Last time I changed my plugs I went to Bosch Platinum 4, obviously it's not going to make a noticeable difference, just wondering if it really was a better plug. If not who makes a better one?

I've never really understood what the extra prongs and V-grooves and stuff are supposed to accomplish. The way i figure it, the arc is going to start across the gap with the least resistance (or in this case the least dense air/fuel mixture) and will continue to burn until the arc is extinguished or turned off.

Because of this, the extra spark paths shouldn't do anything.

I can understand using this plug in a situation where the depth of the electrode is an issue. But in ours, i would say go with a standard dual-surface platinum plug. This would be something like an AC Delco Professional Platinum or an NGK Laser Platinum.

ferb!

Split Fires, multi-terminal, etc. . . . It's all just higher priced voodoo. You're right about the spark, once it's there, there's nothing more to be done. Biggest advances in ignition have been the HEI (High Energy Ignition (just a higher voltage)) introduced back in the late 1970's, and the switch to unleaded gasoline.

The higher voltage allows for a bigger gap which provides a bigger spark which ensures ignition each time at lean idle, and it ensures a spark when the dialectric properties of the combustible mixture increases under higher engine load.

The lead in leaded gasoline use to plate out onto the center electrode ceramic of spark plugs providing a "leak" path for the spark current when engine loads built up (this is why your car would start missing when you "stepped" on it). This would usually happen within 10K miles, sooner if you used ethyl (high lead) gasoline.

Also, running lean at idle (which all cars have been doing for a couple decades) minimizes carbon buildup on the plug's center electrode insulator (also a leak path under load).

The only difference between standard and platinum plugs is the life of the center electrode. Both will carry you 100K miles these days, but the platinum plug's gap won't change as much as a standard plug's gap will due to electric erosion.

In the world of motorcycles, we agonize excessively over brands and viscosities of engine oil.

Regards, Gary in Sandy Eggo