Iridium Spark Plugs. What do you think?

[Thorsteinn]

We are a smart group, surely someone knows this answer:

I'm going to be replacing all 4 (yes 4) spark plugs on my '94 Kawasaki Vulcan 750 and I was thinking of going with Iridium given the variable climate I live in (N.W. Nevada = High Desert). I will be riding the bike year round and almost daily.

I just bought it and it goes into the shop Wed to be looked at, and it has some issues which I hope they can shed light on, but overall do y'all support Iridium plugs for a 750 V-Twin?

-Thorsteinn

[Sir Wolf]

a spark plug is a park plug. i dont think it makes a difference from one to another as long as it makes a spark. like it should.

[Sir James A]

750 V-Twin? No idea.

Generally speaking? I've run them in past cars and my current car. OEM/recommended by Mitsubishi. I get 60K out of them, usually. Coppers are cheaper but have to be replaced more often. Have had them in a few inline 4 (I4), and a V6 too.

If you do low mileage per year, or turn the wrench yourself, coppers are fine; you'll pay more in the long run (labor) for coppers if you're paying to have them swapped out more often. Iridiums, as far as I know, just last longer. They come in the same heat ranges, you can gap them as needed, etc.

Might burn cleaner or spark better, but if your engine is mechanically sound anyway, the differences would probably be minimal at best. If the bike came from the factory with standard coppers, it won't hurt it to keep using them.

[Sir William]

Pretty much what was said- a spark plug is a spark plug is a spark plug, generally speaking.  What it boils down to is how much you're willing to pay in the long run in time, labor and materials- as Sir James noted, copper plugs will do the job, they just need more attention.  I'm actually about to replace the plugs in my Charger and iridium plugs are OEM suggested.  Seeing as I'm at 74k and this'll be my first time changing them, I'd say they're pretty good.  Gonna be a pain to change'm though...and I have 2 plugs per cylinder and they're seated way down into the block.

[Thorsteinn]

Huh. I've noticed in a high altitude that coppers kinda blow but Platinum's in my truck were great. Gave more steady mileage, warmed up faster, made for less total maintenance.

I was hoping that the Iridium plugs would make for an easier start & a cleaner burn for the bike. The plugs are easy to access, all 4 are right on the side.

[Sir William]

They will, if they are good for your bike.  I'd check with that particular bike's user forums, do a google search and their should be a user community established for that bike, much like forums for games.  For just about every bike (or vehicle, be it car, truck or somewhat else) you'll find a user community and forum where a lot of the normal questions for new riders or drivers is collected and available.  The Charger forums have been worth their weight in gold for all of the help I've gotten from them over the years- especially for things that aren't normal, but specific to my car.  Pretty nifty.

[Sir James A]

^ what Sir William said

No idea about the high altitude thing, never lived in an area like that.

[Thorsteinn]

Decided "ah screw it" and went with the OEM plugs. Iridium can wait for later when I have the money to do some of the mods I want.

[Sir Edward]

Some quick googling seems to indicate that the main reason to get platinum or iridium plugs is only for a longer lifespan of the plug, but they also are more expensive. Iridium plugs also shouldn't have gap adjustments done on them since it can damage the electrode. Any reports of performance gains are pretty baseless unless you had incorrect plugs in the first place, so it may be best to stick with what's listed in the owner's manual.

Anyway, that's what some google results said.

[Sir William]

That's pretty much it.  You might see slight performance gains if you're switching from a single-prong to a multi-prong (think more spark, more power) plug.  It'll still be negligible but there's no end to the fanboys who like to wax philosophic on their new iridium plugs.  Just sounds cool at first.

[Thorsteinn]

yeah I'm just going to chunk the money from the plugs into some decent oil, and some K&N filters.