Any better spark plugs than stock?

[LarThaL]

Just curious....is anything out there superior to stock for the S65?

[Longbow64]

Not that I'm aware. They are a lot cheaper for the same NGK model on Amazon.

[Ronnydashore]

changing them often is the only thing worth doing. Even after 10k miles they start to cause timing to be pulled by messing with the ion sensing ability of the spark plug electrodes mimicking knock by giving a signal interference between dirty electrodes. So keep changing them every 10k and have performance like new and full timing advance

[dparm]

Originally Posted by LarThaL

Just curious....is anything out there superior to stock for the S65?

Just stick with the stock plugs (Amazon has them for $11.43 -- or wait for a coupon at your local auto parts store). Plugs undergo an extensive amount of testing to find the proper one, so don't try and second-guess BMW on something like this. Unless the car is wildly tuned, the factory plug is sufficient, though the change interval is debatable -- no harm in changing them early, but it is probably wasted money to swap them every year.

If there were a Denso Iridium that fit, I would recommend that as you can get an ultra-sharp 0.4mm tip -- sharpest made.

[Ezio]

Originally Posted by Ronnydashore

changing them often is the only thing worth doing. Even after 10k miles they start to cause timing to be pulled by messing with the ion sensing ability of the spark plug electrodes mimicking knock by giving a signal interference between dirty electrodes. So keep changing them every 10k and have performance like new and full timing advance

do you know when BMW recommends the change ?

[BMW Fanatic]

Originally Posted by Ezio

do you know when BMW recommends the change ?

BMW recommends the change every 50,000KM so 30,000MI.

I will probably go with NGK Iridium this time around and do the change at 15,000KM instead of waiting for 50,000KM.

[thekurgan]

Originally Posted by BMW Fanatic

BMW recommends the change every 50,000KM so 30,000MI.

I will probably go with NGK Iridium this time around and do the change at 15,000KM instead of waiting for 50,000KM.

No, you won't, they do not exist.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by Ezio

do you know when BMW recommends the change ?

I believe it is at 37k, then every 60k after that. I'd say that's probably a bit too long given that these are not a quad-electrode plug. I would recommend a 30k interval, unless the bulk of your driving is highway.

[BMW Fanatic]

Originally Posted by thekurgan

No, you won't, they do not exist.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Upgrade-Spar.../dp/B005ES2CJK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spark-Plugs-.../dp/B005EGIFNY

[dparm]

Originally Posted by BMW Fanatic

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Upgrade-Spar.../dp/B005ES2CJK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spark-Plugs-.../dp/B005EGIFNY

Jesus Christ are those expensive. It's stupid to use iridium if you're not going to run a very long change interval, so I'd pass on them unless you plan to leave them in for 75k+.

Odd that those part numbers do not come up on the NGK website. The LKAR8AI-9 plug has a totally different design from stock and is only a single electrode.

[Ronnydashore]

why iridium over the normal ones that stock uses if you change interval is 15k?

I have tried have verified that timing on this car is pulled after 15k or so with plugs. New plugs and immedatly car was able to hit timing targets. Have done this multiple times.

Plus if bmw recommends a change at 36 , than why would the next one be 60k? makes no sense. 36 still too long but 60 is just ridiculous.

There is no "need" to do it anymore often than every 50-75 as the car will run but its a matter of do you want your car running at peak power and efficiency. Some of us are anal. 15hp is a big deal to me to be wasted which is what you will likely give up if you wait until 50k miles. Some gas mileage as well.

To me its worth it to keep the car in absolutely peak shape

[dparm]

Originally Posted by Ronnydashore

why iridium over the normal ones that stock uses if you change interval is 15k?

I have tried have verified that timing on this car is pulled after 15k or so with plugs. New plugs and immedatly car was able to hit timing targets. Have done this multiple times.

Plus if bmw recommends a change at 36 , than why would the next one be 60k? makes no sense. 36 still too long but 60 is just ridiculous.

There is no "need" to do it anymore often than every 50-75 as the car will run but its a matter of do you want your car running at peak power and efficiency. Some of us are anal. 15hp is a big deal to me to be wasted which is what you will likely give up if you wait until 50k miles. Some gas mileage as well.

To me its worth it to keep the car in absolutely peak shape

60k is not ridiculous. Compared to most other vehicles, it's actually rather short. Every other car I've had (two Audis, two Hondas, Mazdas, etc) came with factory multi-electrode platinums that were good to 100k. The newer cars are moving to iridium with change intervals of 150-200k.

Changing them early won't hurt anything, but why throw money down the drain. It's placebo effect.

[thekurgan]

Originally Posted by BMW Fanatic

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Upgrade-Spar.../dp/B005ES2CJK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spark-Plugs-.../dp/B005EGIFNY

In the U.S., these are listed for motorcycles and marine vessels, so they don't pull up when using the part finder.

http://www.amazon.com/NGK-LKAR8AI-9-...ords=LKAR8AI-9


Aside from the pre-gap, they should work, although they look quite different from the photos.

Damn expensive too.

[thekurgan]

Originally Posted by dparm

60k is not ridiculous. Compared to most other vehicles, it's actually rather short. Every other car I've had (two Audis, two Hondas, Mazdas, etc) came with factory multi-electrode platinums that were good to 100k. The newer cars are moving to iridium with change intervals of 150-200k.

Changing them early won't hurt anything, but why throw money down the drain. It's placebo effect.

Plug resistance is utilized in the S65 as part of the knock control; other vehicles do not. This could be the reasoning behind the early change. 30k seems a lot to me, since I only put 5k/year on the car and I'd not want to leave plugs in the head 6 years. I just consider them maintenance every other year.