"Best" spark plugs?

[DND]

I know this has been debated on here a lot but what are the "best" spark plugs available if money is no object?
Chipped AWM, updated coilpacks. Probably going to forget all about the spark plugs for a long time again after changing them...

[Corrado_Guy]

One of the better plus would be NGK BKR7E for this set-up but one of the reasons they are good is because they are copper core which means they don't last long and need to be changed every oil change. The other threads are no worse than what you are asking so they are worth reading because they are talking about the best plugs as well.

[Avant Nate]

I used to use the BKR7E's but changed out for Bosch F5DP0R since I was tired of changing them every oil change. Been solid since, no misfires, but I only run 20ish psi. Alot of BT guys running high psi run them though.

[bw86]

Ive heard good things about F5dp0r sidefire plugs. I would have tried them, I just didn't feel like paying ~$10 a plug.

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[98A4TurboAWD]

I talked to a guy at ECS and he recommended these plugs to me.
http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B5_A4-...k_Plugs/ES593/

Not sure how true it is, but he said that they last a big longer than the NGK's. Like, twice as long. In his experience he said the NGK's would last 10k, whereas these last twice as long.

[Seerlah]

Autozone f*cked up on my order of Bosch FR5DTC plugs when I ordered 4. They had to order them out, and the person ended up giving me the whole box of 10 plugs for $20 (he was supposed to just give me 4 from that box). Was supposed to be $20 for 4 plugs. haha

[[email protected]]

Autozone f*cked up on my order of Bosch FR5DTC plugs when I ordered 4. They had to order them out, and the person ended up giving me the whole box of 10 plugs for $20 (he was supposed to just give me 4 from that box). Was supposed to be $20 for 4 plugs. haha

I love it when that happens!

[Corrado_Guy]

There are so many factors when looking at plugs but the Bosch plugs listed above is only one heat range above stock so it would not work with a BT setup or a really tuned stock config. The first heat range up from stock is more for cars with some upgrades such as a sightly bigger turbo, chip, intake, and exhaust as well as entry level BT cars. The next step which is two steps colder than stock is used for BT cars and above.

There are a number of things to keep in mind and one of them is longer life plugs, just because a plug last a long time it doesn't mean it is good for all uses. Long life plugs are simply a product used for long life and good performance under normal conditions. There are always exceptions to the rule and it all depends on how the plug is made but most long life plugs do not perform as well as a standard copper core plugs. Copper core plugs are good because copper is a really good heat sink and helps absorb heat really well and dissipate it. Most platinum and iridium plugs have very thin cores with little material in them so they do not conduct electricity as well and even worse is they do not dissipate heat as well. The plug is used to fire the A/F mixture and it is also used to take some of that heat and allow it to absorb into the head where the coolant can take care of it. Also. as that plug gets hotter it also start to pre-ignite the fuel because of hot spots and this is no good either. Another bad thing about the cheaper platinum/iridium plugs is when they heat the grounding strap will also start to straighten out which increases the gap and which can hurt your burn.

Copper plugs run cooler because copper dissipates better and also conducts electricity better so less heat from this as well. The downside to copper core plugs is that they wear fast and the electrode gets eaten away and then they start to foul. If you want the best performance then you can always use these and see how fast your car eats the plugs because it changes from car to car. You also want to read the plug and see if it is fouling, you want to see where your burn is on the ground strap, and see how much heat you are putting through the plug. There are a lot of sites which describe how to read plug so it is worth doing some research here. When you change plugs you are best off to do some logging for misfires under a few runs to see how the plugs are doing and then pull them and find how high up they are running on the ground straps which helps indicate if the burn is lean or rich.

I am no pro but I have read what a lot of tuners are doing which is why I went for the BKR7E plugs which work well. I am running a Stage 3 Uni 440cc tune with a GT28RS and these plugs seem to work well with this set-up so I have never tried changing the plugs to something else. I will be upgrading the car from ME7.1 to ME 7.5 with 630cc injectors and Maestro and I will try two steps colder from factory at this time and see how they work.

In short do some research about spark plugs in general to understand how they work and then look at what other people are doing on the 1.8T to see what you want. I would keep away from cheap plugs because if you are tuned these are not going to work as well and if you use platinums or whatever make sure they have been tested on the 1.8T with proven results. Otherwise I can't really give you any first hand experience on other plugs because my set-up has only seen NGK BKR7E plugs. I change my oil around 4,000 kms and do the plugs at the same time and it takes more time for the oil to completely drain than it does to change the plugs. I have FSI coils with the press in adapters so it is no effort to change plugs on my car.

[Seerlah]

When I was doing searching it seemed these plugs (Bosch FR5DTC) were about perfect for my setup (GT2871R). Am I wrong? When I researched it they were OEM plugs for some type of Porsche.

[bw86]

There are so many factors when looking at plugs but the Bosch plugs listed above is only one heat range above stock so it would not work with a BT setup or a really tuned stock config.

Both Bosch plugs listed above work fine for bt setups. (Fr5dtc, which I'm currently using and f5dp0r)

Also. A 5 for Bosch is basically a 7 for NGK. So the plugs listed above aren't 1 heat range above stock. They're the opposite.

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[M-Hood]

There are so many factors when looking at plugs but the Bosch plugs listed above is only one heat range above stock so it would not work with a BT setup or a really tuned stock config. The first heat range up from stock is more for cars with some upgrades such as a sightly bigger turbo, chip, intake, and exhaust as well as entry level BT cars. The next step which is two steps colder than stock is used for BT cars and above.

There are a number of things to keep in mind and one of them is longer life plugs, just because a plug last a long time it doesn't mean it is good for all uses. Long life plugs are simply a product used for long life and good performance under normal conditions. There are always exceptions to the rule and it all depends on how the plug is made but most long life plugs do not perform as well as a standard copper core plugs. Copper core plugs are good because copper is a really good heat sink and helps absorb heat really well and dissipate it. Most platinum and iridium plugs have very thin cores with little material in them so they do not conduct electricity as well and even worse is they do not dissipate heat as well. The plug is used to fire the A/F mixture and it is also used to take some of that heat and allow it to absorb into the head where the coolant can take care of it. Also. as that plug gets hotter it also start to pre-ignite the fuel because of hot spots and this is no good either. Another bad thing about the cheaper platinum/iridium plugs is when they heat the grounding strap will also start to straighten out which increases the gap and which can hurt your burn.

Copper plugs run cooler because copper dissipates better and also conducts electricity better so less heat from this as well. The downside to copper core plugs is that they wear fast and the electrode gets eaten away and then they start to foul. If you want the best performance then you can always use these and see how fast your car eats the plugs because it changes from car to car. You also want to read the plug and see if it is fouling, you want to see where your burn is on the ground strap, and see how much heat you are putting through the plug. There are a lot of sites which describe how to read plug so it is worth doing some research here. When you change plugs you are best off to do some logging for misfires under a few runs to see how the plugs are doing and then pull them and find how high up they are running on the ground straps which helps indicate if the burn is lean or rich.

I am no pro but I have read what a lot of tuners are doing which is why I went for the BKR7E plugs which work well. I am running a Stage 3 Uni 440cc tune with a GT28RS and these plugs seem to work well with this set-up so I have never tried changing the plugs to something else. I will be upgrading the car from ME7.1 to ME 7.5 with 630cc injectors and Maestro and I will try two steps colder from factory at this time and see how they work.

In short do some research about spark plugs in general to understand how they work and then look at what other people are doing on the 1.8T to see what you want. I would keep away from cheap plugs because if you are tuned these are not going to work as well and if you use platinums or whatever make sure they have been tested on the 1.8T with proven results. Otherwise I can't really give you any first hand experience on other plugs because my set-up has only seen NGK BKR7E plugs. I change my oil around 4,000 kms and do the plugs at the same time and it takes more time for the oil to completely drain than it does to change the plugs. I have FSI coils with the press in adapters so it is no effort to change plugs on my car.

1 step colder is good for just about any turbo depending on boost levels, octane being used, outside temps and the compression ratio of the motor. This is why you will see plenty BT/BAT owners running just 1 step colder plugs even though they are pushing 30+psi and making big hp.

NKG 6 is basically the stock heat range, NGK 7's are 1 step colder and what most people run. For Bosch plugs stock would be the 7 heat range,slightly colder heat range is the 6 and then 1 full step colder would be the 5. I run nothing but Bosch F6DTC plugs in my car making up to 650whp and I use them even when it is well over 100 degs out at the track.


Bosch is one of the few spark plug companies that goes lower in the number for a colder plug, while the other companies go higher number for a colder plug.

[DND]

1 step colder is good for just about any turbo depending on boost levels, octane being used, outside temps and the compression ratio of the motor...

...Bosch F6DTC...

I love that three prong design, any reason not to run them on a chipped K03s on pump gas maybe spiking 18 psi and daily driven?

[Seerlah]

I ran the f6dtc plugs when I was on the stock turbo.

[redline380]

story time- i was out snowmobiling up north and we stopped in town for gas. i could tell my plugs were fouling, so i figured what the hell, ill stop at the hardware store and pick up a new set of plugs. turns out they only had champion plugs. payed for them, put em in, and they ran like absolute horeshit. never ever again will i pay money for those champion pieces of shit. i ended up putting my half fouled ngk's back in and the sled ran way better. food for thought.

either way, its pretty well established those multiprong, gold plated, diamond encrusted plugs are only good for one thing. longevity. copper plugs are better performing i the short run and cheaper

[M-Hood]

story time- i was out snowmobiling up north and we stopped in town for gas. i could tell my plugs were fouling, so i figured what the hell, ill stop at the hardware store and pick up a new set of plugs. turns out they only had champion plugs. payed for them, put em in, and they ran like absolute horeshit. never ever again will i pay money for those champion pieces of shit. i ended up putting my half fouled ngk's back in and the sled ran way better. food for thought.

either way, its pretty well established those multiprong, gold plated, diamond encrusted plugs are only good for one thing. longevity. copper plugs are better performing i the short run and cheaper

Did you make sure to check the gap of the Champion plugs before you put them in? Some times the cheap plugs will come pre gap at .040 which will be way to large of a gap if you are running OEM 1.8t coils.