NGK 5306 V-Power plugs are a copper core plug like the OE Champions. They are not $5 each. Actually, for me they are cheaper than the Champions which are $3 at the dealer and approx $2.50-$2.75 each aftermarket. I can get the NGK for $1.99 each( last check anyway - may have gone up ). Bottom line is they are going to be the same approx price give or take $0.25 a plug as the Champions plugs.

I have had nothing but bad experiences with Champion plugs. Selling them and using them in my own vehicles. Sure they will work after a fashion but in my experience they wear out much faster than other brands, they are made with inferior materials and construction so they give you less spark, and they are also the brand I have seen with the most bad plugs right out of the box. There is nothing about Champion plugs that has ever impressed me or made me want to use them. In an engine like the 5.7L HEMI with 16 plugs that are such a PITA to change I don't want to use a plug I have seen fail early and wear out so fast so often.

If 99 cent oil and a 99 cent oil filter would get you 3000 miles why run anything else by your logic wiith these plugs? I bet most people would say I would rather spend a little more and get a quality oil and filter even if that 99 cent stuff would do the job. To me it is the same with the Champion plugs. Even if the NGK plugs cost me a little more I would still use them over the Champions as I personally feel Champion plugs are the equivelant of 99 cent oil and filters. They may work but it is a minimum standard. I don't consider buying a better quality part that might cost a little more as a waste of money.

To each his own.

 

very well said!!

 

you'll have problems with plat's an some of the exotics(plats, iridiums,e3's..) ..I've used NGK coppers (4306's) for over 150k miles (spent the first 50k trying plats and iridiums). Those who choose to not mod and keep their trucks pretty much stock, stick with the champions. Those of us who like to go faster (with mods), use NGK's..

 

anybody try E3's

 

I haven't run them personally. There are a few guys on another Dodge forum I visit who tried them in 4.7L and 5.7L engines. Most seem happy overall with the results but there was one guy who tried them in his 5.7L and after 10K the electrodes on half the plugs had broken/burned off. The photos he posted up were scary.

What happened to him with the E3's certainly is not the norm and may have been due to something with the guy's truck and not the plugs( doubtful as OE Champions have no issues for him )but it gave me serious doubts about using them.

I would say for $5+ each I would probably start looking into a more proven premium plug like an iridium. Gimmick plugs have never really lived up to their hype. E3's seem to be doing better than some of the previous ones butI think I will pass personally.

 

I'm a little surprised at some of these responses. There are a few people on here that I generally respect as far as opinions go. I will have to be more careful in the future. Spark plugs are not just spark plugs. They have different intensities and burn times. It's like comparing a walmart tire to a racing tire, as with any part. I think the quality in plugs is quite broad. NGK's are clearly a high quality plug in the motorsports community. Definitely better than Champion or Autolite. They aren't just for ricer's or small engines. I have no doubt that a well-needed tune up can add 2.5mpg. Especially if it includes a fuel filter. Engines need a lot of components to all work in order to be efficient. When a few don't, efficiency decreases.

I'm not trying to anger anyone. Just re-iterating "Buyer Beware". Advice fits into that the same as a product would.

 

speaking of fuel filters its a shame that the fuel filter is non-serviceable in these trucks i dont like the way they have it in the fuel tank now!
i dont know if its the same for all model 3rd gen trucks "i believe it is" but i may be wrong, anyhow i know its in the tank on my truck and i find this quite annoying!

 

It's apparent you don't know where the fuel filter is. If you've ever watched a plug fire, you'd know the "burn time" depends on how long the 50 kilovolts stays on. That's controlled by the computer. In the past, it was point dwell and other distributor settings (and probably less than 30 kilovolts).

Since a tune up these days consists of very little, the air filter would have to be blocked, pcv valve plugged and replacing old plugs which had no electrodes to produce a 2.5 mpg improvement.

 

Fuel filters have been in gas tanks for quite a while now. So have fuel pumps. Granted, replacement is more involved, but if you don't make it a habit to run it down to fumes on every tank, the pump and filter can probably go 150K-200K.

 

Is your best defense really 50 KiloVolts and the fuel filter location? The input to the plug is quite a bit more than 50 KV and I don't really care where the filter is. It can still be replaced. Unless you have a Masters degree in Engineering, I'm not going to argue with you. Do us all a favor and only give advice if you know what you're talking about.