03 ES Plugs
10-08-15, 08:46 PM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
03 ES Plugs
Tomorrow my ES with 280k is getting all new oem struts and timing belt/water pump slew. I was thinking it's probably a good idea to get the plugs checked out. They were last changed at 100k, but I'm still getting steady 30MPG highway and she feels smooth. Anyone hear of iridium plugs getting much higher than my current 180k I have on this set of plugs, or did I break a record lol? I figure if I'm going this far with the maintenance may as well not cut any corners.
10-08-15, 09:30 PM
#2
I would do it for longevity issues alone , those rear plugs are a pain. Better mpg is just icing on the cake as they will pay for themselves in short order.
Blatantly stolen from ecomodder:
Spark plugs are all about conducting electricity between a gap to ignite the air/fuel mixture. The better spark you get, the more*complete*burn you get, and the more power you get out of the fuel you're using (and less emissions, too). To get a better spark, you need to use a good conductor. Copper is one of the best conductors available for spark plugs, and is dirt cheap, though it has pretty short life span. Nickel and platinum aren't that great, and are only used by manufacturers because of their extended life span.*
Iridium is the best of both worlds. Even though iridium itself isn't the best conductor, it's extremely hard. It'll last the longest of any spark plug tip material (some are rated up to 100K). Being so hard, the tip can be made to a fraction of the size of a normal one. This creates a very concetrated spark in comparison, which easily negates the lower conductivity of the metal. Iridiums are know to ignite lean mixtures that other plugs can't, which would definitely help fuel efficiency.*
I had an 86 Celica GT-S, and it ran horribly on NGK coppers. Tossed in some Denso Iridiums, and it ran like a champ. Not sure what was wrong with the car, but it really liked iridiums. I'm running NGK Iridiums on my current MR2 Turbo, and it likes them just as well.*
Blatantly stolen from ecomodder:
Spark plugs are all about conducting electricity between a gap to ignite the air/fuel mixture. The better spark you get, the more*complete*burn you get, and the more power you get out of the fuel you're using (and less emissions, too). To get a better spark, you need to use a good conductor. Copper is one of the best conductors available for spark plugs, and is dirt cheap, though it has pretty short life span. Nickel and platinum aren't that great, and are only used by manufacturers because of their extended life span.*
Iridium is the best of both worlds. Even though iridium itself isn't the best conductor, it's extremely hard. It'll last the longest of any spark plug tip material (some are rated up to 100K). Being so hard, the tip can be made to a fraction of the size of a normal one. This creates a very concetrated spark in comparison, which easily negates the lower conductivity of the metal. Iridiums are know to ignite lean mixtures that other plugs can't, which would definitely help fuel efficiency.*
I had an 86 Celica GT-S, and it ran horribly on NGK coppers. Tossed in some Denso Iridiums, and it ran like a champ. Not sure what was wrong with the car, but it really liked iridiums. I'm running NGK Iridiums on my current MR2 Turbo, and it likes them just as well.*
Last edited by JetsonES; 10-08-15 at 09:44 PM.
10-08-15, 09:52 PM
#3
Lexus Champion
Use the plugs recommended by Lexus, the ignition system and plugs are designed to work together putting something else in will at best run just as good as factory and most likely worse. Conductivity has little to do with how well a spark plug works due to the extremely high voltage involved.
10-09-15, 12:33 PM
#4
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
I would do it for longevity issues alone , those rear plugs are a pain. Better mpg is just icing on the cake as they will pay for themselves in short order.
Blatantly stolen from ecomodder:
Spark plugs are all about conducting electricity between a gap to ignite the air/fuel mixture. The better spark you get, the more*complete*burn you get, and the more power you get out of the fuel you're using (and less emissions, too). To get a better spark, you need to use a good conductor. Copper is one of the best conductors available for spark plugs, and is dirt cheap, though it has pretty short life span. Nickel and platinum aren't that great, and are only used by manufacturers because of their extended life span.*
Iridium is the best of both worlds. Even though iridium itself isn't the best conductor, it's extremely hard. It'll last the longest of any spark plug tip material (some are rated up to 100K). Being so hard, the tip can be made to a fraction of the size of a normal one. This creates a very concetrated spark in comparison, which easily negates the lower conductivity of the metal. Iridiums are know to ignite lean mixtures that other plugs can't, which would definitely help fuel efficiency.*
I had an 86 Celica GT-S, and it ran horribly on NGK coppers. Tossed in some Denso Iridiums, and it ran like a champ. Not sure what was wrong with the car, but it really liked iridiums. I'm running NGK Iridiums on my current MR2 Turbo, and it likes them just as well.*
Blatantly stolen from ecomodder:
Spark plugs are all about conducting electricity between a gap to ignite the air/fuel mixture. The better spark you get, the more*complete*burn you get, and the more power you get out of the fuel you're using (and less emissions, too). To get a better spark, you need to use a good conductor. Copper is one of the best conductors available for spark plugs, and is dirt cheap, though it has pretty short life span. Nickel and platinum aren't that great, and are only used by manufacturers because of their extended life span.*
Iridium is the best of both worlds. Even though iridium itself isn't the best conductor, it's extremely hard. It'll last the longest of any spark plug tip material (some are rated up to 100K). Being so hard, the tip can be made to a fraction of the size of a normal one. This creates a very concetrated spark in comparison, which easily negates the lower conductivity of the metal. Iridiums are know to ignite lean mixtures that other plugs can't, which would definitely help fuel efficiency.*
I had an 86 Celica GT-S, and it ran horribly on NGK coppers. Tossed in some Denso Iridiums, and it ran like a champ. Not sure what was wrong with the car, but it really liked iridiums. I'm running NGK Iridiums on my current MR2 Turbo, and it likes them just as well.*
10-09-15, 12:36 PM
#6
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Use the plugs recommended by Lexus, the ignition system and plugs are designed to work together putting something else in will at best run just as good as factory and most likely worse. Conductivity has little to do with how well a spark plug works due to the extremely high voltage involved.
10-09-15, 06:15 PM
#7
Lexus Champion
Wow congrats, 280K miles on a 4ES.
How has other components being holding up, such as the transmission and suspension? Any other issues?
The plugs aren't too difficult once the upper intake plenum is taken off. Not sure why you'd need to take off the manifold though.
How has other components being holding up, such as the transmission and suspension? Any other issues?
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10-10-15, 12:51 AM
#9
Do you have to remove the fuel rail to remove the plenum?
Removing/reinstalling the hanger bolts is much easier if you loosen the bottom hanger bolts first. This allows the hanger to move a little to line-up bolts.
Removing/reinstalling the hanger bolts is much easier if you loosen the bottom hanger bolts first. This allows the hanger to move a little to line-up bolts.
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