Hey everyone,

I'm getting a re-tune on the 23rd of September, and I would like to replace my current plugs with something else. I did a little bit of researching, but I can't seem to find what the best spark plug is to use for my VQ35HR. It seems like the top choices are sticking with the OEM Denso Plugs, or switching over to these HKS one's. But then there's also the popular NGK plugs that everyone seems to swear by, so I'm kind of lost on which one to go with.

*** Also, what gap should I go with on the new plugs? Looks like 0.044" is the correct gap

Not sure if this really matters since I'm not boosted or running nitrous, but here are my current mods :

• Injen CAIs
• Motordyne ART Pipes
• Motordyne Y-Pipe w/HFC Attachment
• Agency Power Single Exhaust
• UpRev

My goal is anything above 290+rwhp


TLDR; what plugs and gap should I go with for my upcoming Uprev re-tune?

 

i stuck with oem plugs from conceptz

 

It's probably the best idea to stick with the OEM plugs, but after hearing my friend brag about his HKS one's I began to wonder if there was any better options out there. (Price is irrelevant btw)

 

but was he bragging because of the name and pseudo performance gains......

aka was it just in his mind?

 

He made 300rwhp, which is ultimately my goal and what caught my attention in the first place. His words verbatim were "HKS Superfire -M. Best plugs I ever did. Every tuner has looked at me and said those never go bad. Worth it."

I'm all for the butt dyno/pseudo perfomance gains, but after seeing his numbers I just can't help but wonder..

 

on my old HR i hit 286 on a mustang dyno...

i would talk to your tuner and see what he says

 

Thanks for the input travlee, I'll have to ask him what his thoughts are

In the meantime, does anyone else have any recommendations?

 

Update - Okay, now I'm REALLY lost. I called Z1motorsports and spoke to a tuner over there and he recommended running GTR plugs. He specifically said that's what they all use in-house.

 

OK- let's get this straight once and for all. Changing spark plugs from the OEM recommendation WILL NOT result in a large HP gain. You can lose HP, drivability and develop other electrical issues by switching, but unless you have built a race engine with special needs, stick with ND or NGK to avoid problems.

 

I wasn't really expecting anything in terms of performance, I just want the ideal plug (which is starting to sound like the OEM Denso's). But everyone seems to prefer using NGKs

 

Nissan has used both NDs (Densos) and NGK in the past. Both are quality products, but NDs are easier to find.

 

NGK is what I have, no issues, but then again, I had to get stepped for FI; but at the time of ordering they were the easiest to get at the time.

I'd just stick to OEM and avoid hassle whether that is ND's or NGK.

 

I'm using the HKS Superfire; got them from czp. I'm pretty sure that they are made by NGK. They are a fine plug, but $$!

 

looking back... were they worth it?

 

I heard that they're made by NGK too. It's definitely tempting, especially hearing that you're also using them

 

Hey travlee! I honestly can't say that I noticed any difference, the car is very strong at wot before/after plug change; I doubt that one would be able to tell a performance diff. better or worse just by driving your car, whatever make/style it is. However, any differences in oem or supposedly fancy plugs may show up on a dyno, etc.

It would be interesting to know what the racing teams use and what they have to say about their street cars and "if" quality plugs make any difference.

Myself, I just was tempted to snag the HKS superfire (one step colder due to FI) after talking to Coz at CZP. I had the local Nissan dealer change them out and with about 45K miles on my oem NGKs (HR long style iridium) they looked great (made for 100K miles), but I wanted to possibly get a more efficient spark if possible and maybe get some if any benefits; these plugs are good plugs and no way are going to under perform compared to oem NGK. He told me they were made by NGK; can't go wrong with them and I always went NGK in 3 bikes of mine in the past. Are these worth the extra $ (I think I paid $26 per!)? *still, the oem iridium NGKs are hard to beat

 

Decided to go with the HKS plugs. I'll be doing a comparison dyno with another set of brand new plugs, I'll post up the dyno sheets after the 23rd of this month!

 

I've had my HKS plugs now for 60k miles and still going strong. I honestly can't say they really changed the performance. When I do the upper manifold and lower runners I'll check them.

 

I'm running stock plugs at my current power level. See my sig....

 

Thanks for your input, definitely much respect for those numbers. Maybe one day I'll be there

I ended up going with stock plugs. I was using Pulstar plugs, they gave me .5 tq and +1 whp over the stocks. Right around the same price too