Who's tried Autolite Iridium Spark plugs?
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I have been using them since April in my 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis. I didn't tell any major differences in my engine performance, as my car was not in a serious need of a tune-up, but I wanted to learn how to do it myself.
They're worthless. The plugs are only Iridium enhanced. In addition, there is no platinum pad on the ground electrode. The DIS require the platinum pad on the ground electrode or else the plugs will last no longer than the conventional counterparts.
Get the correct NGK or Denso plugs from sparkplugs.com or RockAuto. Together, the cost difference is probably $20.
Get the correct NGK or Denso plugs from sparkplugs.com or RockAuto. Together, the cost difference is probably $20.
Critically Correct..
I went to get a set of plugs for my R.S. Hyundai, they have a ridiculous array of plugs for it. two prong, four prong, Platinum, Irridium, Copper this, wonderful that..
16.00 for a couple of those plugs. EACH...
Hmmmm, so I rang up the dealer. He says Champions come with it, replace em with NGK V-Power. Said the Champ plugs it came with suck, wouldn't hurt to get em out early. Claims when peeps come for the 30K the Champions are a mess, all eroded and cruddy. He thinks they use a lousy heat range for them.
$1.19 each then some discount, got out the door for $3.67..
Nice silvery plug, Resister. Even got the guy to let me gap em to OEM spec with his nice wire gapper tool (never bothered getting one lately, always lost em). Sometimes, I like Advanced. Can't argue the price of the plugs!
Now. IS there a difference in a Dollar plug vs. the 10, 12, or 16 dollar plug? Or is performance the same, and the expensive plugs just LAST longer? My RS recommends 30K, which tells me they want the old plug out of the threads more frequently than other cars..
Surely a Hyundai doesn't stress plugs, other than cheapies?
I went to get a set of plugs for my R.S. Hyundai, they have a ridiculous array of plugs for it. two prong, four prong, Platinum, Irridium, Copper this, wonderful that..
16.00 for a couple of those plugs. EACH...
Hmmmm, so I rang up the dealer. He says Champions come with it, replace em with NGK V-Power. Said the Champ plugs it came with suck, wouldn't hurt to get em out early. Claims when peeps come for the 30K the Champions are a mess, all eroded and cruddy. He thinks they use a lousy heat range for them.
$1.19 each then some discount, got out the door for $3.67..
Nice silvery plug, Resister. Even got the guy to let me gap em to OEM spec with his nice wire gapper tool (never bothered getting one lately, always lost em). Sometimes, I like Advanced. Can't argue the price of the plugs!
Now. IS there a difference in a Dollar plug vs. the 10, 12, or 16 dollar plug? Or is performance the same, and the expensive plugs just LAST longer? My RS recommends 30K, which tells me they want the old plug out of the threads more frequently than other cars..
Surely a Hyundai doesn't stress plugs, other than cheapies?
Just buy the $1.99 copper NGK plugs, no need to spend alot to get a high quality plug.
It really depends on the motor guys.
If you put a copper plug in a car, plan on changing it after 25k-35k miles.
Platnium will go longer, and iridium will go longer still.
Alot of vehicles run best with copper plugs, but the tradeoff is they don't last as long.
I just put some autolite platniums in my 4.6L f150 because its a pain in the neck to replace plugs in that motor, and i'd take the longevity.
If you put a copper plug in a car, plan on changing it after 25k-35k miles.
Platnium will go longer, and iridium will go longer still.
Alot of vehicles run best with copper plugs, but the tradeoff is they don't last as long.
I just put some autolite platniums in my 4.6L f150 because its a pain in the neck to replace plugs in that motor, and i'd take the longevity.
I'm using the Autolite XP plugs, iridium center+platinum ground. It, IMO, is the best.
I don't see too many double iridium plugs. My 2nd choice would be any of the double platinum plugs(any brand).
Plug changing is a hassle in some vehicles. I haven't purchased or recommended a standard or copper plug in a decade.
I don't see too many double iridium plugs. My 2nd choice would be any of the double platinum plugs(any brand).
Plug changing is a hassle in some vehicles. I haven't purchased or recommended a standard or copper plug in a decade.
I'd assume it's a durability difference. The pure Iridium would probably offer a longer service life before significant deterioration in performance.
The concept is good (yours), except that Autolite's XP plugs, AFAIK, do not contain a platinum tipped ground electrode. The center electrode is Iridium enhanced, but it merely has a platinum sidewire.(correct me if I'm wrong) This is completely different than using a platinum pad on the ground electrode itself, which is why Autolite does not advertise its XP plugs for durability, only performance. They do, however, advertise their Double Platinum plugs for their 100k service life.
Do ANY iridium plugs contain iridium grounding tips like the double platinums? And, they last how long?
Now, compare the price between the XP and the other brands of iridium plugs. So, IMO they are the best, and possibly the best bang for the buck.
So, whats wrong with a platinum side wire if the wire extends the entire length of the ground electrode whether it has a 'tip pad' on it or not?
I haven't had the time or care to search for the patent but I've tried the XP in several vehicles. All run and feel better. And, when these XP plugs get 50-75k miles on them, I'll yank them for a looksy, cleaning, regap, and push them some more.
autolite XP $6
NGK/champion/denso iridiums $10
double platinums $4-$5
Now, compare the price between the XP and the other brands of iridium plugs. So, IMO they are the best, and possibly the best bang for the buck.
So, whats wrong with a platinum side wire if the wire extends the entire length of the ground electrode whether it has a 'tip pad' on it or not?
I haven't had the time or care to search for the patent but I've tried the XP in several vehicles. All run and feel better. And, when these XP plugs get 50-75k miles on them, I'll yank them for a looksy, cleaning, regap, and push them some more.
autolite XP $6
NGK/champion/denso iridiums $10
double platinums $4-$5
The current OEM plugs that contain the Iridium center electrode WILL have a platinum pad on the ground electrode. They are projected to last a minimum of 90k miles, and in some engines, as high as 150k miles. Of course, I'd probably change them out between 60-90k anyway...
Not sure how great of a deal the XP plugs are. I can't find 'em locally, though I'm sure a store could order 'em for me for $6/pop. I can get the NGK OE plugs with the Iridium/Plat. setup for $10/each. On a 4-cyl, the price difference is only $16 or so...not a big deal..
If the platinum sidewire was really "better" than the platinum pad on the ground electrode setup, then why don't Denso and/or NGK use them?
Besides, why did Terry mention a while back, that his customers running Autolite plugs consistently reported higher Nox readings?
I'll give Autolite a call some time next week to find out more about the sidewire vs. platinum pad business...
Not sure how great of a deal the XP plugs are. I can't find 'em locally, though I'm sure a store could order 'em for me for $6/pop. I can get the NGK OE plugs with the Iridium/Plat. setup for $10/each. On a 4-cyl, the price difference is only $16 or so...not a big deal..
If the platinum sidewire was really "better" than the platinum pad on the ground electrode setup, then why don't Denso and/or NGK use them?
Besides, why did Terry mention a while back, that his customers running Autolite plugs consistently reported higher Nox readings?
I'll give Autolite a call some time next week to find out more about the sidewire vs. platinum pad business...
After having problems with numerous Bosch and Champion plugs, I've switched over to NGK.
In my car, I use the IX Iridium plugs, and the car idles much smoother now since replacing OEM Champions at 25k...
We'll see how durability stacks up, but NGK seems to be at the top of the heap with spark plug quality as of late....
In my car, I use the IX Iridium plugs, and the car idles much smoother now since replacing OEM Champions at 25k...
We'll see how durability stacks up, but NGK seems to be at the top of the heap with spark plug quality as of late....
I understand this thread is old, but I thought I would show a pic to clarify that the autolite XP's do in fact have a platinum pad. So if someone does a search, the info in this thread is complete. They should last quite some time. Do note that the conductor is iridium enhanced, not 100% iridium. It should last at least 60k miles, probably more.
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JHZR2
Staff member
Any new news? Any other users on the XP autolite plugs???
Champion plugs are garbage. Stick with NGK and Denso.
Originally Posted By: brian12
Champion plugs are garbage. Stick with NGK and Denso.
I beg to differ... Dad uses them (Champion) religiously over the past 35 years and we have never had a problem! I do like the NGK/Denso stuff better though...
Champion plugs are garbage. Stick with NGK and Denso.
I beg to differ... Dad uses them (Champion) religiously over the past 35 years and we have never had a problem! I do like the NGK/Denso stuff better though...
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