Bosch Platinum 4? Where are they, and what happened to them?
03-30-2005, 10:03 AM
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Bosch Platinum 4? Where are they, and what happened to them? 
Hey people, i'm getting headers put in, and i might as well change the plugs and wires. It's also the easiest time to change them. Well listen, everyone is into those NGK plugs, well whatever happened to the Bosch 4 plugs? How come nobody talks about them anymore? Were they that over rated or something? I remember a couple of years ago everybody wanted them, now i barely hear their name mentioned? Can anybody help? I wanted to get Bosch 4 cause they don't need to be gapped, they are a good spark plug, but then again... it's like i don't hear their name anymore. Well if somebody thinks they aren't good, tell me what i should use. Thanks... take care! 
03-31-2005, 02:42 AM
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Thanks again guys... I just found a deal on some Nology SilverStone Spark Plugs! I'm going to get those. They say those are pretty much one of the best spark plugs for the money. But just out of curiousity, anybody out there that bought Bosch 4 spark plugs, that didn't have a problem... i just want to know. Cause like i said, they were big and then they fell off the face of the Earth!
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04-01-2005, 07:19 PM
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I had some Bosch +4s in my car for about two years. The car idled well but it did hesitate a little in 4th gear @30 mph. It would take a brief moment to respond when giving it throttle. That was my only complaint. I replaced them with Brisk spark plugs and those seem to work really good. They are a bit expensive but the have a huge silver center electrode that has held up really good. I took one of them off last week after 4 months of use and it looked really good so I'll just recheck them again in a year.
04-01-2005, 09:33 PM
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Originally Posted by BlueSS
where do you find those brisk plugs are they better than the NGK?
04-02-2005, 05:25 PM
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Bosch plugs in LS1 questionable Not that I nor these other people state they are experts, but according to my longtime mechanic, dealerships, auto parts outlets, and some other LS1 self-mechanics, they advise to avoid bosch plugs as much as possible.
Their explanations all corroborated to the fact that the bosch platinum plugs operate at a higher temperature than what the manufacturer recommends on a stock motor, which is not good. I'm not too sure what the requirements for a modified motor (i.e. forced induction, increased displacement, custom tuning, etc.) would be, however from what I have read, the charge shouldn't generate a higher temperature than needed.
So far, most reputable auto retailers recommend AC Delco or NGK for LS1. If you use AC Delco Platinum, you might consider using only the #12 rapidfire. Even though the life is only 45K compared to 100K of the AC Delco professional platinum 41-952, it is advised to change the spark plugs as often as needed.
Their explanations all corroborated to the fact that the bosch platinum plugs operate at a higher temperature than what the manufacturer recommends on a stock motor, which is not good. I'm not too sure what the requirements for a modified motor (i.e. forced induction, increased displacement, custom tuning, etc.) would be, however from what I have read, the charge shouldn't generate a higher temperature than needed.
So far, most reputable auto retailers recommend AC Delco or NGK for LS1. If you use AC Delco Platinum, you might consider using only the #12 rapidfire. Even though the life is only 45K compared to 100K of the AC Delco professional platinum 41-952, it is advised to change the spark plugs as often as needed.
04-02-2005, 06:03 PM
#13
i switched from the ngk tr55 to the ac delco iridium (same thing as the tr55ix just comes in different box I've removed some from trucks after 100k that have both part numbers on there). I think that the iridium even though they cost more are worth the money since they perform the same don't require changing as often and don't need to be gapped saving install time. that reminds me those of you running the iridiums there is a buletin out saying " DO NOT GAP IRIDIUM PLUGS AS ELECTRODE DAMAGE MAY RESULT".
04-02-2005, 10:41 PM
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[QUOTE=Cody Brooks]i switched from the ngk tr55 to the ac delco iridium (same thing as the tr55ix just comes in different box
I see the tr55 everywhere it's not the same as the tr55ix right? so where can i get the tr55ix? TIA
I see the tr55 everywhere it's not the same as the tr55ix right? so where can i get the tr55ix? TIA
04-03-2005, 04:04 AM
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I'll add my $0.02, as saying Bosche +4's "suck" isn't really informative to you 
in general, platinum plugs are a bad choice for our cars. Why? Because the platinum coating on the plug is very thin. A few hard 100% WOT runs and the platinum coating is toast. THAT is why people switch to conventional plugs, notable the NGK's. (Which, by the way is what I'm currently running)
Iridium plugs hold up much better than platinum, but you will pay the price for the metal coating (about 4x as much compared to a "normal" plug) I'd personally recommend a conventional plug, like the NGK TR55. NGK makes Iridium plugs, but plugs are not hard to change on an LS1 (especially with LT headers). If you had an LT1......then the iridiums would be well worth the $$ vs. changing plugs every 30K miles!!
Another detriment of the Bosche +4;s are their inherent design. On some cars they seem to wreak havoc on the knock sensors. Why....beyond me. Just passing on info from reputable sources.
Hope this info helps you out.
Schantin
2002 Camaro Z28 M6
in general, platinum plugs are a bad choice for our cars. Why? Because the platinum coating on the plug is very thin. A few hard 100% WOT runs and the platinum coating is toast. THAT is why people switch to conventional plugs, notable the NGK's. (Which, by the way is what I'm currently running)
Iridium plugs hold up much better than platinum, but you will pay the price for the metal coating (about 4x as much compared to a "normal" plug) I'd personally recommend a conventional plug, like the NGK TR55. NGK makes Iridium plugs, but plugs are not hard to change on an LS1 (especially with LT headers). If you had an LT1......then the iridiums would be well worth the $$ vs. changing plugs every 30K miles!!
Another detriment of the Bosche +4;s are their inherent design. On some cars they seem to wreak havoc on the knock sensors. Why....beyond me. Just passing on info from reputable sources.
Hope this info helps you out.
Schantin
2002 Camaro Z28 M6
04-03-2005, 02:03 PM
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I have to agree. I have never been happy with my Bosch +4s...they never seemed quite right. I have a set of NGK TR-55s just waiting to go in. Today I did my !AIR, which will help me get to them a bunch faster when I get around to the plug swap.
04-04-2005, 12:56 AM
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Hate to toss more into an already solved issue, however if you perform a search for worn out spark plugs, you might come across a thread dealing with worn out platinum plugs.
When I changed mine, I noticed on my OEM plugs were definitely due for change at 80K, even though they are supposed to last at least 100K. Like others who've mentioned this before, all but one of my old spark plugs had the platinum tips worn off. Definitely not good.
From this experience, I will agree with the others that plugs marketed as "high quality platinum plugs" aren't worth the money. Either plain copper, or Iridium should suffice.
Like a lot of the aftermarket "enhancements", high-priced platinum plugs are generally like many other "placebo" mods mentioned on this website, thus an unecessary expense to the end-user.
When I changed mine, I noticed on my OEM plugs were definitely due for change at 80K, even though they are supposed to last at least 100K. Like others who've mentioned this before, all but one of my old spark plugs had the platinum tips worn off. Definitely not good.
From this experience, I will agree with the others that plugs marketed as "high quality platinum plugs" aren't worth the money. Either plain copper, or Iridium should suffice.
Like a lot of the aftermarket "enhancements", high-priced platinum plugs are generally like many other "placebo" mods mentioned on this website, thus an unecessary expense to the end-user.
