After being on here for awhile I notice that every reccommends a standard copper spark plug for these trucks, why is that? My truck came with a brand new set of Bosch Platinum plugs when I bought it so I put them in. Would a standard copper plug run better than the Bosch's? Truck seems to run great with the Bosch's, just curious more than anything. The truck is a 94 f150 with the 5.8.

 

its mostly because there a waste of money see copper plugs burn hotter but dont last as long thats why no one wants them because replacing spark plugs on todays cars is a pita if you do it and expensive if a shop does it is what i understand all the drag racers and dirt track racers i know run copper plugs there just a better plug

 

Also, the Platinums, and the like of plugs can actually screw the engine over....Something I read on here of them not having a failsafe, or something....

I'll just stay with my El Cheapo Auolite Coppers...

 

I been using there product for 10 years now. I even use Bosch Gold Plug in my 94 F-150 and seam to work lot better, and burns less fuel inwich save me more money espaicaly with today gas prices, I had never had any problems with Bosch product even my oil filters is from that company .

 

wouldnt the plugs be burning more fuel=more efficient

 

Alrighty. I was just curious. I wouldn't have used the platinums if they hadn't of came with the truck. They seem to work good so far, only had them in for a month and the old plugs were probably from 94 so I don;t have much to compare them to.

 

There are tons of threads on spark plugs.

Motorcraft coppers are preferred by most.

Ive tried quite a few plugs and I like motorcraft coppers and NGK V powers.

 

Actully it about your perferance, some like Bosch, others like Motor Craft wich is the manifactor
perferance, but the point is that it work s and it doing it jobs corectlly, and make you the owner Happy.

 

Stick with Motorcraft or Autolite coppers.

Anything like Bosch +4, Splitfire, E3 etc is all snake oil. Multiple electrodes do nothing. Electricity will take the path of the least resistance and only use one of them.

See here for one recent example of why not to use Bosch.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...ark-plugs.html

 

The reason for the change in plugs to exotic metals (platinum, etc) is plug life. Each time the plug fires a spark, a miniscule amount of material is burned away from the electrode (picture a arc welder when it strikes a spark). Copper obviously has excellent conductive properties, but it also will burn more material away faster. With the advent of better ignition systems, the manufacturers started using the platinums and such. While not as conductive as the copper, they lasted longer and had less chance of building up deposits from impurities in the metal. Coupled with the better ignition systems, they were able to extend tune up intervals. (Consider that the COP design engines these days call for 100,000 miles before changing plugs) Heat range is also affected by the materials. It used to be you needed to run a hotter plug in town and a vehicle that saw mainly highway use used a colder plug. The reason being, the in-town vehicle spent less time at full operating temp, and the plugs would end up fouling due to the richer mixture. The hotter plugs would burn the deposits away, but the same plug, used on the highway would be knock prone due to being hotter at the tip. With the exotic metal plugs, along with ecm controlled fuel mixtures, they now can run a narrower heat range, allowing a cooler plug all the time, that won't foul in town, and not be causing knock on the highway. As for the tip design, the gimmick plugs are trying to expose more of the spark kernel to the air/fuel mixture, allowing a more efficient burn. Works similar to the tricks we used to do on old plugs of filing the tips to a point, and indexing them to expose the kernel to the center of the combustion chamber.

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...ark-plugs.html

Scroll down to the reply from Ymeski56. I just run Motorcraft plugs and side gap them.

 

I presume you are referencing this comment:

That is a myth. Simply put, a spark plug "fails" either due to excess wear on the electrode (run too many miles), whereupon the increased resistance at the gap (caused by a combination of the larger gap and compression ratio) causes it to misfire, or excess deposits on the plug cause hotspots where the fuel/air mixture ignites on its own, without a spark (knock or ping).

 

That was what was in my truck when I bought it. They sucked.

 

This is true, but even on so called "copper" plugs, the electrodes are usually made of nickel or a nickel/steel alloy. Even platinum plugs have a copper core - the platinum is just a small plating on the tips of the electrodes used to increase the lifespan of the plug as you said. I may be wrong, but I feel that the conductivity of the spark plug itself is a moot point considering the air-gap the electricity has to arc across from one electrode to the other inside the combustion chamber.

 

Bottom line no matter what anyone says: I will not run a bosch plug in anything, every vehicle I ever put them into disliked them and made the vehicle run worse. These old trucks like the copper plugs they were designed for, not only are they cheap but they dont wear out that quick either.