Interesting read on Bosch Platinum Plugs...
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Interesting read on Bosch Platinum Plugs... I have had the same experiece. I installed Bosch Platinums and started an instant missfire condition during light accel. Swapped to tr55's and it went away instantly. Bosch are crap!
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From: Pensacola, FL
Bosch platnums are awesome!
I use them with great results.
I don't have to change them every few thousand miles either. That is reward enough when it comes to LS1 F-cars.
I put the BPs in and got an instant smooth idle that is still smooth today.
Just so there is no confusion, the stock LS1 plugs are platinum.
The difference is the stock platinum plugs have a small disc of platinum brazed onto the electrode (or ground, forgot), that falls off under spirited driving. Now you not only lost the "100k mile platinum plug" you started with, but you also have an extra .020" gap on the plug.
With the BP, the core of the plug is solid platinum, so it doesn't fall off, enlarging the gap.
Dave
I use them with great results.
I don't have to change them every few thousand miles either. That is reward enough when it comes to LS1 F-cars.
I put the BPs in and got an instant smooth idle that is still smooth today.
Just so there is no confusion, the stock LS1 plugs are platinum.
The difference is the stock platinum plugs have a small disc of platinum brazed onto the electrode (or ground, forgot), that falls off under spirited driving. Now you not only lost the "100k mile platinum plug" you started with, but you also have an extra .020" gap on the plug.
With the BP, the core of the plug is solid platinum, so it doesn't fall off, enlarging the gap.
Dave
Humm, interesting...however i don't think our cars use "wasted spark" (i think this means sharing a coil pack between 2 cylinders?) since we have individual coil packs, i don't think we will encounter the same problem.
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From: Los Angeles, CA
Originally Posted by ratio411
Just so there is no confusion, the stock LS1 plugs are platinum.
Dave
Dave
the electrode in the center
of the stock "platinum" plug.
compare that to the half a hair thickness of the bosch.
not only is platinum "not-optimal",
and a cheap coating that comes off,
but bosches electrodes are crap skinny.
take a look at the NGK one.
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NGK sucks. Only because NOBODY carries them in stock. Autozone, Advance Auto, and Pep Boys, and all claim they cannot even order them (TR-type copper, TR5, TR6, or TR55). Parts-counter retards. Unreal.
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From: W.P.B
Originally Posted by Another_User
NGK sucks. Only because NOBODY carries them in stock. Autozone, Advance Auto, and Pep Boys, and all claim they cannot even order them (TR-type copper, TR5, TR6, or TR55). Parts-counter retards. Unreal.
I have 100 instock at my part store. (tr55, and TR6's) You're going to the wrong parts house..
The platinum electrode in the Bosch being
skinny only matters if the plug resistance is
driven up by it. The NGK TR-55 is a resistor
(R) plug. So are all the recommended ones.
So if the platinum skinny wire is what makes
the (proper) resistance, so be it. No diff if
you had an explicit resistor and a fat-***
platinum wire, except the cost of the platinum.
skinny only matters if the plug resistance is
driven up by it. The NGK TR-55 is a resistor
(R) plug. So are all the recommended ones.
So if the platinum skinny wire is what makes
the (proper) resistance, so be it. No diff if
you had an explicit resistor and a fat-***
platinum wire, except the cost of the platinum.
i bought my car with and the guy said he had a tune-up done a few thousand ago, well i feel a stumble at idle, not enough to throw a light but its there and i confirmed it with the scan tool. its got those damn bosch plugs. they are crap.
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From: Pensacola, FL
Originally Posted by Stone0fFire
look at the negative part of the plug
the electrode in the center
of the stock "platinum" plug.
compare that to the half a hair thickness of the bosch.
not only is platinum "not-optimal",
and a cheap coating that comes off,
but bosches electrodes are crap skinny.
take a look at the NGK one.
the electrode in the center
of the stock "platinum" plug.
compare that to the half a hair thickness of the bosch.
not only is platinum "not-optimal",
and a cheap coating that comes off,
but bosches electrodes are crap skinny.
take a look at the NGK one.
The resistance is the same and the wear is less. That is why they run smoother and last longer.
Bosch has it right by putting the long strand of platinum in the insulator instead of the cheap way of putting a platinum disc on the head of a standard plug.
Anything over 5500 rpm can remove that disc.
I have had 3 4th gens with the platinum disc plugs and all have had plugs with the discs gone within 10k miles.
Heck, my wife's Montana has those plugs and the platinum was gone on those on the first change.
When you go with a non-platinum plug, you get good performance too, but you have to change them far more often.
Worth it to me not to have that problem.
My BPs have been in for 20k miles.
They are in all my cars, past and present.
If you have a problem with them, get a gapping tool.
Dave
Bosch platinum, NGK copper, Champion, etc...who cares, whatever works for you is what you should use.
I use NGK TR55's-they are inexpensive (1.50 a plug), always gapped consistently 55 thou out-of-the-box, change them at sane intervals because you should be looking at your plugs anyway, and readily available. Consider the 'platinum' alternative...expensive, you don't use them with nitrous (and who isn't using nitrous
) and supposedly left in your heads for 100,000 miles!
I use NGK TR55's-they are inexpensive (1.50 a plug), always gapped consistently 55 thou out-of-the-box, change them at sane intervals because you should be looking at your plugs anyway, and readily available. Consider the 'platinum' alternative...expensive, you don't use them with nitrous (and who isn't using nitrous
) and supposedly left in your heads for 100,000 miles! 
The electrode on the bosch' ies are thin in an attempt to controll the spark kernel & where it eminates from. Spark likes to jump from a sharp edge to another sharp edge.
In that process it takes alittle of the electrode with it. Thats why plugs "round off" as they wear. On waste spark systems the problem shows up on these because of this design. One coil 2 cylinders/plugs. One plug fires Positive, from center electrode to ground electrode on the plug. The other plug fires negitive from the ground electrode to the center electrode.This is the path of the spark, see where the problem will arise with the bosch plat's? The negitive firing plugs on the waste sparker's have a small target to hit. If you get a waste spark car that's got some high milage plugs you can see by the wear witch ones are + & - firing. Bosch plugs IMO suck. I've been sour on them since way back when they came out & caused all kinds of running problems on numerous cars I've worked on over the years.(15+) Maybe they changed but no thanks.
In that process it takes alittle of the electrode with it. Thats why plugs "round off" as they wear. On waste spark systems the problem shows up on these because of this design. One coil 2 cylinders/plugs. One plug fires Positive, from center electrode to ground electrode on the plug. The other plug fires negitive from the ground electrode to the center electrode.This is the path of the spark, see where the problem will arise with the bosch plat's? The negitive firing plugs on the waste sparker's have a small target to hit. If you get a waste spark car that's got some high milage plugs you can see by the wear witch ones are + & - firing. Bosch plugs IMO suck. I've been sour on them since way back when they came out & caused all kinds of running problems on numerous cars I've worked on over the years.(15+) Maybe they changed but no thanks.
