FP-DE/FS-DE alternate OEM spark plug recommendation

[SNike05]

I would like to update my experience with these plugs as well. My car began to give a consistant ping at 40KM/h and 60KM/h during slightly hard acceleration and deceleration. Furthermore the expensive 91 octane is not worth the slight performance increase. Here is Canada gas is way more expensive then any state in USA.

I have now put the original type back in and after a few 100 KM the pinging is now gone. Therefore I can pretty much say that it was due to the plugs as it was never heard before installing the longer reach ones.

 

[Dimitrios]

I would like to update my experience with these plugs as well. My car began to give a consistant ping at 40KM/h and 60KM/h during slightly hard acceleration and deceleration. Furthermore the expensive 91 octane is not worth the slight performance increase. Here is Canada gas is way more expensive then any state in USA.

I have now put the original type back in and after a few 100 KM the pinging is now gone. Therefore I can pretty much say that it was due to the plugs as it was never heard before installing the longer reach ones.

Interesting; I've been running them hard for the past week (in attempts to hear pinging) on 87 octane and haven't noticed anything.

 

[Kansei]

Snike05 - so even with 91 octane it was pinging? I run 91 or 93 depending on what the station I stop at has, and haven't had any pinging. my car has extensive modifications aside from the plugs though so it could be totally different.

I can't run 87 octane for testing for other reasons (namely my ECU)

 

[Moonman8]

Even though there is some performance improvement due to the advanced timing caused by the longer reach, I installed these to improve engine efficiency and smoothness at high RPM. I can't really tell a difference in performance (meaning faster acceleration, butt dyno, etc.) but the engine definitely does not mind running up to 6000 rpm's now while before it sounded and felt like it was a 90 year old man with emphysema.

 

[TheMAN]

I would like to update my experience with these plugs as well. My car began to give a consistant ping at 40KM/h and 60KM/h during slightly hard acceleration and deceleration. Furthermore the expensive 91 octane is not worth the slight performance increase. Here is Canada gas is way more expensive then any state in USA.

I have now put the original type back in and after a few 100 KM the pinging is now gone. Therefore I can pretty much say that it was due to the plugs as it was never heard before installing the longer reach ones.

if it pings then try running colder plugs because the only things that can cause pinging is 1) too low octane 2) too lean 3) plugs are too hot

 

[SNike05]

if it pings then try running colder plugs because the only things that can cause pinging is 1) too low octane 2) too lean 3) plugs are too hot

probably the plugs were getting too hot cause I was running 91 all the time. I'm fine with the originals. When Its time to change maybe I'll go with a step colder then. The thing is I really can't justify paying any more for gas then it already is so 87 octane works fine for me. Its not that 91 its just a few more cents its 10-12 cents more then 87 and as I said before gas is already very expensive here over $4.15 USD/gallon for 87 to give everyone an idea.

 

[Kansei]

probably the plugs were getting too hot cause I was running 91 all the time. I'm fine with the originals. When Its time to change maybe I'll go with a step colder then. The thing is I really can't justify paying any more for gas then it already is so 87 octane works fine for me. Its not that 91 its just a few more cents its 10-12 cents more then 87 and as I said before gas is already very expensive here over $4.15 USD/gallon for 87 to give everyone an idea.

I feel your gas price pain.. I took a nice trip from Rochester, NY to Toronto, to Montreal, and then back down into New York.. wow gas is crazy pricey there. Add to that the terrible exchange rate for Americans right now and I wanted to cry. I exchanged 200 and got like 202.11 canadian, and then exchanged 100 canadian and got 76 U.S.... yeah.

 

[clicknext]

I just installed these today and it definitely makes a difference. Easier staring from a stop, smoother shifting, and more willing to rev. I normally granny it and shift at 3k, but when I went for a drive with these, I found myself going to 4k without realizing it at first. It's just smoother. Idle seems smoother/higher too but I'm not really sure. I'll have to see when winter rolls around.

Out of curiosity, what does pinging sound like? How loud is it? Is it very loud and can be heard easily, or not too obvious and you have to listen for it? There's a faint metallic rattling noise when I get to around 3.5-4k, and it's not the VTCS or VICS or whatever it's called. But I had that before installing these plugs.

 

[Dimitrios]

IOut of curiosity, what does pinging sound like? How loud is it? Is it very loud and can be heard easily, or not too obvious and you have to listen for it? There's a faint metallic rattling noise when I get to around 3.5-4k, and it's not the VTCS or VICS or whatever it's called. But I had that before installing these plugs.

It'll be more evident than VTCS as it'll occur at most, if not all, engine speeds. It sounds like marbles in a can - you'll "feel" it too in driving behaviour of the engine.

 

[clicknext]

Holy... car feels so much better after some driving around. This might just be the best $10 you can spend on this car. Now as long as it doesn't cause any problems in the long run...

 

[Kansei]

I'm at just over 70k miles right now, and I installed these at I dunno.. 63k, 65k?

All is well (minus my torn rear motor mount).

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

I'm on the 3rd tank of 87 in the heat in TX. I went with the colder zr6 & have no pinging just smooth coolness. Gas mileage a little better it seems. Have to run a few more tanks to tell for sure. I'm using same shell station every time & it does have the up to 10% ethanol blend crap (like all do within 2 counties of here). So far so good. The recently ported, deVTCS'd intake isn't hurting either. Smooth & quiet.

 

[SNike05]

Out of curiosity, what does pinging sound like? How loud is it? Is it very loud and can be heard easily, or not too obvious and you have to listen for it? There's a faint metallic rattling noise when I get to around 3.5-4k, and it's not the VTCS or VICS or whatever it's called. But I had that before installing these plugs.

The ping that I was getting was quite loud and could easily be heard with the windows open. It was literally a single "PING" sound. You know when you turn off the car after driving for a while you hear the oil dripping. Well imagine that sound but a bit more high pitch and louder. For me it was consistantly happening between 40-60KM/h I could make it come whenever I wanted under slightly hard acceleration and deceleration. It was definitely the plugs. Like TheMan said colder plugs should fix that.

 

[clicknext]

The ping that I was getting was quite loud and could easily be heard with the windows open. It was literally a single "PING" sound. You know when you turn off the car after driving for a while you hear the oil dripping. Well imagine that sound but a bit more high pitch and louder. For me it was consistantly happening between 40-60KM/h I could make it come whenever I wanted under slightly hard acceleration and deceleration. It was definitely the plugs. Like TheMan said colder plugs should fix that.

Okay, I think I should probably be fine, as I'm stock and granny the car.

 

[iluvmacs]

Has anybody tried these plugs with the 99-00 1.8L FP engine? Also with the extended plugs, will the engine still be non-interference? My timing belt is very old...

You'll know really quick if your plug are in the way. The first thing to get hit by the piston is the electrode. No electrode, no spark, no combustion, engine dies.

Interference usually refers to the valves. If you have an interference engine and you lose your timing belt, your valves will come to a halt and (unless both cams stop so that all valves are either half in or half out) hit the piston. That only means that if you break a timing belt you have to do valve and head work in addition to timing belt work.

 

[AKYellow]

subbin for good info

 

[clicknext]

Had them in for like 2 months now. Most recent gas mileage: 27.1 mpg, 100% city on 87 octane. Havn't experienced any pinging. So nothing out of the ordinary. I've gotten used to the spark plugs so I'm not sure whether it still feels like a big difference.

 

[Irishman]

I just installed them yesterday... man what a difference.!!
The car seems to run much smoother ( nice tone a the exhaust ), better cold start, and the acceleration is way better!!

my only stress is when i was tightning those plugs, it felt a little lose... is their a difference in the width of the new ones vs. the old crappy ones or is it just my head again???

other than that, the best cheap mod made!!!
thx again !!

 

[clicknext]

my only stress is when i was tightning those plugs, it felt a little lose... is their a difference in the width of the new ones vs. the old crappy ones or is it just my head again???

The dimensions of the thread should be exactly the same. It's probably just your imagination, but make sure the hole the plugs go into (I don't even know what it's called) don't have any dirt and crap in them and on the thread and don't get that stuff into the engine either. If they did, it would make the fit tighter, not looser anyway, though. Just torque them right and it should be good.

 

[Kansei]

I'm installing these plugs again today.

I had the BKR5F-11 (or whatever the stock plugs are). About 1000 miles later I replaced with the ZFR5F-11 (long reach), then with BKR6F-11 (a step colder than stock plugs), and now after 500 miles on those I'm going back to long reaches, this time the 6 heat range. The only reason I went back to the non-long reach was that I needed plugs in sort of an emergency. wires went bad, water got everywhere, plugs were dripping wet, all fouled and crap, etc.

non-OEM spark plug wires FTL.