Well, I have had a pulley and CAI for a few thousand miles and I am ready to put an upgraded ignition sytem on it (plugs, pack, wires) Any real difference between the NGK iridium plugs and the Denso iridiums? Thanks!

 

Yes Price, and availability. The NGK are cheaper and most auto parts stores can get them in a day. Denso more expensive and harder to find.

 

denso-22"s are the way to go will 19%.

do a google easy to find@ $9.00 ea.
doug

 

Whats the NGK number? B/c if its a 7 range which is from the JCW kit i couldnt find those at any auto parts stores around here nor did they have a listing on the number i gave them.

 

You won't find the BMW/MINI/JCW four prong plug at the auto parts store. You will find the NGK Iridium IX, BKR7EIX, set the gap to .035.

 

Shiiet....wish i knew that b4 i bought the ones from my work for the JCW kit which cost me $21 ea ( my cost ) Even the BAD help from the company that makes the Screamin Demon coil ( performance distibutors ) and Moss Mini who sold it to me.....they even led me to the JCW plugs when i asked for a way to get a colder plug b/c they say you should have a gap of .065....i dont know where these guys got that gap size but thats TWICE to gap of the oem plug.

 

Yes it is twice the gap, and that is what it is supposed to be with the more powerful coil. You will destroy your plugs if they are gapped at .035. You should gap your plugs at .035 for the OEM coil.

PS I have the Denso IK22s and have had no problems wiht them!

 

Well when i finally got the right answer ( from the vendor, not even the company who makes these things could answer my Q ) they told me they meant a double platnium plug is able to be gapped at .065.....you can not gap the oem plug at all. I just ran the jcw plug which is one range colder and runs just fine.

 

I've been using the Denso's for a couple years now and love them.

 

Sorry but i've got a stupid question. For the denso ik22 plugs do they make different sizes or if it's the ik22 it'll fit the Mini. The reason I ask is because on ebay it states for specific cars. ???

 

I decided to go with the Denso's and they seem to do fine. I left them at the factory gap settings. Also, Boludo, the IK22's fit many other cars also like the S2000 and a few Audi/VW's.

 

thanks.

 

All,

Am assuming that we are all clear that we are discussing the merits of the Iridium NGK vs Iridium Denso plugs. We must be clear about this initial point because both companies make a variety of different plugs with different electrode materials and everyone cannot tell from the spark plug numbers which is which. (Nickel iron, Iridium, Platinium) Iridium spark plug electrodes are the wave of the future. These electrodes are an advance in spark plug technology similar to the advance that fully synthetic oil is over conventional petroleum based oils. There is no going back. Each brand is great from that materials perspective.

A major advantage in today's ecology sensitive world of the Denso Iridium spark plug is the very tiny center electrode diameter compared to the much larger NGK center electrode diameter. The bottom line is that the smaller electrode concentrates "charges" (the lightening rod effect) and results in improved spark discharge under marginal ignition/combustion conditions. Some enthusiasts will claim "less ignition kernal quench" from the smaller electrode, with the implication that you'll make more power. This particular concentration of charges phenomenon in the combustion chamber is only important under low speed, lean mixture, and emissions sensitive combustion environments. Don't expect any high rpm, track day, performance improvement.

The spark plug gap for the MINI and for any other engine is determined by the ignition systems capabilities as designed by the manufacturer of the car, not the manufacturer of the spark plugs. The ignition system includes the plug wires, coil pack, and coil driver electronics in the ECU. The "stock" gap for the MINI is the 0.065", as measured from the Bosch plugs that come in the engine. The gap of any spark plug, as delivered from the manufacturer, is just that. That gap isn't "stock" anything as far as an engine is concerned. Anyone who wants to run the "stock" gap should regap the new plugs to 0.065", the gap specified by BMW.

That said, many posters, myself included, are advocating the 0.035" spark plug gap in MINI's that are tracked, and those using after market pulleys; regardless of the coil pack, regardless of wire changes, regardless of coil driver modifications. The simple reason being that the pulleyed engine in a sustained high output engine environment, like the track or dyno, challanges the spark capabilites of the ignition system. We see this combustion chamber stress with engine missing and measurable reduction in engine HP on the dyno. It is now standard practice to run approximately 0.035" spark plug gap for tuned MINI's. This generally accepted gap of 0.035" conviently corresponds to the "as manufactured" gap of the new Iridium spark plugs. The resultant reduction in engine missing and in power output is not "gained" power but less "lost" power. A lot of people do run much larger spark plug gaps, say the stock 0.065" up to 0.085", and do just fine for street use. In fact, people attribute improved engine smoothness and mileage from these larger plug gaps. But, these large plug gaps don't stand up on the track or dyno.

Hope this helps. Either manufacturer's plugs are top of the line. The NGK's are generally more available and cheaper than the Denso's. That fact alone might encourage people to check and change their plugs more frequently and in that way they may get more consistent high performance out of their engines.

Regards,
John Petrich in Seattle

 

Bravo John....That is one of the best write ups i ever read on a forum about a spark plug.

The only thing wrong with what you said about the stock gap being .065 is dont think it is b/c i took mine out n checked the gap after Performance Distributors sez to gap the plug to that . they meant a single or double electrode plug should be re-gapped to the spec.....They did make that mistake by putting that into there instructions for the Screamin demon coil after i told them you cant gap a 4 electrode plug that far or even able to gap it all properly.

 

1FSTMINI,

I am glad that the information that I posted was helpful to you.

Am confused by your comments. If I am reading you incorrectly, pse repost. I'll apologize in advance if I am wrong. What I think you are pointing out is that the stock multiple ground electrode spark plug gap is hard to measure and is not user adjustable. If that is what you meant, definitely, yes, big time. The OEM spark plug construction is a combination surface gap/air gap configuration. Part of the spark is on the surface of the white insulator that surrounds the center electrode and part of the spark is in the space between the insulator and the ground electrode. The way to measure the gap is to use a special round wire spark plug gap measuring tool or use a drill and 'estimate' the total gap from the edge of one of the ground electrodes to the outside edge of the small center electrode. The actual spark gap is the combination of the air gap and the width of the rim of the center electrode insulator. This gap is not meant to be adjusted except by grinding/cutting away metal from each and every ground electrode on the surface that is nearest the center electrode.

The benefits of the OEM method of spark plug construction I can imagine. I think that the OEM center electrode is platinum. Platinum doesn't wear as well as Iridium but wears better than nickel-iron. In an effort to develop a platinum technology spark plug that is capable of high mileage operation and still deliver good emissions, mileage and power, the OEM encased the center electrode in an insulator material and reduced gap erosion (gap widening leading to misfire) by the LARGE surface area of four (count 'em 4) ground electrodes.

Regards,
John Petrich in Seattle

 

My bad.....in a easer way of saying what i did

The stock gap is not .065 and i found that out by trying to gap it to that after installing the coil which says they want you to go out on the gap that far which you cant on OEM plugs.