[bherder]

Well, I've never really been a fan of Champion plugs ... I've used them in the past and have had mixed results on different rigs... don't love em' but don't hate em'....

But some of you have sung the praises of the 'Truck Plugs' and being as it's been a couple years since I've changed mine, AND being I know my brothers here are the "Best of the Net", I picked up a set at NAPA today. 4405's.

One box (Of four) was different that the other. Didn't think to really look at them till I got home, being as I used to be in the auto parts biz, I know that packaging can change fairly often.

To my surprise .... Well, not really.... (See pic below) one box was 'Made in USA' the other 'Made in Mexico' ... The 'USA' box was obviously older.

I suppose this is just the way it is nowdays, but I also noticed the 'features' on the back. The USA ones tout the 'copper core' in the electrodes (I'm not sure if this really matters or not, but I DO know that copper ... right behind a few other metals, like silver ... is one of the best conductors of electricity there is.. And until recently used to be fairly cheap) while the 'Hencho de Mexico' ones are a 'nickel alloy' .... I'm gonna guess this isn't an 'advancement' ....

So, we shall see. Apparently, Champion has outsourced their plugs to being made by Pedro and Juan. I'm also gonna guess that it certainly wasn't because the 'quality' is better in Guadalajara ... And the reason I say this is very simple...
Being as I have the GM HEI ignition, I can gap my plugs at .045's ... So, I reset the 'factory' gap. All the plugs had those little plastic doo-hickeys on them to protect the gap. the USA ones were all gapped dead-on at .035 ... The 'Made by Pedro' ones, the gaps were all over the place... .020 through .050 ... Yeah, that's some quality control...

Anyway, BUYER BEWARE.....

 

[DiverDwnPowrRam]

no kidding.... .020-.050???

 

[bherder]

no kidding.... .020-.050???

Yeah ... One was .020 ... one .050 ... one was .040 ... and one was sorta' close to .035 ...

Who'd of EVER thought they'd see the day when 'Made in Mexico' looked pretty damn good, as compaired to the alternative (China)???

 

[DiverDwnPowrRam]

makes me wonder....all i run is accel plugs, caps rotors and wires. All copper for now but scares me to think what the future holds. Mexico does make a fine Chrysler Aspen.

 

[fins2fuselage]

B,

I say "junk" runner-up with AC plugs being the clear category winner.

Over twenty years ago, I worked at a small engine shop where we sold (among other items) Husqvarna chain saws and Toro and Snapper lawn mowers. Short story, we eventually got to the point that, during dealer prep, we didn't even try to start the new ones with the Champion resistor plugs with which they were factory-equipped; we simply pulled 'em out and warrantied every one of them without ever firing it becasue we didn't want the new piece of equipment to fail immediately in the field. No-start new saws and mowers = angry customers. This went on for years. We substituted non-resistor Champs at the time, but I have been leery of any Cahmpions ever since.

Now I use exclusively top-of-the-line Bosch (still "Hecho en Aleman", I believe) in everything I own. Bosch resistors work great in my Husqvarna saw, BTW. And I have never had to replace a set of Bosch plugs which I have installed in any Mopar -- pretty good track record, huh?

Jeff

 

[volaredon]

now thats funny; I agree with AC plugs=garbage but for me Bosh has to be right up there; I have never had anything but shit from Bosch, yes they make other products that are just fine but definitely not plugs. If you aren't gonna use the champions (which have always done me well) my next step (I hate to say, Not US made) would be NGK/Denso's.

 

[beatersdigest]

My two cents-
Bosch and NGK's have always met and/or exceeded my expectations. Disclaimer: I change them often enough to keep my motor up to speed and I pull oneor two out once in a while to check the condition. If you like plugs that last a real long time, either brand makes an Iridium plug that works fantastic. Like the majority of other parts, it depends on your budget. The set of NGK Iridium IX's (p/n 7149) I put in my 318 woke it RIGHT up. The splitfire's I pulled out were gapped wrong and not torqued so I realize that much of the improvement I experienced was due to what I pulled out.

 

[fins2fuselage]

now thats funny; I agree with AC plugs=garbage but for me Bosh has to be right up there; I have never had anything but shit from Bosch, yes they make other products that are just fine but definitely not plugs. If you aren't gonna use the champions (which have always done me well) my next step (I hate to say, Not US made) would be NGK/Denso's.

Don,

Did you use the Bosch Platinums (or whatever they are called these days -- it has been so long since I bought a set)? Or did you use the Bosch Supers?

I stick with the Platinums.

Jeff

 

[4404spd]

Autolites all the way for me here.

 

[volaredon]

I spent 18 years wrenching for a living and seen both versions of Bosch you mention. The Platinums would burn out within the center porcelain which could not be seen. and the "supers" weren't; didnt last very long. IDK HOW many people would come in bitching about how theirs ran and seems the worst complaints were from people that neglected their cars; 120+K on factory original plugs that were burnt out and so over gapped (what was left of the trodes) that they needed more than the coil could put out to jump the gap. ("Oh; I didnt know you were supposed to actually CHANGE them!" types; others were just "cheap" and "make sure: they got ALL the use out of anything.)

Next on the list, were people that thought "Oh the car runs like shit; but it CAN'T be the plugs; I just put them in within the last 6 months". It don't help that the Autozone right next door to the shop, pushed them (Bosch plugs) so hard; but the common denominator here was the Bosch plugs. they just don't hold up. There is a reason they are cheap!!! (they SUCK) I have personally never used them because I seen so many problems with these plugs in customers' cars! Yeah i've had an occasional new, bum Champion; but not nearly the percentage of them as I saw with the Bosches!

 

[BOBCZYK]

I don't know why Champions work so well in Mopar products and suck so bad in every other engine I have owned------so i run Champions in my Dodges and autolites in anything else.

 

[Megunticook]

I've probably put a dozen sets of regular Champions in both Dodge trucks I've owned and never been had any trouble--of course I do check the gaps and look them over before installing.

That's interesting about the difference in the new "Made in Mexico" variety. Fits the pattern we're seeing across the board.

You've got to wonder--while 95% of consumers just buy the cheapest variety they can find (which, after all, is what's driving manufacturers to cut all possible corners), the other 5% of the market wants quality and is willing to pay for it. In a market as huge as auto parts, that's still a significant market and there's a lot of money to be made there. So it seems like somebody ought to be filling that niche--you know, "premium quality, made-in-usa" products that you pay a little more for, but you don't have to keep replacing every year or two.

Wouldn't it be a smart business strategy for some company to do that? Such parts wouldn't be available at AutoZone or Checker or places like that, but maybe at NAPA or Carquest--or maybe just online. You'd have to ask for them specifically, but they'd be available. I think most people on this forum would go out of there way to buy parts like that.

Just a thought...

 

[chad1972]

now thats funny; I agree with AC plugs=garbage but for me Bosh has to be right up there; I have never had anything but shit from Bosch, yes they make other products that are just fine but definitely not plugs. If you aren't gonna use the champions (which have always done me well) my next step (I hate to say, Not US made) would be NGK/Denso's.

I replaced my plugs w/ ngk. believe it or not says made in the USA on them. I had to read it 2xs.

 

[4404spd]

The problems I had with Champion plugs where in built 340's and 440's I had.... they fouled out so easy im sure in stock engines they are fine.

 

[B-300]

Champions are OK if not dropped. Also I found that some of there part# are pre-gapped which would explain why the ungapped ones vary so much.... I used the same # that fits the dodge stealth. They are pregapped and about the correct heat range for aluminium heads. (Edelbrock in my case.)... To cold for stock iron heads.

 

[Speed Dragon]

I've never had a problem w/ Champions. Or Autolites really. I ran Bosch Supers at one time, they worked fine for me (was still running points at the time too). Platinums I have no use for, IMO they are a waste of money in anything w/o a coil pack or very hot coil. AC Delcos I have had problems w/ also in a Dodge, in Chevys though they work great, after all AC Delco is the factory stuff for them I like NGK also, never run them in a V8 but use nothing but in all my 4-cyl's, import or domestic. NGK GR-4's worked great in my 2.2 turbo GLHS engine.

 

[swami2806]

Autolites all the way for me here.

Same here. Autolites. Champion started skimping early on, which is why the founder of Champion left his own company and started Autolite. That says it all.

 

[bherder]

Same here. Autolites. Champion started skimping early on, which is why the founder of Champion left his own company and started Autolite. That says it all.

I always thought it was AC plugs... Albert Champion....
Did he start Autolite also?