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Platinum-

Most long life spark plugs use platinum due to its high melting point. This makes a spark plugs life much greater than the conventional copper, due to the fact that it can hold up so well to the constant heat.

Platinum plug prices go anywhere from around $2 to upwards of $12, and the difference is the amount of platinum used. The more platinum used in the plug, the longer the life it will have. Some platinum plugs today boast they are good up to 100,000 miles.

Iridium-

Iridium is the new platinum. We say this because when platinum came out compared to copper it was superior in many ways. Iridium is said to be 6 times harder and 8 times stronger than regular platinum, which means that spark plugs can have even finer electrodes than ever before and still have excellent wear characteristics.

Iridium is a very costly, so $14 and up per plug is quite typical. Many enthusiasts love iridium plugs and have nothing but positive things to say about them. They will definitely outlast standard plugs and because of their hardness, they will not wear down overtime causing the plug gap to widen and subsequently the cylinders not to fire at their optimum.

Multi-ground Plugs-

While some motors, such as the rotary design specifically require multi ground electrodes, their popularity has extended through many engines. The design of multiple electrodes is meant to limit the amount of wear that occurs of the tip of the firing electrode by offering several several electrodes to fire from.

One of the biggest misconceptions of these plugs is that they must fire from all tips, therefore creating several sparks. This is not the case. There is only one spark that will appear out of one of the tips per engine revolution, which is how these plugs extend their useful life, by spreading the amount of fire time between 2, 3, or even 4 firing tips.

While these plugs do last longer than traditional and come pre-gapped, which makes them easier to install, there has never been any real conclusive evidence of much of a performance gain by the use of these.

Cut-back Plugs-

These plugs bring memories back to the old muscle car enthusiasts. You can purchase these, but often what people do is take a regular set of spark plugs and grind the firing tip back until it is just with the very edge of the electrode.

This design has shown a pretty consistent couple of horsepower (1-3), as well as better throttle response. It does the same thing as all the specialized plug, opens the area of the kernel flame. In fact, it often works better than some of the fancy designs.

Instead of trying to re-shape the ground electrode, you are simply ridding the electrode hang over all together. The only drawback is because you are significantly reducing the contact area of the firing tip where the spark jumps, these plugs tend to wear out a lot quicker than a standard plug.

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Well, not quite everything, as there is a lot to tell. But today we are going to feature some of the choices you have when it comes to replacing your spark plugs. It is important to note that while no spark plug can ever make a really huge difference in the performance and gas mileage of your vehicle, there are definitely proven designs that have shown increased service life, as well as even a very moderate increase in performance.

Before you can truly appreciate some of these uniquely designed spark plugs and how they theoretically can improve engine performance, we must first look at what exactly a spark plug does. A spark plug is the link between your vehicles ignition system and fuel and air intake. Once the mixed air and gas from your vehicle are brought to your cylinders it is the spark plug that ignites this mixture causing the force that power the pistons to turn the crankshaft.

While there are thousands of volts shooting through a spark plugs electrode, it is not the voltage itself that is the most important part of lighting the mixture as is the heat generated by the plug. This is why certain spark plug designs are theoretically better than others.

If the contact surface between the electrode and flame are opened, leaving more open area between the two surfaces, then the heat created will remain more constant, and not be reabsorbed by the electrode. When an electrode is completely covered by the flame, as in a standard spark plug,

the heat build up is slightly squelched and therefore a complete burn may not always occur.

Let’s see what some of our options are to help with this problem:

U-Groove-

This design made famous by Denso puts a U-Groove within the underside of the electrode in order to open the area of the flame kernel. There have been some decent reports that have shown that this configuration can improve acceleration and throttle response slightly.

V-Power-

A similar idea as the U-groove except the center electrode is cut into a V Shape. NGK has a nice line of V-Power spark plugs whose design has received similar results as the U-grove.

Fine Wire/Tapered Cut Electrode-

The main advantage of these types of spark plugs is number one, it opens the area for the flame kernel. Two, the smaller area of the electrode requires less voltage to jump the gap, so there is less chance of misfire.

Due to the smaller area of metal, the typical copper electrode is not recommended as it would wear too quickly, so one of the popular exotic metals is preferred, such as platinum or iridium. These hard metals maintain and often surpass the traditional longevity of the typical spark plug even with the reduced electrode area.

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The Problem:

ABC News recently reported on the little known danger of aging tires. While some folks in the tire industry will tell you that tires have no expiration date and don’t need to with their current advancements in technology. You really have to ask yourself… is you or your loved ones lives worth taking the chance.

Since this newscast, there have been a number of tire shops around the US who have had to answer to the question…

How old is this tire?

How many of you have ever really thought about this. We just assume that most things that we see in a store are “new”.

It may have never been used, but it also might have been sitting in the store for as long as 10 to 12 years. Many tire shops know about the “unspoken” rule that tires should only be used for 6 to 7 years, but that doesn’t mean that some of them won’t sell them anyway… there is no government mandate controlling this.

While there has never been an expiration date for tires, how many of you would willingly purchase a “new” tire that was 4 or 5 years old? It’s kind of like when you buy a bag of lettuce. Do you take the first one off the top, or choose one with the longest shelf life left?

The Solution:

This is why we are going to share with you how to decipher when a tire was manufactured. Knowing how long your tires have been in existence, allowing the rubber to dry and lose some of its elasticity, is never a bad idea.

Where to Look?

It is at the very end of the DOT code on your tire. It will say something like 4202 or 414. To crack this code, what you need to know is the first two letters represent the week of manufacture, while the last number or numbers, represent the year. So, 4202 is deciphered as the 42^nd week of 2002, and 414, as the 41^st week of 1994.

Can’t find your number?

Then it might be on the side portion of your tire, facing the underside of your vehicle. Up until a year ago, manufactures did not even print this helpful information on the outside of a tire.

Additional Words of Advice:

Water, air, and sunlight can cause any tire to wear prematurely even before it reaches six or seven years. This is why you should also inspect your tires on a seasonal basis for signs of dry rot and cracking.

Please don’t forget to keep an eye on your spare tire also. These often get forgot and sit in a vehicles trunk for years without even a single thought. Then the first flat you get, no matter how careful you have been keeping an eye on your other tires, you find yourself riding on a time bomb.

Pass this little known information onto everyone you know…