Make Sure Your Vehicle has Right Type of Spark Plug – Blog

Make Sure Your Vehicle has Right Type of Spark Plug

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Make Sure Your Vehicle has Right Type of Spark Plug

box of an iridium spark plug

Spark plugs, as you might know, bring current from the ignition to the combustion chamber of your engine. As there have been improvements in technology to ignitions and engines there has been a need to improve how spark plugs are made. Spark plugs used to be changed regularly during annual tune-ups. New spark plugs made using iridium were unveiled in the early 1990s, offering 100,000 miles between changes. This lead to a massive shift in the perception of replacing and recommending spark plugs. Many owners of other types of spark plugs are under the misconception that they have a 100,000-mile change interval. There are four different types of spark plugs that are used commonly that are made using different types of metal and technology.

The four common types of spark plugs:

  • Copper core
  • Single platinum
  • Double platinum
  • Iridium

tip of a copper core spark plug

Since 1980, copper core spark plugs have been the most frequently used plugs. These are the most commonly used because of their cost. They are called copper core because they are closed in a nickel alloy. Copper is used in the core center electrode because of its heat conducting properties but it is too soft to be used on the exterior. Problematically, they will wear out considerably faster than the other three plugs. You can expect a lifespan of only about 32,000 miles.

Single platinum spark plugs are a basic improvement to the copper core plugs. While rare, platinum offers a higher melting point and is more resistant to oxidation. The platinum firing tip will see a resulting decrease in misfires and gap erosion. As a result, these fit the increasing demand for a more durable and reliable spark plug.

Double platinum spark plugs are a result of newer DIS ignitions. These ignitions fire spark plugs from both the side wire and the center wire back onto the other. The double platinum design sees an additional platinum disc added onto the side wire. This design helps prevent erosion from the plugs that fire from the side wire to the center wire electrode.

Iridium is an even rarer metal but offers a higher melting point than platinum and the highest level of anti-corrosive properties. These can be used for any type of ignition and will see the best results. As mentioned before these are the types of spark plugs that will last 100,000 miles between changes.

A key takeaway is to never downgrade your spark plugs. If you have a customer who had iridium spark plugs that need to be replaced and you recommend copper core, they will more likely than not be disappointed at how short of a time they lasted.

Not replacing spark plugs can have serious consequences. As the spark plug gap opens up from wear due to arc erosion, the voltage required to fire the spark plug goes up. When it exceeds the coils ability to supply the required voltage, misfires occur. Often times car owners will wait until they quit running or ran so poor that they had no choice but to bring them in. They might have suffered coil failures, converter failures and more which can cost nearly $2,000. This all can be avoided by having their spark plugs checked at the recommended interval. If they had been inspected at the regular interval, they could have also been upgraded to Autolite Iridium XP spark plugs which will last them another 100,000 miles.

If you want to find out more about the evolution and types of spark plugs, watch here:

Content produced in collaboration with the fine folks at AutoLite.

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