I changed my spark plugs about a month ago to NGK's new Ruthenium HX. Just wanted to throw it out there that I've noticed no difference whatsoever over the Laser Iridiums. Not that it's a bad thing. The Iridium's worked like they should and so do the Ruthenium's. But I haven't noticed any more power or mileage from them. They're about the same price as the Iridium's and are supposed to last longer so I figured why not.

So yeah, I'd recommend them. So far so good. Don't expect them to be some sort of magic potion that's going to give you an extra 50hp though.

 

I'm interested to see how they perform over the long run since the Iridium's from the factory have no issues going to nearly 105K miles and in some cases 150K miles. Do you have a scanner by any chance? Maybe you can check into the knock count and see if its lower than with the iridiums (just a thought, maybe it won't work like that). Thank you for posting! Looking forward to any updates!

 

I actually did the same in the S2000 and can report the same...
no difference.
Probably just marketing bullshit...

 

I came to the conclusion the next time I think I should swap plugs I'm just going to pull the easiest to get to and see if it looks bad. Iridium will last way past the interval suggested. Here's an explanation on the Ruthenium plugs. Seems the advantage is mainly for turbo'ed or supercharged while adding self cleaning properties..
One thing I'd like to ask you guys is has anyone tried the MSD coils on your J series? I gather mine will fail sooner than later at 277k miles and curious about them. 40 years ago we'd swap the factory coil with MSD or Accel and I've seen dramatic changes in the performance. Just asking.
My wife drives the 12 TL Advance and I drive the high mileage 10 MDX Advance.

 

How much did you guys pay for them and what's the best place to buy?
I'm in Canada and dealer quoted me $360 CAD (270 USD).

How difficult are they to replace? I have the spark plug tool. Just not sure how easy it is to get to them...

 

on the rear, it's a little more tough to get to...
but totally doable.
if you aren't certain though, I wouldn't start off as a novice with this being your first unsupervised job.

 

haha i appreciate the honesty!
what did you guys pay for parts only?

 

I can't recall paying more than like $11 or $13 a piece...
well, I only say it because I could be quick to tell you that it's simple to do...
which it is...
but that's because I've done it a lot of times.
You could snap off bolts and strip threads...

if you are hellbent on learning how to wrench, I would gladly give you some pointers if
you opt to attempt yourself.

It's not rocket science. The good thing is the front ones are pretty much right there...pull one coil pack out and off...
remove a spark plug, put one back in and torque to spec with a little anti seize (or not)...done. The back is just as easy
but you need to be a little more creative with your socket extensions and being patient with it.

 

gotcha - will not attempt lol.

my 2010 6MT is up to 210K kms... so all kinds of work needed. I brought her in for clutch replacement ($$$$), then they named off another 7 things I should also do for an additional $1500 despite regular maintenance.

So ya, trying to limit my damage. But sounds like spark plugs I will leave to them, and less urgent things will have to wait.

thank you for your help!

 

www.rockauto.com

 

I occasionally monitor knock with the Torque app knock detector plugin. That just draws data from the knock sensor as well as the adjustment that was made. So far it's been the same as the Iridiums. Most of the time there's no knock. And when there is, it's a correction of 0.5 - 1 degrees which is pretty much in the range of background noise.

ngk.com has the #96358 for $10.92 USD per plug. That's good for both the FWD or SH-AWD.

 

I am suspicious of NGK's use of producing and marketing a spark plug with a Ruthenium electrode.
The NGK website doesn't specify why Ruthenium is a better material.

Most Iridium material parameters considered important for a spark plug electrode are better than Ruthenium.
Iridium:
Hardness is 60% better. (erosion resistance)
Melting point is 200°F+ better (4,429°F vs 4,190°F)
Thermal Conductivity is 26% better
Electrical Resistivity is 41% lower (better)

Possibly it's cheaper or easier to manufacture but that doesn't make it a superior performing spark plug.
I don't recall ever removing an Iridium electrode spark plug and considering it to be worn ... even after 130,000 miles.
Therefore the durability of Iridium is more that adequate.

I am an engineer but I don't design spark plugs for a living.
Ruthenium could be a better performing material but NGK isn't telling us why and the material parameters don't support it.

I first posted this in: https://acurazine.com/forums/fourth-...-plugs-948807/

I've since found out why (perhaps) NGK is promoting Ruthenium as the electrode of choice.
It probably performs as good (or almost as good) as Iridium but it's much less expensive.
NGK makes more profit .... period.

A spark is a spark. A better spark doesn't make for better performance or gas mileage.

 

Iridium is around 250 an oz. Ruthenium is 50-60.00

Ruthenium melts at 4233 degrees F (2334 degrees C), which is actually slightly lower than that of iridium. But when alloyed with other metals, it becomes much more resistant to corrosion and oxidation than current iridium and platinum alloys.

 

They have an informational webpage: https://ngksparkplugs.com/en/product...um-spark-plugs

But I take all of that with a grain of salt. By no means did I expect any great improvement with ruthenium. They simply weren't any more expensive than Iridium so I figured why not.