What's the verdict on Spark plugs for the 1ZZ

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:11 am

Am I better off sticking with the stock Denso's and getting them at the dealer? I don't need anything flashy or fancy, just new, clean and durable.After almost 102,000 it's time to change em out.

rob454 · Post by **rob454** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:28 am

NGK Iridium IXThey are $2 cheaper a plug and offer equivalent quality and performance. I do believe they are also stated in the manual too.

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:43 am

I've tried many different one's. Stock Denso's or NGK's are fine for normal driving.

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:58 am

Local Auto Zone had stock Denso's or comparable for like $9. The NGK IX Iridium were $6.99. Set of 4 $27.96 plus tax. Put in the order for pickup and grabbin them tonight. Thanks!

rob454 · Post by **rob454** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 5:03 am

Good choice. Be careful gapping them. They are pretty fragile. I broke the electrode right off because I wasn't gentle the first time. I gapped platinums and coppers without a problem many times. Gap is 0.44Take careRobert

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 5:13 am

I heard that gapping of an iridium is not necessary as they are so efficient they can run fine at the factory determined gap. This being cause the tips are so sensitive they can break easily and then your out $. Any thoughts?edit, found this.Factory gapped to 0.044"

ou.grizzly · Post by **ou.grizzly** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 9:26 am

They may come pre-gapped, but still check them to make sure. You should of went with a step up (a little hotter plug).

rob454 · Post by **rob454** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 10:06 am

You will need to gap the plugs because they come pregapped at .30. If you don't gap them it will cause a hotter spark and cause your car to run lean. In turn, this will cause the plugs to wear prematurely. Just be careful not to break or seriously bend the electrode.

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 2:01 pm

Installed them without pre-gapping. The car runs quieter, smoother, and has less downshifts and quicker throttle response.I know there are skeptics, and I'm not saying the car is faster, but lost power has probably been returned and I shall see about it running leaner.From NGK WebsiteShould I gap my Iridium Plugs?No.This is because most people do not know how to properly gap a spark plug, and the center electrodes on the ultra-fine iridium can easily snap if mishandled. There is no warranty for snapped center electrodes. The manufacturers say an iridium spark plug will run so much better than a traditional plug, even if it is not gapped for that motor, that they would prefer you just leave it rather than risk snapping the center electrode.Personally, we at sparkplugs.com, gap our iridium plugs for our own vehicles (weâ€™re rebels). If you insist on gapping your iridium plug, please refer to Proper Gapping for instruction.I know how to gap plugs, I've done it before, but since the car is running so well right now I'm stayin with them as is. I'll update the mileage in a few days.

rob454 · Post by **rob454** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 11:07 pm

Whelan,If you are saying that you are running fine without gapping the plugs then I would leave them. I would check a plug just to see how they are firing and go from there. Hey, if you can get away with not gapping the spark plugs, thats great. I would have saved 6.99 if I didn't gap mine.

rob454 · Post by **rob454** » Mon Aug 31, 2009 2:28 am

Whelan,Did your stock plugs look brand new when you pulled them out? Mine were at 118k and besides a little carbon on them, they looked new lol.

Wolfman213 · Post by **Wolfman213** » Mon Aug 31, 2009 2:32 am

I believe the plugs you got are the same that I got and changed not too long ago. Do they say something about Power Pulse or something like that? I noticed positive results once I installed them as well. I also just slapped them right in without gapping them.

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Mon Aug 31, 2009 5:43 am

Quote, originally posted by rob454 Â»Whelan,If you are saying that you are running fine without gapping the plugs then I would leave them. I would check a plug just to see how they are firing and go from there. Hey, if you can get away with not gapping the spark plugs, thats great. I would have saved 6.99 if I didn't gap mine. So far so good, I did my commute this morning, wow what a difference. The car just accelerates without constant downshifting or high revving of the engine. Quote, originally posted by rob454 Â»Whelan,Did your stock plugs look brand new when you pulled them out? Mine were at 118k and besides a little carbon on them, they looked new lol.The stock plugs weren't horrible, definitely some carbon, the anti-seize was starting to wear off as there was a little rust on the threads (I put anti seize on plugs everytime). #1 plug (closest to the TB, was a little tricky as it took some more effort), the others popped out with little problem. The tips of the Denso's were definitely cruddy and you could tell there was indication of normal wear, but no oil or any bad signs.Quote, originally posted by Wolfman213 Â»I believe the plugs you got are the same that I got and changed not too long ago. Do they say something about Power Pulse or something like that? I noticed positive results once I installed them as well. I also just slapped them right in without gapping them.Not sure if they said Power Pulse on them, they were AutoZone part # 5464. Even Toyota recommended not gapping plugs so long as you stick with OEM Denso or go with the NGK, it is listed in my manual and says not to gap Iridium tipped plugs. I'll post in a few days with any fuel increases, topped off the tank from E today so we shall see if I can beat my usual 28mpg.

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 10:55 pm

**Update**So I topped the tank on Monday morning before my commutes started. Typically I have to refill by Thursday as I would be at 280 miles give or take. But right now I am at 220 and am just below a half tank. I would be inching 1/4 right now with that mileage. I have also not driven any lighter or softer than I normally do to fudge the number. I know if I take my time and drive slow (speed limits) I could pull around 300 from the tank commuting. I am anticipating over 300. We shall see.

rob454 · Post by **rob454** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 11:28 pm

Mixed city and highway I get about 330miles before the light turns on. When I go to fill up, it takes about 10 gallons. And lately I have been sitting in traffic for a half hour.

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:46 pm

You probably have a non AWD. We have smaller tanks and less mpg.I averaged 28.7mpg and pulled 316 miles from this tank. As opposed to about 280 on average. That is on 11 gallons of fuel. So an increase of about 3mpg. Not bad.

woodyg · Post by **woodyg** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:32 am

I just installed NGK laser iridiums they were pregaped at .042 and i left them that way. put a little antisieze on and them and it is running great. the plugs i took out were toast the car has 110,000 on it and they were toast the ones i took out were ngk's also not sure if they could be original. O bought the plugs at advanced aoto they were $7 each ngk # 4996. it took about 30 min

Caretaker · Post by **Caretaker** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:39 am

woodyg: someone earlier said that the gap on the Vibe is .044 In my 2009 owners manual it says .043 (page 10-3)Did the NGK box say that the plugs you bought were .042 or did you run the plugs through a gapper and check? If the NGK box says .042 then that is practically dead on and therefore no gapping should be attempted. Under the 1.8 liter row (page 10-4), it only shows a number for Denso plugs (SK20HR11) so thanks very much for posting the NGK number. For some reason they did not include that number (except for the 2.4 liter: IFR6A11)

What's the verdict on Spark plugs for the 1ZZ

What's the verdict on Spark plugs for the 1ZZ

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Re: What's the verdict on Spark plugs for the 1ZZ (Whelan)

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