Spark Plugs

[cr8tve]

Just out of curiousity... what spark plugs are you all running?

Have been looking at the Iridium plugs ( NGK:- DPR8EIX-9 ).. not sure they are worth the investment?

Any other thoughts/suggestions?

Cheers!

G

[rodneybrown]

I gotem' a while back, don't remember where or how much. I was having low rpm woe's. My old plugs were a bit sooty and #1 had the rust/water problem and all was fine after changing plugs. I noticed a gain of at least 20hp by adding the plugs - NOT! Didn't see any difference from when I had new stock plugs in there. The good news is they never wear out.

[hootieST]

My old plugs were a bit sooty and #1 had the rust/water problem

rodneybrown,
What are you talking about?? I've never heard of this engine condition before. How is it caused, and are there any concerns with internal malfunctions with the motor?

Mark :???:

[tojohn]

Rust forms from condensation, and the fact that water can seep past the spark plug boot/ coil. The carbon issue could originate from mods done.

I pulled and replaced mine at 12,000 miles. Replaced them with plugs of the same. But after 12,000 miles, my plugs still looked fresh. ( I just wasnt puttin old plugs back in after I did all that work to get em out)

[JR57]

replaced with stock at 13.5k miles. Removed plugs still looked new. The '01's must have a tighter fitting coil, have to twist to remove and no trace of water.

[Stlakid]

I put in the Iridium plugs in mine. I didn't believe any wild claims about their use. I didn't like the double electrode plug as it would shroud the spark more than a single electrode. The smaller iridium electrode would require less voltage to fire which I thought couldn't hurt. Less load on the coils which I'm sure are very reasonably priced from my friendly dealer should I ever need one! Right! So basically I was looking for easier starting, less chance of a misfire, and long life as there a bit of stuff to remove to get to them. But the bottom line was there actually easier to find than the stockers and they actually cost me LESS than the standard plug with an extra ground electrode. My old plugs looked fine at 12k as well. I've check a lot of places and the price difference is usually less than a dollar per plug, so why not get the Iridium plugs!?

[ZX600]

I do lots of short running and my previous bike (ZX6R 98 model) had trouble with dirty fouled plugs. Put iridiums in it and cured the problem completely. Started sweet and easy all the time. A couple of weeks ago I washed my 05 Sprint and the ***** thing would not fire afterwards. Had to get the local Triumph guy to pick her up and check her out. Dirty plugs and air filter seemed to be the cause. I have put iridiums in ($20ea approx Aus) although it did not help with the long crank time the sprint seems to have when cold.

[BigVinny]

Ive been through the "plug" mill lately as my 03 (shim under bucket) started faltering under acceleration.

I replaced the standard CR9EK double electrode type with NGK Iridium CR9EIX single electrode plugs. So far so good problem solved, and done about 500 miles, the bike runs really well.

Be aware that the early shim over bucket ST's had the NGK DPR8EA-9 plugs which are physically larger than the CR9EK plugs on later models (not sure about 05-06 models). They wont fit each other !

On the older Triumph models (like my TB) the long cranking time is due to the way the first rotation of the crank is used to calibrate the ignition firing so cant be avoided by using fresh plugs. No sure if this applies to some or all ST's ??

DPR8EA-9 18mm socket
CR9EK 16mm socket

http://www.spark-plugs.co.uk/pages/p...gk_iridium.htm

[DaveM]

I always used Iridium plugs in my GSX R600, I don't know what the Sprint has in it at the moment though.

Yeah yeah yeah Stlakid I still like to watch :-D

Davem

[rodneybrown]

The sooty business just means a slightly rich condition dispite all claims about leaness. Plugs don't lie but they aren't George Washington either. The #1 plug situation is a well known issue. There is no drain in the plug holes and somehow, nobody seems to know how for sure, but in a LOT of Sprints dirty water collects in the #1 plug. Also, when I got mine, NGK had the wrong plug listed in their catalog so of course I received the wrong plug. That situation should be corrected by now because that was well over a year ago, maybe two.