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ya from what research I've done, copper actually makes the best spark. the platinum can run hotter than copper which is why they are a big no no for hi hp cars with turbo. Also read that copper is better for engines with advanced timing and higher compression like mine. But wow the starts are way better than before. No hesitation and very smooth without jerking.

 
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and pennies are made of copper dee dee dee

 
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iridium can withstand the highest temperature, that's why.

a smaller tip will yield lower voltage required, as well as the highest hp ... but also make the hottest temperature. this is why iridium is ideal.

If you'll notice, copper plugs always have fat tips, because they cannot withstand as much heat. iirc, platinums also have fat tips, but not quite as small as the iridiums.

 
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putting iridium in a stock d17 is a waste of money...stock or stock replacements are the best because that is what honda had engineered to be most efficient...copper carries an awesome spark but not the best...silver is the best electrical conductor BUT silver is often frail and tarnishes easily...platinums and iridiums should be used in high compression engines or force enduced because of the tendancy to run hot and run lean which will cause the high temp...

 
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You will not gain any HP/TQ from any of these different types of sparkplugs. Sparkplugs are specified by the manufacturer base on heat range and longevity. For most cars on the road, logevity is the main objective. Thus, almost all new cars specifies platinum plugs.

Copper sparkplugs are used in mainly high compression and/or forced induction engines because copper is a better heat conductor than either platinum/iridium. This reduces the chance of hot spot forming in the combustion chamber and inducing premature ignition. The down side of using copper plug is shorter life. They usually wear out in about 30K miles.

Platinum, as I've mentioned is mainly used because it'll last for 60K - 100K miles.

Iridium has a higher temperature and corrosion tolerance and it is also a very good heat conductor. It can be made into a very fine/thin point to reduce the voltage required to produce a proper spark and still be able to conduct heat away from the tip fast enough to prevent premature ignition. Iridium combines the heat conduction of copper and the longevity of platinum. Although in theory, iridium sounds good. However, it is only helpful if your car have a weak ignition system or you have a high compression and/or forced induction engine (which the Civic is neither). Almost all modern cars (our Civic included) uses direct coil packs. So, there is no weak ignition issue. Unless you have forced induction, there is no advantage in using iridium plugs.

 
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using platinum in a hi compression engine can cause the electrode to melt off! This happens because platinum plugs run hotter than copper by nature.

I've always thought copper gives the best spark, platinum lasts longest (double plat), and iridium tries to combine the two but is worse at both--not as long lasting as platinum, and not as big of a spark as copper. Copper plugs are the only thing you should use for FI cars. One thing about the ngk v-power that they advertise is faster starts. I completely agree with this. It is a night and day difference going from stock double plats to copper. I think my mods finally outgrew the stock plugs. higher compression and advanced timing all make it hotter in there and platinum was having a hard time. I'd much rather swap out copper every 3k for the better starting.

 
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ok comming from the Ford Focus world, we would swap the Double plats for copper plugs and gain about 3-5 hp

the reason Double plat is so popular is Auto makers use it to say no tune up for 100k, it runs hotter so it kills more emissions.

The copper plug burns colder, which makes a little more power, but doesnt last as long

I just ordered split fire copper plugs, I had these in my last civic and the diff was night and day

Chris

 
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Well, not much to add there....

I have used copper plugs in all my Hondas except the 7th gen. I am still experimenting on this one... But it's true. Copper plugs, and it seems NGK in particular seem best for honda motors. Downside as discussed, they wear out faster. I'll also try the copper plugs soon, as I get a slight roughness in idle with iridiums, even though the car runs perfectly otherwise.

 
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I've switched back and forth from copper to iridium twice ... the best start ups and performance were from the iridiums.

has anyone ever seen spark plugs in action? ... iridiums have a brighter, stronger, hotter and most importantly, more consistant spark than copper plugs. the spark with the copper plugs seem to jump around the massive tip.

I also noticed that NGK iridiums are better than Densos ... at least from my experience. I've gone through two sets of NGKs and two sets of Densos... and two sets of NGK V-Power plugs.

Oh, btw, with the V-Power plugs ... they are non-resistor plugs, which have a huge negative effect on certain electrical things. One example, is for a k20 that is equipped with hondata ... read about it ... http://www.hondata.com/techksparkplugs.html

I'm NOT saying that that applies for all cars or even the D17 ... but that is the effect it has on K20 motors and potentially other motors, such as the D17.

 
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that brings up a good point, but why does ngk only have those v-power for our cars as copper? seems like if it causes interference, it shouldn't be used. So far i haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. car drives just as before, but i have a stock ecu.

I've tried and used iridium ngk for 15k miles before they wore out. it felt silimar to platinum and the starts were okay, but not better than the copper i have now. they've done tests on this and copper produces the strongest spark. I'm also pretty sure copper is the best conductor of electricity out of the three. i'll try and find the numbers.

 
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ok first puttin copper in a car that says specifically to use platinum is a little too experimental for me. second. we have sepreate igition coils on our cars, not distibutor coil for all 4 cylinders like previous gens, so the spark is assloads hotter and copper will not be able to withstand it. third, platinums do not last 60 to 100k miles. i know cause i bought my car in FEB. changed my plugs, and they were pretty dark. meaning they were never changed. i bought it at 57k. i put iridiums in my car and it runs better and gets better mileage.
gearbox, your ididiums wore out after 15 k? WTF?

 
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and aren't modern cars equipped to handle radio wave interference?

oh also i did find a silver plug. they are called silverstone and say they are the most powerful (true) but how long would a silver plug last??

 
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I think gearbox's car is a lemon. he's always had problems

I recently took out my denso iridiums and cleaned them with some carb cleaner ... put them back in and they felt brand new.

isn't silver similar to platinum?...

I've heard silver has the least heat tolerance

 
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ok i have NGK iridiums and my ride is fine, and how do you know about his car, you have just joined the site?

 
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I read a lot.

 
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i said it once on here and didnt get a warm response.. copper is definetly better. platinum and iridium plugs are only good for longevity

 
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silver conducts better than copper but i can't imagine it lasting a long time and its prolly expensive. i'm gonna find more info...

and no my car is not a lemon. its actually running the best it ever has right now. it does take some skill to see how the car responds to mods, and alot of trial and error.

 
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okay here we go. NOLOGY makes silverstone plugs. Also the info here has numbers for iridium and platinum. The silvers are obviously better, but I don't think there is a huge difference between copper and silverstone and also the silver stone is around $6 each instead of $2.

http://www.nology.com/silver.html


And going back to the radio interference, most modern cars are sufficiently shielded. Doesn't the metal cylinder head dissipate most of the rf or emi anyway? and the ecu is encased in a steel housing? also, non-resistor plugs make a bigger spark (less resistance obviously).

 
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I use DENSO Iridium spark plugs and My car runs great I love them...

 
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Autolite Platinum!!!! muahaha 4 or 5 bux for 2 pack

 
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did you read anything in the thread? platinum is the worst plug you can buy. the only reason its used is because car makers can say the service mileage is higher. Oh and they run hotter so i guess its better for emissions and bad for everything else.

 
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I've had them for about 30k w/o a problem I figure as long as you get on a set schedule for maintenance of certain things you shouldn't have any problems...remember who has the engine work and who doesn't between you and me?

<<<stock engine save for fp60 and SRi

 
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The fact is platinum is not a performance plug. but ya i realize there are thousands of stock civics and other cars using platinum. i'm just sayin there is no purpose other than having them last longer.

 
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totally agree...it was just a spur of the moment thing anyways when I bought them. I had jsut gotten the car after my dad passed away and did/ had basic maintenace done to the car. I figure when I do the next maintenance thing I'll look into sparkplugs...I dunno if it'd be feesable to do the 4 prong or just go with copper....

 
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just remember copper is better power wise, but erodes quickly. I would say 3-5k miles for every change, like when you do oil.

Oh and as far as that radio interference problem, I think that is a very rare occurrance. I talked to a few people (mechanics) and they haven't even heard of it. One said even the ones that have a resistor give off some rf waves. All I know is the car runs great, starts way better than before, and the radio still sounds like a cd almost.

 
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cool, cool, and more cool.

 
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you guys made me worry for nothing. the v-power says right on the box its a resistor type plug.

 
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maybe they're resistor now.

I know for a fact they weren't before (review the hondata website again)