FAQ: Which Spark Plugs & Ignition Wires should I use?

Call me cheap...or just not in the know...I just have your standard AC Delco

zzp has them for a good price. http://www.zzperformance.com/grand_prix/products1.php?id=238&catid=109
both autolite and NGK's. they work the same, but NGK's cost more. go with the TR55 for a stock or lightly moded riv. or AL605's

I think Autolites are the least expensive of any of them. $1.39 ea at the local parts store. Great performers, too.

Yeah, I can't understand how "our" vendors can sell them so high. Local parts store FTW...

Where can I find Autolite's in Canada ?

Have you checked local parts stores? Do you have NAPA, Autozone, Advance Auto, O'Reilly? I'd think sparkplugs.com would ship to you also.

Geez... Wal-Mart has the autolites (at least, the ones around here do).

albertj

What do they call Wal-Mart in Can... Canadian Tire?

Walmart doesnt carry it here. I checked a couple of them.
I checked Canadian Tire which is not Walmart.

I did find them today at a Performance Auto Parts store.
Got my 605's and installing them on the weekend.
I suspect these have same thread size, reach, etc except for heat range ?

Yes, they'll work. They're actually the better heat range for a stock engine. 104s are better for cars with SC pulley swaps.

Installed the 605's. Checked gap and they were all at 060 and didnt change it. Car doesnt have as much kick as before and could be from loose or cracked vac hoses I found afterwards.
Thanks guys.

After fixing the vac lines, if it still doesn't feel right, try putting your old plugs back in too see if the "kick" returns. If so, you know the problem is related to plugs.

I went to autozone today to pick up some autolite 104s..she gave me autolite platinum 104s...are these just as well as the copper cores or will i have knock with a smaller pulley? i would imagine the 104 designates heat range so it should be the same but i'm not too sure.... and i dont wanna put these in and find out the hard way because plugs look like a pain to change on this car...

They are the same heat range. If you got them for the price of coppers, I say keep them, they will last longer.

Yeah i paid 15 bucks for the set so i'll probably just keep them... thanks

My opinion on platinum/iridium plugs, from the Series II FAQ page:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/series-ii-engine-transmission-f4/which-spark-plugs-should-i-use-t26.htm

"About platinum/iridium plugs: some people use them with success, but they aren't considered the best for our supercharged engines, especially if you'll be racing. It's generally thought that copper plugs are the best performance plug for our engines because copper runs cooler and happens to be a lot less expensive. The chief advantage with platinums and iridiums is that they will last a long time - perhaps 100k miles versus 50k miles for a set of copper plugs. If performance is your primary goal, it makes sense to change out the plugs once every 1-2 years anyway being that they are inexpensive and easy to replace. So, even if you only get 20-30k miles out of a set of copper plugs, it's nice to know that you always have a set of clean, fresh plugs making good spark. And although some say platinum/iridium plugs offer better fuel economy, it's probably a very slight improvement, if any, over a fresh copper plug. In fact, since copper plugs get replaced more frequently, there's a chance you'll see better efficiency with them because the electrodes will be cleaner and any damage will not go overlooked."

If you're not using the platinums for all-out racing, and you got a good deal, I say leave them in. Performance differences in spark plugs are much smaller than what most would expect. Even between ranges of plugs, KR levels are only sometimes detectable. The differences are mainly in the long term. You just don't know until you take them out and inspect after 20k miles.

TonySmooth89 wrote:

Yeah i paid 15 bucks for the set so i'll probably just keep them... thanks

I paid less than $9 for a set of copper 104's, local parts store. The platinums are fine for typical driving, they just aren't "ideal" in a race application, as Aaron commented. If you hate changing them, keep the platinums. I don't think it's all that terrible of a task, so I'm running copper 104's.

consider the time required to take the platinums out, go back to the store and put the coppers in. It isn't worth 6$ in my book.
I don't even know if you could measure the difference in performance the two plugs would provide.

You guys are lucky in the USA. I paid almost 30$ for my autolite 104s. Things still cost 3x as much here. I was pricing a pair of moog springs yesterday. 66.50/pair at JC whitney in the US and the CHEAPEST I found them here was $176.99 a pair. The cdn dollar is now worth as much but prices aren't going down. It really pisses me off.

I'm still willing to help you out with shipping if you need, Jason. You need to take advantage of some of these Yankee deals!

i got mine for 7.66 imo its worth the drive to NY

Jason wrote:

consider the time required to take the platinums out, go back to the store and put the coppers in. .........

From the first post, I don't think they're installed yet. But I also wouldn't go much out of my way to exchange them for coppers.

I've picked up my 104s to put in when I get the rest of the 3.5" SC pulley supporting mods in place...

now.. my question is... if I'm not running the SC pulley and the car's not running 'warmer' because of it, do I risk fouling cooler plugs because the car's not "set up" for it? Or is it safe to put them in for the summer?
On that note... does anyone go back to warmer plugs in the winter?

Put the 104s in right now. You're not going to hurt anything, they'll only help. We used to recommend 605s, but if you plan to drop pulley size, go ahead with the 104s. Worst case scenario, the plugs will foul - you're out $10, big deal - but that has never actually happened to my knowledge. The only way it could possibly happen is if you only drove the car on the freeway at 60 mph and never accelerated past 20% throttle to get on the ramp... over and over for a couple years. But if you drive like a normal person, the 104s should not foul even in a stock engine.

Understand that neither SC pulley nor plugs will cause your engine to run "warmer". The thermostat, cooling fans, and water pump take care of that. Plugs do alter cylinder (combustion) temps, which is entirely different. The amount of heat a plug draws from the cylinder is theoretical, and it effects the completeness of the air/fuel burn, and helps control knock, but does not affect coolant/clock temps very much. Cylinder temps cannot be measured from the engine temp gauge.

For this reason, it matters not how hot or cold the ambient temps are, the plug will still do its job weather it's summer or winter, except maybe in some very extreme conditions.

For more, read this FAQ: https://rivperformance.editboard.com/series-ii-engine-transmission-f4/which-spark-plugs-wires-should-i-use-t26.htm

AA wrote:

Understand that neither SC pulley nor plugs will cause your engine to run "warmer". The thermostat, cooling fans, and water pump take care of that. Plugs do alter cylinder (combustion) temps, which is entirely different. The amount of heat a plug draws from the cylinder is theoretical, and it effects the completeness of the air/fuel burn, and helps control knock, but does not affect coolant/clock temps very much. Cylinder temps cannot be measured from the engine temp gauge.

*nod* I follow that, and that's what I meant in reference to temperature..

thanks for the info, I'll swap them out as soon as I get a chance.. one more notch under the belt and one step closer to gettin that pulley on

On this 'temperature' topic.. if I get the 180* thermostat, do I have to "reprogram" the engine with a tuner (as far as cooling fans coming on and off)? Will everything kind of go wonky with the cooling fan and thermostat never really getting along?

Without having your fan settings modified, the 180 t-stat will have limited effectiveness. It will open sooner, but your coolant will still get up to 205(??) before the fans turn on to cool it down, but they won't cool it down to 180, as they'll turn off again before temps drop that low. A common setting to run with a 180 t-stat is a 185 turn-on, and a 180 turn-off. This can be accomplished with an HP Tuners, or a DHP PowrTuner if you can find one for sale, they(DHP) are no longer available new. Another option is a modified PCM from HPTuners, which will have several mods when you get it to swap.

What year is your Riv? Please add basic car info to your sig so we don't have to ask when you have questions.