I have used platinum plated plugs for over 15 yrs and have had no difficulty in changing them out at 100K. I must stress that I do not push the envelope when I drive my cars as I challenge myself on engine fuel economy and long life for the engine.Eric L. said:I would imagine that with the Murano's engine so far back in the engine bay, it would be a tight squeeze on the rear bank of plugs - and what a hassle for Nissan to put them under the intake manifold (you'll need a new manifold gasket if the manifold needs to be removed).
I suggest changing the plugs every 60k. This is not to contradict the service life of the plugs which Nissan claims is 100k, but rather, by the time you accumulate 100k miles, those spark plugs, as Tom and Ray from Cartalk like to say, would have "become one" with the aluminum cylinder head and impossible to remove without stripping the threads. At the very least, remove and reinstall at 60k.
On Maxima.org, we determined there are no better plugs for the VQ than the stock NGK laser platinums. You may try a different heat range depending on your climate, but I would stick with the OEM plugs - they are of excellent quality.
I've read a few of your posts indicating tests done on the Maxima.org site suggest the stock NGK double platinum plugs (not laser iridiums) are the best for the MO engine. Do you have a link?Eric L. said:
On Maxima.org, we determined there are no better plugs for the VQ than the stock NGK laser platinums. You may try a different heat range depending on your climate, but I would stick with the OEM plugs - they are of excellent quality.
NYT said:
I've read a few of your posts indicating tests done on the Maxima.org site suggest the stock NGK double platinum plugs (not laser iridiums) are the best for the MO engine. Do you have a link?
From my understanding iridium is "better" than platinum and the copy from NGK's site (see below) backs this up too. Not sure why I wouldn't use iridium... they're even cheaper on NGK's site too!
"Iridium is a precious metal that is 6 times harder and 8 times stronger than platinum, it has a 1,200(=F) higher melting point than platinum and conducts electricity better. This makes it possible to create the finest wire center electrode ever. Prior till now, platinum had been favored for long life or performance spark plugs due to its high melting point, also the technology did not exist to machine and bond iridium on a spark plug electrode(at least in a cost effective manner). Iridium industrial spark plugs have been around for years, but still sells for over a hundred dollars per plug. Just now is the technology available to effectively use iridium in a spark plug for automotive applications. The strength, hardness and high melting point of iridium allows NGK to manufacture their iridium ultra-fine wire center electrode to 0.7mm. One of the finest firing points in the industry!"