Spark plugs

[BloodnGuts]

I read the guide and wanted to say thanks a million for all the amazing threads.

That said, I'm being thrown for a loop on the autozone website, I put my car in 2008 audi a4 quattro, etc and it says the fitment for these are off BUT as far as the guide states they should be good, can anyone wipe the shit from my eyes on this one please?


https://www.autozone.com/external-en...=&model=&year=

[MSq5]

Those may be the correct length and correct heat range, but they are conventional copper center electrode with a huge .044” gap.

I may be wrong, since I have a B8 Q5 3.0 supercharged engine, but my general experience with all forced induction (turbo or supercharged) direct injection engines has been a strong preference for either platinum or fine wire iridium center electrode plugs with much tighter gaps, on the order of .026” to .028” gap. I would be surprised to find a .044” gap copper plug to be among those on the “short list” of recommended plugs.



I’m sure someone with personal experience with the turbo 2.0T direct injection engine will respond.

[Charles.waite]

Get this one: https://www.autozone.com/external-en...27474_656269_0

BKR7EIX is what you want. The "-11" on the one you linked means it has a 1.1mm gap which is likely too large, B7s use a .8mm gap which is standard for NGK's Audi compatible plugs.And while there is nothing WRONG with copper, I personally don't see the point of running a shorter lasting plug that offers no performance benefit over a longer lasting plug. Its just wasteful and puts undue wear on the aluminum threads in the head that the spark plugs thread into.

[Theiceman]

Get this one: https://www.autozone.com/external-en...27474_656269_0

BKR7EIX is what you want. The "-11" on the one you linked means it has a 1.1mm gap which is likely too large, B7s use a .8mm gap which is standard for NGK's Audi compatible plugs.And while there is nothing WRONG with copper, I personally don't see the point of running a shorter lasting plug that offers no performance benefit over a longer lasting plug. Its just wasteful and puts undue wear on the aluminum threads in the head that the spark plugs thread into.

Charles i ran these and found them too cold for my stock tune car, the gas milage dropped significantly running those plugs. i ended up back with Bosch FR6KPP332S

[BloodnGuts]

Exactly, I'd like the copper for that reason.. are these the correct fitment?

[Charles.waite]

BKR7EIX is stock heat range though. They're the same as those Bosch Plugs (that I also currently run). I've previously run BKR7EIX in b6s and my b7 without issue, no change in mileage or performance. Iceman you may have gotten faulty plugs if you had issues, because I never have.

The one's you linked above are not. The gap is too big. Bosch FR6KPP332S or BKR7EIX are OEM plugs. Either one will work fine. If you REALLY want copper plugs, just get BKR7E plugs. They're "copper". I put that in quotes because they have a copper core but nickel plated. Iridium plugs also use a copper core but are iridium plated with a much smaller electrode tip which allows for a more concentrated spark. Copper plugs aren't better in any way.

[BloodnGuts]

So the plugs I posted are not any good and the guide in the tech section is bogus?

What if I regap them?

[Charles.waite]

The guide in the tech section says this:



Not sure how that is bogus, it’s exactly what I’ve been telling you to get. The one you linked is a BKR7ES-11 which is a basic copper plug and would work fine except the gap is way too big. Just get the BKR7E (if you're dead set on copper for whatever reason) or the BKR7EIX if you want to change your spark plugs less.

[BloodnGuts]

my mistake, I missed that difference in the part #, thanks - I went out and purchased the copper ones

[Charles.waite]

Cool. ANd yea as I said copper isn't "better" really, but many people prefer it and thats totally fine if thats what you want. They should work just fine regarless.

[Deathgrip]

FWIW
I put a set of NGK BKR7EIX in my stock '08 B7 A4 last month and am satisfied with how it runs.

[canadianA4B7]

my mistake, I missed that difference in the part #, thanks - I went out and purchased the copper ones

Change them often. Say every 5000 miles or so. Buying them in boxes of 10 is often the best way to go.

Bosch FR5DTC-7403

[Theiceman]

Charles this is what i was referring to ....

https://www.europaparts.com/spark-plug-bkr7eix.html

For the record they ran fine, i just found gas mileage went down when running these and gas in Canada is expensive ... well,,, was ,,,

Could running them in cold climate make a difference ? anyway there is enough empirical evidence that these plugs are not an issue.

a handy chart if anyone is interested .

[Charles.waite]

Yea EuropaParts is wrong. The factory service manual/Bentley says NGK 6 is standard for older b5/6 generations, but FSI engines use NGK 7 as standard. Bosch’s numbers don’t quite line up which is why that chart combines them. But Bosch 6 is factory temp and NGK 7 is factory temp. So for us, one step colder is NGK8. Again, Bosch’s temp ranges don’t quite jive here but I’m just going by what the Bentley and ETKA say.

[MSq5]

Charles this is what i was referring to ....

https://www.europaparts.com/spark-plug-bkr7eix.html

For the record they ran fine, i just found gas mileage went down when running these and gas in Canada is expensive ... well,,, was ,,,

Could running them in cold climate make a difference ? anyway there is enough empirical evidence that these plugs are not an issue.

a handy chart if anyone is interested .

As boost and timing are raised above stock level, heat goes up exponentially. A plug that had a copper center electrode will wear out much faster. Platinum withstands high heat better, and iridium fine wire tip even more so. While copper has a marginally better ability to conduct the spark, this comes with accelerated wear if boost and timing are higher. That means on engines with higher than stock boost or timing curves, copper plugs wear very quickly.

That means you will be lucky to get 5,000 miles before they need replacement. In this application once you get to stage 1, and especially stage 2 tunes, platinum plugs are lucky to last more than 10,000 miles. Iridium plugs a bit better, maybe 15,000 miles.

[BloodnGuts]

The reason I am going copper is two-fold, one the car is bone stock, two is the more maintenance intervals I have at this stage in my sons' life, the more I get to turn wrenches on the car with them :) So I don't mind it at all.

[Charles.waite]

Haha, having two small kiddos, that’s as good a justification as I’ve ever heard. I might have to borrow that trick when my son graduates from crawling to turning wrenches! Not sure my daughter is inclined to get very dirty so wrenching is probably out for her...

[MALMGRDC]

BKR8EIX gapped @ .028, they work great.

[BloodnGuts]

Yeah, mine are in primetime to learn it (11 and 12) :)

[Theiceman]

i HATE replacing plugs .... only because the crush washer in the plug crushing as you tighten it is EXACTLY the same feeling as stripping out a plug thread, and that sends shivers up my spine. Once every 100K is more than enough for me..... hmmm this is the fourth season on my coppers in the 911, i may have to put my big boy pants on and change them.

[Jay-Bee]

BKR7E NGK# 4644
BKR7EIX NGK# 2667
BKR8EIX NGK# 2668
PFR7S8EG NGK# 1675

Just use these numbers, the full spark plug spec name that we usually call them doesn't always go into the computer right for lookup/interchange.

[vvenom800tt]

I read somewhere that copper plugs run cooler and thus lower combustion chamber temperatures.

Is this true? Im not a scientist.

I've been running coppers for 6 years though (at stage 2) with no issues for reference.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Audizine mobile app

[Charles.waite]

Not really true. Besides, the cooler temp would be reflected in the spark plug temperature rating you know?

All exotic metal plugs (platinum, iridium, etc) still have copper cores, they just have the high durability metal as the top. I believe there’s a good NGK white paper dispelling a lot of the “old school” myths regarding copper plugs. There’s nothing WRONG with a copper plug (also they’re nickel plated copper, not bare copper, bare copper would corrode insanely fast apparently) but the newer technology with exotic metals are, frankly, superior. And the fine wire tips allow for a more concentrated point for the spark to jump to the ground strap.

[esandes]

i HATE replacing plugs .... only because the crush washer in the plug crushing as you tighten it is EXACTLY the same feeling as stripping out a plug thread, and that sends shivers up my spine. Once every 100K is more than enough for me..... hmmm this is the fourth season on my coppers in the 911, i may have to put my big boy pants on and change them.

Tighten the plugs in by hand junior. Then use the ratchet or torque wrench.

[esandes]

https://www.ngk.com/product.aspx?zpid=58502

I use these.

[Jayz691]

I read somewhere that copper plugs run cooler and thus lower combustion chamber temperatures.

Is this true? Im not a scientist.

I've been running coppers for 6 years though (at stage 2) with no issues for reference.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Audizine mobile app

Yes, copper plugs do run cooler. Thats one of the main advantages, well, maybe the only advantage....the exotic metals run much hotter. I believe the actual original temp range for the 2.0tfsi was a 6, then later changed to a 7 cuz of all the platinum, iridium, etc. Thats what ive read anyway.

Sent from my LM-G710VM using Audizine mobile app

[Charles.waite]

That’s totally wrong, sorry dude. The heat range of a plug is the heat range of a plug, regardless of materials or construction. If an NGK heat range 6 copper plug operated as cold as a heat range 7 iridium plug, they would call that copper plug heat range 7, now wouldn’t they? Think about it guys.

1.8t engines had NGK heat range 6 as standard and that was with both platinum and iridium plugs. 2.0t has heat range 7 as standard. There’s no evil spark plug conspiracy. Coppers aren’t superior, regardless of what some bozo mechanic might tell you. I think I’d take Bosch/NGK’s data over the incorrect rule of thumb from some random dude.

[Theiceman]

Tighten the plugs in by hand junior. Then use the ratchet or torque wrench.

Dude you totally missed the point.. no body said anything about cross threading.

Sent from my SM-G973W using Audizine mobile app

[Jayz691]

That’s totally wrong, sorry dude. The heat range of a plug is the heat range of a plug, regardless of materials or construction. If an NGK heat range 6 copper plug operated as cold as a heat range 7 iridium plug, they would call that copper plug heat range 7, now wouldn’t they? Think about it guys.

1.8t engines had NGK heat range 6 as standard and that was with both platinum and iridium plugs. 2.0t has heat range 7 as standard. There’s no evil spark plug conspiracy. Coppers aren’t superior, regardless of what some bozo mechanic might tell you. I think I’d take Bosch/NGK’s data over the incorrect rule of thumb from some random dude.

Ok, just saying what I heard, I guess. Not saying theres a conspiracy or anything, lol. Just hear they diccipate heat better, lol. Thats all.

Sent from my LM-G710VM using Audizine mobile app