2015 Taco spark plug confusion???

I have a 2015 Tacoma TRD off road with the 4.0 V6 engine that has 32,000 miles. After looking around online my research tells me that I was due for a spark plug change at 30k miles however when I asked my local Toyota dealership service department they told me I wont need to change my spark plugs for probably another 50k+ miles... well which is it?

If I do need to change my spark plugs I'm seeing a lot of smart sounding folks saying to just use the regular cheaper Denso copper plugs... so I guess I shouldn't use the platinum or iridium plugs? If so is there difference between:

this -

$7 Denso (3381) K20HR-U11 Traditional Spark Plug, Pack of 1

https://www.amazon.com/Denso-K20HR-U11-Traditional-Spark-Plug/dp/B0012Q4H96
and
this -

$9 Toyota Genuine Spark Plug

https://www.amazon.com/Toyota-Genuine-Parts-90919-01235-Spark/dp/B004T1PLDW

They look the same to me but the first one is cheaper however Amazon says that it wont fit my truck. (please feel free to send me a link to the best spark plug for my 2015 V6) Thanks in advance for your time.

 

Change the plugs at 30k! Says that shit in the manual!
4 bangers are every 50k i think.
Buy the $6 plug. The other might not be gapped correctly!

 

x2

 

I just changed the plugs in my 2015 V6 last weekend. Yep, change them every 30k. I used the Denso K20HR-U11 plugs, got them at the O'Reilly's down the block from my house. These are what are used stock (well, for half the engine anyway - NGK used for the other three cylinders stock, don't know why). They were all gapped very slightly differently but within specs... I re-gapped everything to 0.041 just because. Runs like a top, no issues. Make sure you use anti-seize on the new threads, and change your plugs cold!

 

I'd take the dealership's advice with a grain of salt, since a lot of their employees aren't exactly credible sources of information. I have heard a couple whoppers from employees who speak before they think, which is what spurred my initial distrust. I'm not trying to imply that the All-Knowing Internet(TM) is correct 100% of the time, either. It's generally worth doing a bit of research yourself to figure out what most people do. The maintenance spreadsheets I shared in your other thread reflect recommendations from crowd-sourced "tribal knowledge" as well as my own credible sources, @crashnburn80 and @EatSleepTacos being the foremost two.

As far as parts go, I have been ordering from this site:
https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/oem/toyota~plug~spark~90919-01235.html
A bit more expensive than Amazon and the like, but I feel confident knowing I'm getting genuine OEM parts instead of some knockoff.

4 cylinder engines use iridium or platinum plugs (I think), which is where some of those recommendations come from. You've got a V6, so different parts are recommended.

 

I’ve never seen a complaint when using OE Recommended - Copper Core Plugs (This is what I used)
Yes, some have used Iridium Plugs and had good results. Other have had issues. (Your choice)
30K is the recommended interval for the 4.0 V6.

IIRC, the 2.7 I4 (2tr-fe) is 100k recommendation on plugs.

 

Your dealer service person is confused. The Tacoma 4.0 V6 service spec specifies a 30k plug interval change with traditional Denso copper plugs. Iridium plugs are spec'd for supercharged applications and listed as 100k service change interval. My iridiums in SC application were toast at 50k miles, with electrodes completely gone (granted I'm running SC mods). The service tech could also have been thinking of 3rd Gen 3.5 V6 which I believe specifies 60k mile plug changes. I believe the 2.7 is different as well. Regardless, service spec for the 4.0 says 30k mile plug changes with basic Denso copper plugs, so that is what I would use.

 

I would change them no later than 50,000 miles. I put NGK Iridium in mine and they are rated for 50,000. Next set will be the Lazer Iridium which is rated at 100,000 miles. They have two different plugs in your truck the NGK and the ND. I believe that is part of the reason they want them out early along with the emissions system efficiency. You don't use anti-seize on the plugs.

 

I've heard varying reports on this as well. From what I understand, NGK plugs come with anti-seize already applied. Denso plugs do not. Am I off base here?

 

I don't recall my NGK plugs having anything on the threads

 

Here’s what NGK says.


https://ngksparkplugs.com/en/resources/5-things-you-should-know-about-spark-plugs

 

No your not.

 

Here’s what denso says.

https://www.denso.com/global/en/pro...vice-parts-and-accessories/plug/basic/torque/

 

Sounds like I was on the right track. Denso says to avoid screw thread lubricant. I assume anti-seize would fall into that category? They don't say anything about anti-seize specifically, unlike NGK.

 

Yep, denso just says basically any lube may cause you to over torque. So they just say don’t use it to be safe.
Now if you wanted to use it, just reduce your torque by 20%

 

K20HR-U11 are heat range 6 copper cored plugs and correct application for your 2015 2nd gen.

Iridiums are a no no on this engine unless boosted, they are known to cause some weird running conditions sometimes if installing into an NA engine. Why that is, I have no idea.

Run them as you need to but be aware that correct service interval on these are 30K and is such the case on any copper core based plug. I have seen others stretch it out to 50K, but I wouldn't, as it is possible for the electrode gap to start opening up past factory specs. You could always remove and gap them, but for the work involved and how cheap coppers are, why go through all that hassle just to save $20 when you've already gotten great service life out of them.

 

Appreciate the advice, I'll go ahead and order the OEM plugs and get it done asap.

 

A damn shame, but it is what it is. I'd totally install 100k mile spark plugs if I could get away with it. Maintenance sucks, I'd rather be doing literally anything else.

 

I know it sucks but hey if you want to play you gotta pay, that's the name of this game. If you take care of it, it will take care of you.

 

30k recommended. I’ve pulled plugs from my families 4.0’s at 40-60-80k intervals and none of them looked particularly bad. 30k is an easy interval, but don’t sweat going 40-50 either.