Technical panda 100hp, iridium plugs - whos tried them

[GunMetalPo]

Hi guys. I had a missfire issue with the 100hp recently and it turned out to be a bad/old plug.

I was always going to upgrade to a iridium plug despite some of the posts on this forum saying they made no difference.

i have run them for 300 miles now and personally they had made a world of difference. I am not saying the car is making more power or anything but the instant throttle response is much improved, mpg has gone up a little but the biggest difference is the way the engine revs from 4-6k. I just revs so smoothly and the needles swings round with much more verve.

too be honest since the upgrade I can't stop thrashing the car around everywhere I go. whereas I use to only cruise around rarely stretching her legs.

maybe my bad plug (not enough to through a code or make the car run badly) was robbing the car of it original performance and the new plugs just restored it.

but if you are going to keep your car a good while and wants to use only the best for maintenance then I really do rate going for set of iridium plugs..

turns out to be the best thing I have changed on the car so far.

how many people on here and tried them?? What did you find. worthwhile or not.

 

[Avaxbox]

Did you just put the turbo ones in? Ngk?

 

[Avaxbox]

I was looking at the Denso iridium tough.

 

[AB100]

Hi guys. I had a missfire issue with the 100hp recently and it turned out to be a bad/old plug.

I was always going to upgrade to a iridium plug despite some of the posts on this forum saying they made no difference.

i have run them for 300 miles now and personally they had made a world of difference. I am not saying the car is making more power or anything but the instant throttle response is much improved, mpg has gone up a little but the biggest difference is the way the engine revs from 4-6k. I just revs so smoothly and the needles swings round with much more verve.

too be honest since the upgrade I can't stop thrashing the car around everywhere I go. whereas I use to only cruise around rarely stretching her legs.

maybe my bad plug (not enough to through a code or make the car run badly) was robbing the car of it original performance and the new plugs just restored it.

but if you are going to keep your car a good while and wants to use only the best for maintenance then I really do rate going for set of iridium plugs..

turns out to be the best thing I have changed on the car so far.

how many people on here and tried them?? What did you find. worthwhile or not.

Put them in at 12000 miles. No discernible difference.

 

[datadiffusion]

Its almost certainly a psychological perception from my experience, at least compared to std. Spec plugs.

A few years ago there was a test done, under thie guise of something else, people were asked to drive a 1.3 astra base, then the exact same model with race livery, but no actual improvement mechanically, not even alloys and low profile tyres etc...

98% stated as an aside that the 'sporty' model was Much faster, handled better etc...

 

[GunMetalPo]

Its almost certainly a psychological perception from my experience, at least compared to std. Spec plugs.

A few years ago there was a test done, under thie guise of something else, people were asked to drive a 1.3 astra base, then the exact same model with race livery, but no actual improvement mechanically, not even alloys and low profile tyres etc...

98% stated as an aside that the 'sporty' model was Much faster, handled better etc...

maybe some people notice subtle changes more then others.

I remember when I first had my Integra type R mapped (no I'm not comparing the 100hp to one of the best cars ever made ) there was night and day difference running iridiums a d cheap cheap Cooper core plugs.

 

[fpan]

The OEM plugs are NGK (AFAIK, at least the ones that came off my car were and I don't think they had ever been changed), are these iridium or not?

Yes, it's an engine that loves to be revved indeed!

 

[GunMetalPo]

This is what I mean.

I use to always feel the engine was a bit flat and not like all the magazine reviews of bit a rev hungry unit.

I always put it down to me going from faster cars to panda. previous cars we integra type R that was fully modified with intake, manifold de cat, exhaust and a stand alone Ecu ( this thing thrived on revs, a 2.0 turbo scirocco tsi gt.

Both massively faster then the panda but the panda is fun. I guess it's one of those rare cars that you don't have to go fast to have fun in.

but since the plug change I stretch her legs whenever I can. it feels completely different now. and even in non sport mode the way it goes from 4-6k is quite addictive now.

only thing I can put it on is that previous plugs robbed some of the of original response and its now how it should be.

 

[jrkitching]

The OEM plugs are NGK (AFAIK, at least the ones that came off my car were and I don't think they had ever been changed), are these iridium or not?

Not.

I run both my 1.2's on NGK iridiums (DCPR7EIX); the 500 has done about 21,000 miles & the Panda about 42,000 miles since the change. The Denso's aren't as long lived; the Denso Tough plugs would probably go the distance but are expensive. The NGK's are around £27 a set & for me are the best compromise.

I notice better starting performance & the well-reported smoky starts are a thing of the past. The main reason for making the change was lifespan - I plan on keeping the car and these plugs should be good for at least 60k. All looking good so far .

The NGK copper core factory fit plugs were absolutely knackered on both cars after 12k.

Iridiums run with a slightly smaller gap (0.8 vs 1.0); in consequence they put less stress on the coil packs, which hopefully will also last longer as a result.

 

[fpan]

Not.

I run both my 1.2's on NGK iridiums (DCPR7EIX); the 500 has done about 21,000 miles & the Panda about 42,000 miles since the change. The Denso's aren't as long lived; the Denso Tough plugs would probably go the distance but are expensive. The NGK's are around £27 a set & for me are the best compromise.

I notice better starting performance & the well-reported smoky starts are a thing of the past. The main reason for making the change was lifespan - I plan on keeping the car and these plugs should be good for at least 60k. All looking good so far .

The NGK copper core factory fit plugs were absolutely knackered on both cars after 12k.

Iridiums run with a slightly smaller gap (0.8 vs 1.0); in consequence they put less stress on the coil packs, which hopefully will also last longer as a result.

The NGKs that came off my car (OEM plugs as far as I could tell) were fine after 31k miles.

I wouldn't entertain keeping the plugs for 60k miles no matter what they re made of.

When you say knackered after 12k miles, what do you mean? Do you have a photo of them?

 

[jrkitching]

When you say knackered after 12k miles, what do you mean? Do you have a photo of them?

Some pictures here and here.

The thread is worth reading in its entirety if you're interested in that sort of thing.