Well in a stock ignition system I have found that platinums are just fine if you follow manufacturers specs. Not the plug manufacurer but the Car. I owned several other cars before my neon and when you open the gap up too far they go white ashy and run like crap. I could not figure this out until I looked at the car specs and found theat every one of the books from aftermarket spark plug manufactuers sugested 0.044" gap but the owners manual said 0.039"-0.043" which is not what BOSCH, NGK, DENSO, CHAMPION, SPLIFIRE, AC DELCO, AUTOLITE, Etc. said. But when I gapped the same plugs down to 0.039" and fires up the cars they ran great, and plugs burned tan like they should. Hmmm.

As for the +4 same problem as an overgapped plug. Not surprising considering the source said I should gap at .044 not .039 and thus there pregapped assembly was too wide.

If you are getting white plugs and they are the correct plug, try gapping to the small end of the manufacturers range and see if any improvements are had.

As far as the plug wires being 1500-3500Ω, this absolutely normal as the wire should be about 5-6000Ω per foot. Which is actually funny because champion plugs lately average around 12-120,000Ω per plug not the 5-6000Ω's like they should be. So to go out of your way to eliminate a couple of thousand ohms just to put back way more in a sub-standard plug is rediculous. Most sets of NGK or DENSO plugs are in the realm of 5-6000 Ωs.

The true reason for platinum plugs is that you need a lower arc over voltage to fire the plug and they also wear A LOT slower allowing for longer change intervals. If set up properly platinums in a stock ignition will probably give less HP (1-3HP) and also fewer misfires. If gapped to say BOSCH's recommendations if out of the stock realm will not yield acceptable results.

Happy motoring!

 

id like to state that even correctly gapped, the platinum plugs will still have problems with the neon. it has to do with the design of the ignition system on the neon rather than the plug and wire itself.

 

Well waste spark vs. old fashion systems. Not a lot different. Heck it is almost the default ignition in use today if you do not have Coil Over Plug (Coild for each sparkplug).

Yes the waste spark ignitions will fire in different directions from power to exhaust strokes however so does a FORD Explorer which does by the way use DOUBLE PLATINUM spark plugs from the factory. Bunk I tell you. Hogwash even.

The platinum tips should not wear significantly as that is very reason for its use. After 112,00 miles most of the welded on pltinum tips for my fathers explorer werer still there. YUP. So if that little tip welded on is still there not much wear. That is how the newer cars are going to 100,000 miles on a plug change. Some of the newer Lexus utillizing waste spark are actually using a COMBO IRIDIUM/PLATINUM plug. Iridium center electrode(Harder than platinum) but thicker than the standard after market (.7mm vs. .4mm). Then the outer ground electrode is pltinum tipped. This is for longevity performance.

So in review, Platinum is just fine, if you have a properly designed pice for your specific application. The +2 and +4s are omproise products and if you have trouble punt and get the right part. Should be not problem. A spark plug failure is not necessarily caused by the mateial used per say (Platinum vs. Copper) but possible a manufacturing/installation problem.

So in short yes I do belive that NGK makes some of the best plugs out their and would bet that if you got any of these

BKR6ES -- Standard Plug
BKR6E -- V-Power Plug (v notch in center electrode sort of like reverse splitfire)
BKR6EGP -- V-Power Platinum Plug
PFR6G * -- Laser Platinum Plug / Premium (Laser welded platinum tip on ground electrode as well as center electode of platinum)
BKR6EIX -- Iridium IX Plug

You'd do just fine.

 

the neon WILL have problems when using platinum plugs. try a search on neons.org to see just how many have had platinum plugs erode.

"Bosh admits that the plugs are not compatable.
The problem that Bosch has acknowledged when using their Platinum plugs in engines with waste spark ignition systems stems from the tendency of electrode metal to get transferred depending upon the polarity (direction of current flow) of the spark. In waste spark ignition systems, 1/2 of the plugs always see reverse polarity sparks. Given the very narrow platinum center electrode of the Bosch Platinums, performance will be degraded more significantly when reverse polarity sparks will cause material to be transferred from the large ground/outer electrode onto the narrow platinum center electrode's exposed end surface"

 

If bosch is acknowleging a problem fine but I'd bet that if you tried the double platinum from NGK you'd have no issues!

 

Was just looking around a little more in depth and found the yes there is an issue with regular platinum plugs and DIS/Waste Spark igintion systems. The resolution found however was indeed to goto DOUBLE platinum plugs. This is in direct response to the DIS/Waste Spark ignition systems in use today.

So either regular or DOUBLE PLatinum.

 

Platinum is not a NO NO but here are the box covers for Autolite Double Platinum Plugs
As stated the are an OE/DIS designed to meet the needs of WASTE SPARK IGNITION SYSTEMS.

[IMG]local://upfiles/9539/D5AB1C0488B3494B8D9AA474EDC8C8A8.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/9539/6640E358B423407282A728A93269C893.jpg[/IMG]

 

I have run the bosh platnum +4's in my car for almost 10,000 miles now and never had a problem, the car runs great.

 

runs great, but would run better on NGK V-powers or Champions

 

My Double Platinum Autolites run noticeably smoother than my Champion plugs and mileage is now consistantly over 34 MPG not 30-32 like before. Went 306.8 miles on 9.01 Gallons. Yahoo!

Hey Casper, I did find confirmation of single platinum probrems admitted from Bosch and Autolite. One article was even on Nascar's site. Would recommend alternate plug when you decide to change them again. If you always used platinum and want to maintain this then you should simply move to double platinum and all is well.