Iridium or Copper Plugs for V6 Tacomas?

Well about to do the 30,000 maintenance. Anybody here change over to the Iridium plug? and hows the truck running? would like to here any positives or negatives from the iridiums? any pinging? The Dealers services techs advise against it, but wanted to here whats really happening?

Brian

 

mine's due as well. i'm going iridium. don't want to have to change the plugs every 30k. havn't heard much about performance with them though. why did the techs advise against them? they put Denso's in the truck at the factory...well one side anyways. don't see why iridium Denso's would be bad.?

 

I went iridium as well. It cost a little extra, but they're 120,000 mile plugs!!! WOOT!

 

Why aren't Iridium plugs factory installed?

 

I'm using iridium NGK plugs. I found them cheaper at Advanced auto parts. I think I paid around $60 for a set. They were the same price there as the platinum plugs. So far so good.

 

because the factory wants you to spend more money than you have to

 

I ran what it came with. Denso coppers set me back a whole $2.50 ea. Every 3 yrs, I can deal w/ that.

 

I bet I put 20,000 a year on a truck, thats why Im thinking about trying the iridiums.. only having to change every 100,000 is kinda nice. not that it takes to long. I just question if anyone if having any problems, since these are not stock plugs? good to see one on here having no problems

 

I hate to go against the grain, but go with the coppers. Yeah you change them more often, but it also gives you a chance to pull them more often and make sure everything is burning correctly and, iridiums will never last the full mileage they say. I tried the iridium thing back in the day and after about 40,000 miles they just don't fire as well. Save your money and just go copper, in the long run, you will have better overall average gas mileage. They call it maintenance for a reason. Not put them in and forget about them. Sorry to stir things up that that is just what I have found from my own happenings.

 

Bump ^1

 

+1
I'll stay with the copper when the time comes.
Copper is the standard plug for some reason and I don't believe it's to save Toyota a couple of dollars.

 

specific electrical resistance

Silver 1.59
Copper 1.72
Gold 2.44
Aluminum 2.82
Tungsten 5.60
Iron 10.0
Iridium 11.0 (platinum family)

 

Ok, that is good info, but only good if you plan on taking your iridium plugs out every 30,000 miles and regapping them. They forget to mention that to you. So at first they are the lowest, but when the gap increases, so the chance for a misfire. And believe me the gap increases because the center electrode shortens in time as it fires. Like I stated earlier, I have played with them. I ran the NGK iridiums in my Bimmer and 40,000 miles later when it idled like crap I replaced them with copper I checked the gap and it went from .032 to .060. The new coppers run great.

 

My truck only has a little over 1000 miles on it so I am far from making a decision. I agree with what both of you have said, but I still have one question: if the iridiums are so bad, why are they standard from the factory on the 2.7, and why do they come with the supercharger kit for the 4.0? I am not questioning either of you. You both know a hell of a lot more about mechanics than I do, and like I said, I agree with what you have said. I am just curious.

 

i have stuck to using copper denso's when i have changed the plugs on the 06 i had, and when i changed them on my 04. i aint paying over $5 for a spark plug. and i dont mind changing them every 30k miles.........easy as pie to do anyway.....plus i like working on my truck.

 

Now that makes a lot of sense! Thanks for the clarification!

 

And if you talk to people who do alot of forced induction, they will tell you that the right temperature range of copper plug is better than just running the factory temperature range iridium plug. I think TRD does it strictly for the look of "Hey you get iridium plugs with the $4000 charger!" Now it's worth it.

I tried the iridium plugs in my '98 supercharged tacoma and when I switched to the coppers I got from URD it ran much better, because they were the correct temperature and had the right resistence. Resistence is a big thing with these vehicles nowadays and all the computerized junk that goes with them.