs like heat range. i have had the best luck with ngk B4L in my flathead, i like champions too.

 

NGK suck ass for automotive use IMO.

Champion or AC have always worked well for me but I am a GM guy.

 

that must be why the ngks work well in my eight cylinder lawn mower engine.

 

champions are great in lawnmowers and chryslers i use ac in most gm's and autolites have never let me down use them in most other's. i do like ngk's in vw's. with the garbage fuel we get its real important to read the old plugs and hit the gap just right. as always just depend's on the vehical.

 

Yeah, we were posting at the same time but you type faster than me.

I have never had any luck at all with NGK. I have found that the slightest but of flooding kills them & they won't recover. Why a part that is made to ignite fuel is allergic to fuel is beyond me.

 

yeah, they are sensitive to fouling. i recently switched from the ngk and mallory dual point to champions and a pertronix conversion. my plugs have never burned cleaner, i think plugs take the rap for other engine/ ignition problems.

 

I think the ignition system is the important factor. I run a hot coil through a Mr. Mallory dual point with good 7mm wires and champions gapped at .035, and no problems

 

I think it's the plug's specs not the brand...but cannot proove it.

 

What? you mean having a well balanced and properly working igintion system makes things more better? crazy.....

 

Crazy talk i know. Who woulda thunk it?

 

Bosch, because I said so. I spark prug installer at Glorious Revolutionary Truck Factory #5 so I know my prugs. Non-resistor! Radios in cars are decadent.

Prugs with multiple grounds and gold plated titanium just waste of money! See how you capitalist tools can be manipulated?! Bwaaaahahahahahahahaaaaaaa!

Fish Balls Forever, Forever Fish Balls

 

Your brother is a wise person.....

Autolites are for vintage Flathead Fords and you don't have to go to a dealership to find them unlike Motorcraft in newer Fords.

They were designed for the Flathead engines just as Delco was designed for use with the same era GM engines.

Use the plug that was designed for your engine.


In 35 years I have never had issues with Autolites but have had problems with Champion on several occasions when run in Ford.

It has gotten to the point that when I by a classic/antique vehicle, I check for champions and swap in Autolites. (I've owned about 80 vehicles, almost all were Fords with the exception of a couple Studebakers and a few GM (classic) trucks).






.

 

NGK,they make a whole series of R plugs.NGK calls them racing but they are non resistor available in many heat ranges and styles for the same money as other sparkplugs.If you have a vintage ignition system you do want non resistor plugs.And they won't mess up your sound system cause you're not supposed to have a radio

 

my rebuilt 292 eats champions fast. went through 2 sets then put in a set of autolite now just change them for regular service.

 

Do not waste your money on Platinum anything for your old car.

 

I know there are guys who are really insistant on using the AC's on GM TBI trucks, but I put a set of autolites in one and didn't see any difference. They'll last damn near 100K in one of those motors, though.

 

Or a new one. Exactly how much platinum do you think you're getting for 6 bucks?

 

I dont care what plug you run, Im just stoked Ngo long dong is back!

 

I quit using Champions years ago because of problems with them not ever firing again if you flooded the engine. AC were ok but their QC sucked. Every box would have several with the center electrode off center. I have had good luck with Autolite and see no reason to change. Bosch are good but they have one part number to cover what autolite covers in 3. Nothing but NGK for the snow-go.

 

An engine doesn't know what brand plug is in it and a plug doesn't know what brand engine it is in.

They all deal witrh the same things.
Comperssion pressures. Fuel mixture.Temp. etc etc.
If the plug design and heat range is right for the conditions brand doesn't matter.

This doesn't address product quality wich could be argued endlessly.
If one brand plug is of lesser quality than another it will perform at a lesser level but it won't get better by putting it in a different brand engine.

Don't trust cross references. They are only approximate and it taskes some experimenting to find the right plug design and heat range when switching brands. I think this is where the problem arises because each manufacture spends considerable time/money determining the right plug for their engine and application and does it in a specific brand and then we use the cross reference to choose a plug of another brand and expect that to be exact.

 

NGK's in my flathead and my Y block. New champions warm it up and last up to about 3200 RPM and crap out. NGK's run two years or more.

 

plain old cheap NGK V-power, never had an issue with one, i had an off topic car i bought a few years ago, had those fancy multi-electrode uranium fuel nuclear powered plugs in it, ran like crap, pulled them out, trashed them, put in some v-powers , and they've been in there since, ran fine after they were in, and they are pretty cheap

 

exactly, unless you are running forced induction, or major internal engine changes,stick with what the factory put in it

 

usually use AC in GM engines but the fellow who rebuilt my 57 Rochester unit told me to use Autolite for the best results (specific heat range he recommended)--have had them in the fuely for about a year and run great-instant start,no fouling, etc--this is in a stock 283 ci 283HP engine-without his input, I would have installed AC for sure

 

When I was running nitrous, Champions always fouled unless they were brand new. I ran NGK, AC and Accel in my Chevys. They seem to last longer.

 

I always go the same rule. AC for GM, Champion for mopar, and motorcraft for fords... being a mechanic we have had customers insist on the "cheap" plug for what ever.. afterwards the engine wouldn't run right.. the way I see it is with the manufactures have proprietary information about the engines that the aftermarket companies do not.. thus enabling them to make a better spark plug...

 

I wont run anything but Champions in my Dodge.

After lots of experimentation, I found that NGKs made my 71 GMC purrrrrr.

Autolites are the spawn of Satan.