Spark plugs
 

Hello, new to the forum. I have a 2006 GT vert with 46k on the clock. Going to change out the plugs this summer. Was wondering which plugs to use? I have looked at the OEM SP 515, Auto Lite HT1, and E3's. Any advise on which is best. Thanks

I don't have any personal experience with E3's.. However they offer a 5 year warranty and are also a 1 piece design spark plug.. At any rate, I'd certainly give them a shot if my car were still N/A.. Unfortunately I have to run a 1 degree colder spark plug due to running a Saleen blower.. My only experience has been with Motorcraft and my current Autolite HT0 plugs in which I've been running for over the last 2 years..

Oh and btw: Welcome to TMS..

Thanks m05fastbackgt, for the reply. The HTO' s I don't think would work for a stock 4.6. Last I seen was HT 1. I am leaning towards those. Thanks for the welcome. By the way, the auto lites are a one piece plug also, right?

E3s are quite possibly the worst plug on the market.

Thanks split second, why is that? Thanks for the reply.

All of the extra electrodes that e3s have on the end of the plug simply gets in the way of the air/fuel mixture. Any multiple electrode plugs are worthless since the spark can only ground off of one spot.

Correct ! The HT0's are only for high performance/forced induction applications.. If your interested in Autolites for your particular application, I would recommend Autolite HT-1 plugs.. Unfortunately they're 2 piece designed spark plugs, however they do feature a high strength shell to avoid breakage issues and are also backed by a 4 year warranty..

At any rate, despite being a 2 piece design spark plug.. I would still recommend Autolite HT-1's over Motorcraft spark plugs anytime..

Thanks guys for the replies. So out of the 3 plugs mentioned only one the E3'S are a one piece plug. I haven't heard anything positive about champion plugs, but I think they are a one piece plug also. Any other good quality one piece plugs out there? I know the HT1's if used with anti seize you should have no future issues. Thanks again.

Brisk makes a one piece plug as a replacement for our 2 piece plug design heads. I'm sure I'm running a 1 or 2 degree colder plug because of the blower and it's been a while in years but not mileage since I put them in. I have also run the Autolite HT0's in the past but didn't want the 2 piece plug anymore if I could help it.

There's mixed reviews concerning the Champion 1 piece plugs.. Personally if you want the most reliable 1 piece plug for your 4.6L 3v.. I would follow Gary's (2k7gtcs) recommendation with the Brisk Racing spark plugs.. Just keep in mind they are not platinum plugs and are usually good for up to 20k miles..

However despite the shorter lifespan, the Brisk plugs are still worth getting just for the 1 piece design alone IMHO.. As for the Autolite HT-1 plugs, you shouldn't have any issues as long as you use nickel anti-seize and follow the Ford TSB spark plug removal procedure.. Either way, I really don't think you'll regret going with the Autolite HT-1 or Brisk Racing plugs.. Also from my understanding, Brisk plugs are also available for stock 3v applications as well..



-Rocky

I am running the one piece Champions and have had zero issues in three years. They are platinum so problem solved.

Thanks Roger for the reply. Good info Rocky. Autolite looks to be what I leaning towards.

Roger, unless your Mustang is a daily driver in which your putting up to 20k miles per year or more, there's really very little to be gained by running a platinum plug over a non-platinum plug to begin with..
The purpose behind platinum spark plugs are for daily driven/non-high performance applications, designed to last up to 100k miles before they require replacement under normal driving conditions..
However for those who use their Mustangs for mostly performance oriented purposes that aren't used as daily drivers, won't have a real need for running spark plugs that offer a 100k mile lifespan anyhow..
The only reason I haven't made the switch from Autolite HT0 to Brisk racing plugs, is because Brenspeed, JDM engineering and Saleen all recommend Autolite HT0 spark plugs for the Saleen VI blowers..


As I said, you won't regret either choice ;)

Wow that's weird. Brenspeed recommended the Brisk for my Saleen blower. Go figure.

At least they used to anyhow Gary lol. But then again, it was more than likely long before Brisk became popular and caught on which was well over 11 years ago lol. I do know that JDM engineering and Saleen both continue to recommend Autolite HT0 plugs exclusively for the Saleen VI blowers.. I can also confirm that I purchased my HT0's from Chase over at Brenspeed two years ago who did in fact recommend them..
Perhaps some of their tech support reps have different opinions/recommendations over one another I suppose :dunno:

Probably so. Never meant to say you were wrong. Just different techs give different recommendations apparently.

Anyways. We are both happy. Though I haven't even driven the car in 7 months :shame:

I know, just wanted to make sure we were on the same page :)

I'll put it this way.. When it comes time to change the plugs, if none of them break from having nickel anti-seize on them, I'll continue using Autolite HT0 plugs.. Otherwise I'll most definitely be making the switch over to Brisk racing 1 piece spark plugs :heh: In the meantime, I'll also be looking forward to car cruise season starting back up, as next month will be 6 months since I had last driven the Mustang ;)

I wouldn't run Champions in my lawn mower. Not sold on the E3, too much crap to shroud the spark.

I've run HT1's, HT0's and 3 different temperature ranges of Brisk. Probably 10 or 12 sets over the last 9 or so years. From stock N/A to my current set up. I have to say I have had the best results with the Brisk Racing plugs. I just recently put Brisk back in after running a set of HT0's. The HT0's were less than a year old but the car was popping and sputtering with actual backfires when you let off the gas and the mixture leaned out. Was getting some major incomplete combustion and actually thought I had fueling issues. The Brisk plugs are working much better. The car just rumbles as it decels under engine compression, not the popping and banging I had before. I did tun a PB at the track with the HT0's in though. I was never fond of the strap electrode design anyways but I'm an old fart. I never had an issue with the 2-piece design either. But on that note I pull my plugs for inspection and cleaning 2-3 times a year so carbon build up has never been an issue.

With all that said I do recommend the Brisk Racing plugs in the proper heat range for any application. I've also used Brisk plugs in most of my car and bike builds for the last 30+ years so I might be a little biased.

Kind of like oil everyone has an opinion on what's better LOL. Thanks all for the insight. Getting warm enough here the top can come back down. Going for a cruise. Thanks again.

It's weird how you were experiencing popping/sputtering and backfiring issues with HT0 plugs that were less than a year old.. I've been running my set of HT0's for over 2 years and my car runs just as smooth and responsive as it has ever since they were installed.. Prior to installing the HT0's I was also experiencing the very same sputtering and backfire issues as you were.. However my issues were caused due to having an improper calibration tune and also from running the factory Motorcraft plugs in which the previous owner never changed after adding the Saleen blower.. Needless to say, since adding the HT0 plugs and proper tuning, there hasn't been any further issues at all.. At any rate, perhaps your set of HT0's were just from a bad batch or something but they're supposed to be backed by a 4 year warranty from Autolite :dunno: