What's the deal with Iridium plugs that makes them so great?

Trouble reaching your plugs on the air cleaner side of the engine? Simply remove the air box and it's a piece of cake. I used to wrestle with trying to get a wrench to the plugs (and about 5 beers). But no more. Can change a set of plugs in about 30 minutes. Still drink the 5 beers though :-)

 

I have to jump in here before you guys waste any more money. Unless you are dealing with a heavily modified motor, there is really no need for expensive plugs. I swear by champion copper core. Buck something at auto zone. My last set made it 60K plus miles in my 4.7L. When I changed them 2 weeks ago, only one electrode looked eroded.I've bought the platinum, split, and a few other "Fad" plugs, they don't help. The fact is, there is so much spark energy going to the plug, it's gonna jump.Thanks for hearing me out.

 

Like I mentioned earlier, I bought these expensive plugs mainly for longevity. They say these plugs are rated for 100k. I have 25k on them already and still look brand new! On a well maintained engine, I would have to say that even regular plugs may go beyond its lifespan. Given that opinion, I can say these IR plugs may go even longer than its rated 100k. I don't drive my D much, I avg about 5k miles per year driving this guy at this time due to gas prices being high. My D is just a weekend vehicle if that much only to haul the whole family vs just me. I can say these plugs may outlast the life of my vehicle. I am one of those lazy types where if I can stretch out my maintenance schedule without causing any problems to my engine, I would pay the extra buck for its convienence!

Same upgrade goes to my OEM K&N filter, there were debates about paper vs cloth filters, etc... I bought the OEM K&N on the first year I owned my R/T. So I got my investment back on the filter and then some. I don't have to go buy anymore filters for a very long time. Even stock paper filters can run $15 or more each time. Using my K&N, I clean the filter about every 15k-20k vs 8k-10k paper filter replacement. It's all about not having to get your hands dirty as often and being able to sit back in your lazyboy recliner watching the ball game drinking some buds on the weekends!

I can say however that these IR plugs, the engine idles alot better.