old - Fazer Owners Club - old

Bikes, Hints'n'Tips => FZS600 Fazer => Topic started by: chunk166 on 16 April 2012, 09:59:28 am

Title: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: chunk166 on 16 April 2012, 09:59:28 am
I just phoned my local bike shop (Ducati dealer) & asked about Iridium plugs for my Fazer 600, I asked if there was any benefit to be had from them & he has told me that if i was going to do track days or lots of hi speed riding then they might be ok but for normal road,everyday riding he suggested just sticking to the standard plugs as there really is not much difference except the price!!


Just thought i would share this with you guys maybe save a few Quid  :D :D :D


Ray
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: JZS 600 on 16 April 2012, 10:32:02 am
Interesting, I thought there were some other benefits but hey ho. I think they were £4 extra each last time I checked on Wemoto.
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: edc on 16 April 2012, 11:53:20 am
Got mine from sparkplugs.co.uk - for the equivalent of a litre or so of fuel I got the iridium.  Price was WAY cheaper than elsewhere I looked too.



Standard Copper Plug

Part Number[/font]

Price (£) Per Plug[/font]

Quantity[/font]

CR8E


4.6[/font]


 

Iridium Plug[/b][/color]
Part Number[/b][/color]
Price (£) Per Plug[/b][/color]
Quantity[/color][/font]

CR8EIX[/color]
[/font]

5.9[/color]
[/font]


 
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: kebab19 on 16 April 2012, 12:09:05 pm
I thought Iridium plugs lasted about 4 times longer(?), therefore saving money in the longer term.

Besides, from what I can see on ebay the prices between sets of standard & Iridium plugs are fairly similar
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: bigralphie on 16 April 2012, 12:25:25 pm
+1

They do last longer and on bikes where is a P.I.T.A to get to the spark plugs thats a godsend
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: Fazer Jake on 16 April 2012, 01:03:12 pm
For the sake of a few quid i'd rather buy the best however minor the differences are  ;)
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: chunk166 on 16 April 2012, 01:19:01 pm
Well i haven't done much to my 600 except put a Delkevic can on it,i just wanted to known if they do make any difference to the bike ?
but is it really that much of a pain to get to the plugs,does the tank have to be lifted to access them (waiting for my Haynes manual to turn up!),they look deep similar to my 900 Diversion but they are quite easy to get at!!
So there is a benefit of them,in the long term i could be saving myself about £40 if they last 18,000 miles!  :lol


Well, I'll save have some pennies & invest in some iridium plugs, While i'm on the subject,what is the difference between Red & Black plug caps please???


Cheers Ray
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: Dead Eye on 16 April 2012, 01:49:32 pm
They are very easy to get to if you have a decent depth socket. I found i just needed to buy a 25mm 1/2" extension bar for the standard plug socket and away i went, very easy :)
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: mcyoungy on 16 April 2012, 01:54:11 pm
Well i haven't done much to my 600 except put a Delkevic can on it,i just wanted to known if they do make any difference to the bike ?
but is it really that much of a pain to get to the plugs,does the tank have to be lifted to access them (waiting for my Haynes manual to turn up!),they look deep similar to my 900 Diversion but they are quite easy to get at!!
So there is a benefit of them,in the long term i could be saving myself about £40 if they last 18,000 miles!  :lol


Well, I'll save have some pennies & invest in some iridium plugs, While i'm on the subject,what is the difference between Red & Black plug caps please???


Cheers Ray


You know there's service manuals in the downloads section on this site?
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: bigralphie on 16 April 2012, 03:30:33 pm
The Ir plugs on my Zx12 had done 27,000 and were still fine when I sold it
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: Slaninar on 17 April 2012, 10:33:17 am
I thought Iridium plugs lasted about 4 times longer(?), therefore saving money in the longer term.

Besides, from what I can see on ebay the prices between sets of standard & Iridium plugs are fairly similar

I'd rather change cheaper spark plugs every 24000 kms, than use 3 times more expensive ones and change them every 80000 kms.
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: yambam46 on 18 May 2012, 02:23:57 pm
I phoned yam dealer today and asked about CR8E or CR9E and they recommend the standard plug for the bike CR8E.
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: simonm on 13 March 2013, 09:48:07 am
Hi,
I've heard a lot of talk about Iridium plugs and am wondering if they are worthwhile or not.  I read this and can see no consensus   Having looked at the NGK site I think there are benefits to be had and it would be worth getting them at the next plug change.  Would you agree ?

http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/products/spark_plugs/iridiumix.asp (http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/products/spark_plugs/iridiumix.asp)


According to the site: http://www.ngkpartfinder.co.uk/mc_extra.php?id=2903 (http://www.ngkpartfinder.co.uk/mc_extra.php?id=2903) the Iridium ones for the FZS 600 are part number CR8EIX .  Any idea on best prices for 4 delivered ?
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: darrsi on 13 March 2013, 09:51:00 am
Yep, i use them.
Ebay will probably be the cheapest place to buy them.
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: Will.I.Is on 13 March 2013, 10:22:25 am
The benefit of iridium is because the electrode is smaller you get a stronger more reliable spark than on a standard plug and they last longer.
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: CharlieDee on 13 March 2013, 10:27:43 am
Well as I have a right wrist with a severe case of turrets syndrome I had to replace my last IR's after 8k miles... and yes I have replaced them with IR's again as they give a nice even burn and they are more responsive to fuel/wrist action... IMO!  :D  oh and im using 9's and run on 97 RON fuel.
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: simonm on 13 March 2013, 10:30:28 am
Well as I have a right wrist with a severe case of turrets syndrome I had to replace my last IR's after 8k miles... and yes I have replaced them with IR's again as they give a nice even burn and they are more responsive to fuel/wrist action... IMO!  :D  oh and im using 9's and run on 97 RON fuel.


What is the difference between 8's and 9's ?


Cheers
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: Panthor on 13 March 2013, 11:10:33 am
I use iridium. Previous discussions on here were that people thought not much point in using then as there wasn't much difference but as I only paid a small amount more and they last longer I thought it was worthwhile
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: JZS 600 on 13 March 2013, 12:09:19 pm
me too, £5.60 each from Aceparts..
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: Ebme Geek on 13 March 2013, 12:10:34 pm
The number is the heat rating of the plug a 9 is a colder plug
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: xlewisbdx on 13 March 2013, 06:29:29 pm
Besides, from what I can see on ebay the prices between sets of standard & Iridium plugs are fairly similar


This. I paid £30 for mine delivered.
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: JoeRock on 13 March 2013, 08:10:11 pm
I thought Iridium plugs lasted about 4 times longer(?), therefore saving money in the longer term.

Besides, from what I can see on ebay the prices between sets of standard & Iridium plugs are fairly similar

I'd rather change cheaper spark plugs every 24000 kms, than use 3 times more expensive ones and change them every 80000 kms.

As they're nowhere near 3 times as expensive, that seems a tad silly  :lol
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: Slaninar on 13 March 2013, 08:31:21 pm

As they're nowhere near 3 times as expensive, that seems a tad silly  :lol

Used to be in Serbia and at the time that post was made.

I see at Louis.de it's around twice the price.  Even less. 9e for regular, 15 for iridium.  Since regular ones last around 20+ thousand kilometres, which is 2 to 3 seasons for me, I'd still rather use the regular ones.
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: unfazed on 15 March 2013, 09:23:11 pm
I have been using them for years. I noticed that the bikes runs and starts better with them in and they last longer. Replaced the originals at 12000 miles with CR8EIXs and just put in a second set a week ago at 74000 miles. Going to put them in the 400 and 1000 this weekend.
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: Anarch on 16 March 2013, 09:27:46 am
I remember one comparision an old mechanic told me - you can spend 10 minutes trying to scoop out every last drop of your soup from your bowl - but is it really worth it ?

I didn't buy them because they increase the bhp - they probably don't, or you won't notice it.
I bought them because they seem to be a bit more reliable and never had a problem with them. Plus I feel good about getting the best possible stuff for the bike.
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: Mark YPVS on 16 March 2013, 12:50:41 pm
I fitted these to mt Fazer 600 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110823536730?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110823536730?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649) .
My old Rd350N (2 stroke) dosent like them but the Fazers fine :lol
Mark
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: bozboz on 18 March 2013, 12:14:40 pm
The benefit of iridium is because the electrode is smaller you get a stronger more reliable spark than on a standard plug and they last longer.
Well a spark is a spark, Ive certainly never had an 'unreliable' spark caused by a plug after 200k in the last 4years using normal NGKs. In terms of them lasting longer, Ive never had a spark of normal type fail on me. Ever. Before I was despatching/saving my pennies I had IRs fitted to my cbr600 but that had everything done to it (full ex system, power commder, etc...) so I can't say they did much.
I remember one comparision an old mechanic told me - you can spend 10 minutes trying to scoop out every last drop of your soup from your bowl - but is it really worth it ?

I didn't buy them because they increase the bhp - they probably don't, or you won't notice it.
I bought them because they seem to be a bit more reliable and never had a problem with them. Plus I feel good about getting the best possible stuff for the bike.
Something to consider for those of us who are looking to get the most power/performance out of our road bikes: A smaller electrode means less material in the combustion chamber which means a very VERY mild drop in compression (in turn a less complete burn and hence less power-maybe). Seems silly but Ive heard of  many R6 club racers use the CR9EK plugs which have 2 electrodes(EK) and sit 1mm deeper into the chanber. No advantage to two electrodes (you can only get one spark at a time) but that bit of extra meat increases compression (oh so slightly) and therefore horsepower.
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: simonm on 18 March 2013, 12:40:33 pm
The number is the heat rating of the plug a 9 is a colder plug


Please can you tell me what difference the hotter and colder plugs make over the short term and long term and the benefits/disadvantages ?


cheers
Simon
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: Ebme Geek on 02 April 2013, 05:18:23 pm
The tip of the spark plug needs to be kept at a reasonable temperature - about 650C if I remember right.  Basically but not covering everything : .....
  If it runs too cool it will be prone to fouling building up on it, which may lead to the electrical energy travelling through the fouling or across it's surface as the path of least resistance to the metal shell of the spark plug rather than jumping the gap, hence no sparks.  :(
  If it runs too hot this will lead to excessive electrode wear and a fraction hotter it will lead to pre-ignition where the fuel-air mixture ignites under compression on this hot spot at the wrong time instead of when the spark happens later in the cycle, an extreme case of this can burn a hole in the top of the piston  :'(
 
The difference between plugs in a temperature range is the length of the thermal path from the tip to the threaded body shell, the longer the insulator path the hotter the tip will run under the same conditions.
 
All sorts of things effect this, on the heat creation side, fuel mixture, ignition timing, compression ratio, and engine load being main ones. On the other side the rate that heat is dispersed away from the plug through the cylinder head.
 
So ultimately you want a plug that stays in the self cleaning sweet spot without overheating through the load range for that engine,  :D  Yam will have spent some time assessing that, I hope
 
Oh, PS, look out some plug manufacturers run their numbers the other way ie higher = hotter
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: JZS 600 on 08 February 2015, 05:25:20 pm
Iridium plug after 32,000 miles
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: noggythenog on 08 February 2015, 06:45:06 pm
Middle one looks sweet & well worth the money but the other 2 look burnt out wastes of space :b
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: midden on 27 August 2016, 02:59:42 pm
Was searching for rough life span of iridium plugs I've done close to 40k miles on mine.

That aside has the one in the middle still got spark  ;)
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: Carter on 27 August 2016, 09:59:42 pm
While i'm on the subject,what is the difference between Red & Black plug caps please???


Cheers Ray
[/quote]

Red caps definitely make you go faster ;)
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: darrsi on 27 August 2016, 10:25:37 pm
While i'm on the subject,what is the difference between Red & Black plug caps please???


Cheers Ray

Red caps definitely make you go faster ;)
[/quote]

I've got red caps on a black bike, goes like a rocket   :lol
Title: Re: Iridium Plugs,not worth the money!
Post by: Grayo on 27 August 2016, 11:09:06 pm
While i'm on the subject,what is the difference between Red & Black plug caps please???


Cheers Ray

Red caps definitely make you go faster ;)


I've got red caps on a black bike, goes like a rocket   :lol

Imagine if you had BLUE caps on it. It would be uncontrollable. :) :rolleyes