[Candyman]

Anyone hear anything on the new Bosch platinum+4 spark plugs. I saw them on their web site and they look to be pretty good, however they run about $6 a piece. Does anyone know if they perform better seeing as how they have 4 tips instead of the conventional single? I am thinking of trying them but I'll probably need good wires to go with them and Bosch doesn't offer a wire set for the Intrepid as of yet.

Here is a link to the page
http://www.boschusa.com/AutoParts/SparkPlugs/PlatinumPlus4/

 

[jnutz]

My personal opinion is why have 4 tips. When you split up something I think you loose ppower not gain. It seems like they would not give as strong a spark to me. Remember this is my opinion. I have heard people who swear by them and I have heard people who hate them. Now wether this is old timers who won't like anything new and others who think that anything knew is better because it claims to be. I don't know. I know I would not touch splitfire with a 10 ft. pole. But I don't know about these. Any time anything is divided something is lost unless there is another power source to build it back up. If anyone has proof contrary I will willingly look at it but until then I hold my position. What is that theory? To divide something it takes energy. Energy is not able to renegize itself. Not the technical terms on either, but it kind of gets the point across. I think.

[ August 18, 2001: Message edited by: jnutz ]

 

[obr]

i use these on my 96 trep and I think that they work pretty. the only reason that i bought them is because i wanted the platinum but thought why not spend a few dollars more and try them. if i were you i would go with them. i felt some differece in the power but it could be mental or mabey actual. I did get mabey 2 or 3 more mpg with them.

 

[Candyman]

I would be very happy with another 2-3mpg. I think I'll try it for the extra few bucks. I do wonder too why you would split off to four prongs but then I thought maybe it is to give a more uniform spark in the way that you have more energy coming from all around the tip and not just one source. I guess I'll find out when I put them in!

 

[matt22tec]

I would not buy those 4 tipped plugs. Remember electricity follows the path of least resistance. Not all 4 tips will fire like in the ads. I have pulled them out and watched them. I have heard that plain old champions work best in the gen 1 treps???? That is what I have in mine and I don't experience any problems with those. I am sure there are some other kinds that work better but, in my experience the Splitfire type plugs are a joke. Matt 97 3.5 ES

 

[Candyman]

Alright just to throw in another wrench, what about the halo style spark plugs that use a halo around the tip to allow the spark to shoot through the middle? Similar to the +4 style.

 

[shadow1]

Matt22 is right. I remember reading that the +4 plugs perform worse than regular platinum plugs or copper plugs.
Candyman, 2nd gen Intrepids have modern coil on plug ignitions. So there are no plug wires to wear out or fail.

 

[Candyman]

I know, I just made an error, sorry, I always associate plugs with wires. Does this mean I replace the ignition coils for each plug too? I am not sure how long they should last and if or when they should be changed?

 

[matt22tec]

You generally don't change coils. They either work or they don't. The coil over plug design is the best. You don't have any wires to go bad or get resistance. If you are wanting to change you coils I bet you will change your mind when you see the price. There really is no need to change them though. Matt 97 3.5 ES

 

[1mz-fe]

i swear i had an earlier post on this subject but it seems to have disappeared...


anyway, i highly doubt that changing to these 4-way plugs could give you enough extra power to gain 2-3mpg. i'd really have to see that to beleive it. please let us know if they really give you that (if any) gain, because if they do i'd probably go buy some.

 

[Mopar4U]

When I spoke with the tech at Jacobs Electronics he said that +4 plugs are not worth it. He stated that Autolite plugs are one of the best on the marker and Champion are one of the worst. I think this subject is one of those personal opinion debates.

 

[rarewolf]

we talked about this one before

The +4 platinum plugs are a rip off... they are no better than regular Bosch platinums (which I use in my Trep). The +4 plugs are only good for cold starts. That is it. They spark once, just like EVERY OTHER spark plug, and they don't provide any better fuel economy either.

Save your cash. Oh, and the only reason Champions are pushed so much is because MOPAR claims that they are the only 'authorized' spark plug. yeah, right.

-wolf out

 

[isolated fx]

i am currently getting about 220 mpt on factory plugs with my 2.7 SE. (car has 37000 miles, i run mobile 1 5w-30 oil changed every 3k, k&n air filter and 225/55r17 tires)
i'm going to install the bosch platinum 4 plugs and measure the fuel economy over 10 tanks of gas and post the results on this board. the 220 miles per tank is almost all city driving btw, i can get nearly 300 mpt when i add highway driving, same controls with factory plugs. wish me luck.

p.s.
those plugs cost $5.99 each

 

[DCellBatteries]

Welcome to the site, good luck, and damn this is an old thread!

 

[isolated fx]

yea, lol! i got my trep slightly used (9k on OD) back in 2002. i joined the site, but its been a long time and my email and location changed. these babys are phased out now and im not planning on getting the 300. lets see what happens.

 

[Bimmer_2002]

......and damn this is an old thread!

:doh:

 

[CluelessinMO]

There have been a lot of posts on the platinum plug question, including Bosch +4's.
As stated by someone else, the spark is only going to jump to one of the electrodes, not be split amongst the four. What's the advantage to having three extra electrodes hanging in there that aren't taking part in the process? Also, consider that the more shielded the spark is by extra electrodes, the harder it is for the mixture to be ignited.
An old racer trick was to cut back the ground electrode to 1/2 way across the center electrode, for that very reason--to better ensure the exposure of the mixture to the spark. I personally think these multiple electrode plugs are a sales gimmick and nothing else.

 

[DCellBatteries]

:doh:

??? This thread was started in 08-18-2001... I must have missed something?