New spark plug recommendation???

[MustangMarauder]

Could anyone recommend what spark plugs I should buy.all I have done to it is an generic old school super chips micro tuner and a 180 thermostat.oh and a k&n panel filter.

[lji372]

Interested. I've heard NGK and autolite :dunno: but I'm ALL ears.

And is there a preference on a stock setup vs mild s/c vs a big HP build??

:popcorn:

[Limited360]

Motorcraft TR6's is what I always hear...

[marauder410]

I just installed ngk tr6 with a motorcraft 180 thermostat and had my tune adjusted for it.... awesome set up

[fastblackmerc]

NGK TR6's for the win :up:

[Limited360]

NGK TR6's for the win :up:

So I got that totally wrong! Tr6 part correct at least...

[RF Overlord]

Motorcraft or NGK.

[Limited360]

Motorcraft or NGK.

Woot... FTW!

[JoeBoomz]

NGK TR6's for the win :up:

+1 all good results here

[JBeezy]

+1 all good results here

+2


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[marauder410]

I was going to go with stock motorcraft till I seen a set of 8 NGK TR6 on ebay for 20.00 even shipped and that was a deal breaker right there...

plus 1 stage colder is always good with a 180 thermostat of course .....:banana:

[fastblackmerc]

plus 1 stage colder is always good with a 180 thermostat of course .....:banana:

If your tune takes advantage of them.

[JBeezy]

If your tune takes advantage of them.

Not trying to hijack, but can someone explain what and how ur tune can take advantage of plugs and 180* t-stat? What t-stat is in our cars stock and etc... I'm sure the OP would like to know if he doesn't already. Excuse my ignorance. Thanks. Back to the original subject at hand...


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[MustangMarauder]

Thanks for the all the help.would this be the one,NGK V-Power Copper Spark Plugs TR6 #4177???

[Go2GuyFL]

100,000 plus miles with Autolite XP104 plugs in 2003 car and 80,000 in 2004. Just ordered two new sets from Rock Auto for less than $4.50/plug. There's also a discount coupon floating around.

[RF Overlord]

would this be the one,NGK V-Power Copper Spark Plugs TR6 #4177???That would be the one.

[RF Overlord]

can someone explain what and how ur tune can take advantage of plugs and 180* t-stat?By using cooler plugs and a slightly cooler thermostat the spark and fuel tables can be modified for better performance. However, if you don't have a tune that takes advantage of this, cooler plugs and thermostat by themselves will do nothing.
What t-stat is in our cars stock 188°

[fastblackmerc]

By using cooler plugs and a slightly cooler thermostat the spark and fuel tables can be modified for better performance. However, if you don't have a tune that takes advantage of this, cooler plugs and thermostat by themselves will do nothing.188°

Correct.

Colder plugs and thermostat mean more timing...... more timing = more power.

[ctrlraven]

TR6 is a 15-20k mile spark plug.

TR6IX (Iridium) is a 60-100k mile spark plug.

I've been using TR6IX plus for the past 5-6 years as I used to do a lot of highway driving.

Also you can upgrade the coil connectors as well to these http://www.summitracing.com/parts/grn-28-1705s

[MustangMarauder]

What about the wires,will i'm at it?

[RF Overlord]

Have you never looked at your engine? There are no wires...it's Coil-On-Plug.

[MustangMarauder]

Maybe 3 times since 2003....

[JBeezy]

What's recommended for coils? OEM?


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[fastblackmerc]

What's recommended for coils? OEM?


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Yes, OEM coils work the best

[L.Mark]

Quote:
Originally Posted by RF Overlord http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?p=1338522#post1 338522)
By using cooler plugs and a slightly cooler thermostat the spark and fuel tables can be modified for better performance. However, if you don't have a tune that takes advantage of this, cooler plugs and thermostat by themselves will do nothing.188°

Correct.

Colder plugs and thermostat mean more timing...... more timing = more power

Good info fo rthe unimformed right there...:bows:...will store this for future use...:D

[1Marauder]

Not trying to hijack, but can someone explain what and how ur tune can take advantage of plugs and 180* t-stat? What t-stat is in our cars stock and etc... I'm sure the OP would like to know if he doesn't already. Excuse my ignorance. Thanks. Back to the original subject at hand...


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Read my newbie mind... please explain difference in thermo, and spark plug, and how TUNE enhances performance. 10.75 year old car--16,000 miles, but probably time for new plugs?

[RF Overlord]

Read my newbie mind... please explain difference in thermo, and spark plug, and how TUNE enhances performance. See post #17 above.
10.75 year old car--16,000 miles, but probably time for new plugs?Factory plugs are good for 100,000 miles...you aren't even close.

[JBeezy]

Since we are on topic, can anyone explain why ford coils are $400 and come with a1 year warranty and Borge Warner coils are approx $300 and come witha lifetime warranty?


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[fastblackmerc]

Since we are on topic, can anyone explain why ford coils are $400 and come with a1 year warranty and Borge Warner coils are approx $300 and come witha lifetime warranty?


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Probably need to talk to Ford and Borg Warner.

[JBeezy]

Just saying if fords are the best then why they only warrant for 1year? Just curious since I'm needing some.


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[J-MAN]

Just saying if fords are the best then why they only warrant for 1year? Just curious since I'm needing some.


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Huh? Those that are saying that the FOMOCO coils are the best are basing their opinion on usage(I hope). They don't supply the warranty, talk to FORD.

[fastblackmerc]

Huh? Those that are saying that the FOMOCO coils are the best are basing their opinion on usage(I hope). They don't supply the warranty, talk to FORD.

Correct. The OEM / Ford / Motorcraft COPS are best based on how the car runs after installing them. Have been alot of owners that have used aftermarket COPS and weren't too happy with them.

[BLACKMAGIC03]

Ive had msd for the past year and way better then what the ford ones were doing and still going strong...

[GreekGod]

Ford, MSD, or Accel all sell good ignition coils. Ford coils do fail, as any electrical component can.

[JBeezy]

Ford, MSD, or Accel all sell good ignition coils. Ford coils do fail, as any electrical component can.

My OEM coils are beginning to fail at 49k. I guess the age of them are the culprit


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[Mr.MRder]

I've been looking for spark plug recommendations for a while now and I'm confused. I'm ready to do some maintenance on the car but not sure which spark plug brand/model to buy.

I think there should be a sticky regarding plugs, if there's not one already somewhere.

A member here uses Motorcraft SP 505, and ebay has an offer for 4 of them for really cheap, but I believe he has a trilogy supercharger so not sure if they would be recommended for my NA Marauder. Ebay also sells Motorcraft SP-433 plugs.

Which one should I choose? Also, do I need to gap these plugs, or do they come already gapped from the factory?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[RF Overlord]

The SP-505 is for supercharged applications. You want the SP-433.

Yes, you'll need to gap them to .054.

It's a myth that spark plugs come "pre-gapped from the factory". ALL plugs need the gap checked and reset as necessary.

[GreekGod]

... It's a myth that spark plugs come "pre-gapped from the factory". ALL plugs need the gap checked and reset as necessary.

And I say it is a myth that spark plugs do not come "pre-gapped from the factory" ... because I have never seen one that didn't have a gap! ... now, because any particular plug can have different applications, the real question is 1) "what gap does it have?", and 2) "is the gap set to OEM specs?" Hmmm?

=========

[Mr.MRder]

Thanks for the info RFlord. I'll go with SP-433 then. I just need to learn how to gap plugs, never done it before, but I'm sure I could find a tutorial on youtube.

Thanks folks!

[whitey]

Thanks for the info RFlord. I'll go with SP-433 then. I just need to learn how to gap plugs, never done it before, but I'm sure I could find a tutorial on youtube.

Thanks folks!

Its simple, buy a feeler gauge, and slide the guage between the electrode and the grounding strap....if its set correctly there should be a slight resistance. The feeler gauges probably wont have a. 054" gauge so youll take two gauges to equal that total thickness, ex,: a. 023 and a. 031. To make adjustments, use a pair of pliers and pry the grounding strap up or down.

Although i agree on the plugs not being perfectly gapped at the factory, how the hell do you set the gap on a plug that has 2 or 4 grounding straps?

[GreekGod]

A proper plug guage is a wire guage ... about 99 cents on most auto parts stores check-out counters ... they include a slot for bending the ground.

=========

[whitey]

A proper plug guage is a wire guage ... about 99 cents on most auto parts stores check-out counters ... they include a slot for bending the ground.

=========

Mystery solved.

[RF Overlord]

And I say it is a myth that spark plugs do not come "pre-gapped from the factory" ... because I have never seen one that didn't have a gap! ... now, because any particular plug can have different applications, the real question is 1) "what gap does it have?", and 2) "is the gap set to OEM specs?" Hmmm?Jolly Joker... :shake:


;)

[Mr.MRder]

Thanks Whitey. I'll see if advance auto has it and give it a try.



Its simple, buy a feeler gauge, and slide the guage between the electrode and the grounding strap....if its set correctly there should be a slight resistance. The feeler gauges probably wont have a. 054" gauge so youll take two gauges to equal that total thickness, ex,: a. 023 and a. 031. To make adjustments, use a pair of pliers and pry the grounding strap up or down.

Although i agree on the plugs not being perfectly gapped at the factory, how the hell do you set the gap on a plug that has 2 or 4 grounding straps?

[Mr.MRder]

Thanks for the tip, I think I've been doing spark plug replacement the wrong way then. I use to have a Mazda Millenia S, on which I replaced the spark plugs, but didn't gap them because they were offered as "factory gapped", it's confusing.


A proper plug guage is a wire guage ... about 99 cents on most auto parts stores check-out counters ... they include a slot for bending the ground.

=========

[whitey]

Thanks for the tip, I think I've been doing spark plug replacement the wrong way then. I use to have a Mazda Millenia S, on which I replaced the spark plugs, but didn't gap them because they were offered as "factory gapped", it's confusing.

A lot of them are pretty close to the factory .054, but its always best to check and adjust. Also i think the manual says between .052-.056, that being said i reccomend the smallest gap because over time the grounding strap will erode to a larger gap, so you will get the most life out of them. A larger gap will obviously produce a larger spark which is great for maximum combustion /power, however the plugs will eventually erode out of spec. Find a happy median for your application.

[Mr.MRder]

Thanks whitey. Hmm, HP is nice, but reliability more. :D I think I'll go with the smallest gap then.

I don't know if this thread is a sticky already, but if it's not, could the admin make it a sticky? Reason why it's because rather difficult to find this info anywhere otherwise.
I know it took me at least 30 mins to find this thread using the advanced search option, so a sticky would help newcomers to the MM with the exact same question I had.

[RF Overlord]

I don't know if this thread is a sticky already, but if it's not, could the admin make it a sticky? Reason why it's because rather difficult to find this info anywhere otherwise. All this information is in the owner's manual, and the correct plug number is easily found in any manufacturer's cross-reference guide on their website.