Bosch Platinum +2 Plugs

[bmonee5]

Curious if anyone has had any bad dealings with these spark plugs? Just did a tune up and put these plugs in my 2000 Ford Ranger, it has ran awsome since, but i haven't really noticed a difference between these and the ones i pulled out. I was reading about the E3 plugs and seems people have problems with them, and some people seemed to think that sticking with manufacturer recommended plugs was the best. Just curious to hear what some people's thoughts were on what kind of plugs they use or if anyone has bad thoughts on Bosch Platinum +2 Plugs???

 

[LearjetMinako]

I used the E3 plug in my Craftsman riding lawn mower last year. Hardly a difference besides being more costly to replace. And I also use the Bosch Plats in the Ranger. Probably one of the best upgrades. They are lasting longer than the OEM plugs and the engine still runs smooth. Currently at 50k miles on the Bosch plugs and they are still in good shape. Could not say the same for the OEM Motorcraft plugs that were missing electrodes. As for the Bosch +2, don't think they would improve much more (especially on a 2.3L with 8 plugs (2 per cyl) ).

 

[TimV]

I put a set of bosch plugs in my ranger before. Ran alot better than the ones I pulled out. Of course, the old ones were so bad I pulled the center of one out when I pulled the wire off. Ran good for about 5000 miles, then things went downhill. Talked to the parts guy at the dealer and he explained that the ford plugs are self cleaning, and that cheap plugs will get full of carbon pretty quick. Sure enough, when I pulled the bosch plugs out they were covered in carbon. Put new motocraft plugs in and it has run great ever since. They are the only plugs that will be going in my ranger.

 

[88gt]

i use autolite double platinum in the ranger. they do good. i used bosch platinum +2 in my 88 and there was no difference in fuel economy, power, or anything. so i wouldnt waste the $$$ on that and get a normal plug. if you want a little more bang from a plug, get a plug indexing set. they align the electrode to face down in the cylinder so that when they spark it is blown right into the center of the fuel/air mixture.

 

[adsm08]

I think the biggest problem encountered with the multi prong plugs is either the wrong gap that can't be set, or a piece of debris will get caught in there and make it misfire.

 

[zukirider21]

e3's are the cheapest joke of a plug i've ever seen. complete snake oil. regardless of how many electrode gaps there are, there will always be ONE spark on the smallest gap. plain and simple. for regular non high performance applications, regular single electrode champion, autolite, or ngk plugs are the way to go. cheap, proven, and foolproof.

 

[bmonee5]

ya i havn't had any problems i may just go with a single prong platinum next time, if i even have the truck long enough to have to change the plugs....as i understand they should work for 50-75,000 miles. I suppose just a bosch platinum single prong is the way to go as long as they gap correctly i'll be in good shape...

 

[chazzone]

Motorcraft makes a hell of a sparkplug. I've never seen anything that performs better in a stock Ford application.

Unless you've done something to double the coil output, that double electrode means that you're getting half as much arc from each, so its more likely to return less complete combustion as a single hot spark.

 

[Hopman]

Go with the often imitated, Bosch single plats. They've last longer than some cars I've had!

 

[adsm08]

Motorcraft makes a hell of a sparkplug. I've never seen anything that performs better in a stock Ford application.

I agree here, just want to point out that the equivalent Autolite plug is basically the exact same thing since Motorcraft and autolite used to be the same company and they still work very closely. I used autolites for years with wonderful performance and then switched to Motorcraft when I started at the dealer because I could get them for about $2 less for the set with my discount.

Go with the often imitated, Bosch single plats. They've last longer than some cars I've had!

Bosch single plats are a great plug. If you don't have either a Duraspark or a D2 system. For some reason both versions of Ford's Duraspark system shred platinum plugs and they don't even last as long as coppers.

On a completely unrelated yet funny note, the forum spell checker's first suggestion for "Duraspark" is "Asparagus".

 

[heptofite]

i'm trying to figure out the difference between the platinum plugs and the iridium plugs, being as that iridium *IS* a platinum.

 

[LearjetMinako]

i'm trying to figure out the difference between the platinum plugs and the iridium plugs, being as that iridium *IS* a platinum.

Different core element. I wouldn't suggest using an IR plug unless you are aiming for a higher performance out of the engine. Meaning to use the engine for racing. I use a NGK IR type spark plug in my KLX motorcycle. But the difference between what I use in the Ranger vs KLX is based on how I drive each. The Ranger may hardly see above 3k rpms in any given day. While the KLX is constantly raced up to 7k rpms in every drive, plus the off-roading that it sees from time to time. Some other benfit of IR plugs is a higher melting point.

Any one every consider those laser spark plugs?

 

[Hopman]

I haven't changed the plus in my Ranger yet, but according to my mechanic's (the same guy who has serviced the truck for the two former owners) records, a set of Bosch Plat's went in at 75K miles. The truck's got 155K on it now, with no sign of performace (what little there is out of the 2.3 ) loss.

 

[bcost882]

my 3.0l would detonate horrible with the bosch +2s now i have some autolites and they work great

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The factory Motorcraft plugs in my F-150 looked fine at about 78k miles, but I changed them to new Motorcraft plugs anyway to keep the stress down on my coilpacks since I had them out.

After years of running standard and hotter than standard plugs in my Ranger, I went out on a limb and went with Platnum plugs... and they must burn oil like no other, and I love them.