Goldenpony

OK, I have a 2006 GT . It's time for new plugs. My last 2 sets of plugs were Champion #7989 one piece plugs. I have had very good luck with these. It's time for a new set. Does anybody else make a 1 piece plug for my 4.6L engine? If not, I'll probably get another set of Champions. Going back to the 2 piece plugs is out of the question.

Buck Sergeant

Goldenpony, If you must have a single piece plug then stay with the Champions. Not for nothing , Brisk Black Silver Racing Spark Plugs #3VR17YS
is a high quality "2 piece" plug for 06 engines with the BLACK coil boots only, producing up to 450 HP. If you insist on a single piece plug ,as far as I know, Champion is the only way to go. Please check out the Brisk part number if you go that route. Also, don't forget to put a little "anti-seize" on the threads.

Goldenpony

^Thanks Buck. Yea, I'm going to stay with the Champs. I have now been driving about 150K miles on them and they have been doing just fine.
I had a real nightmare with the OE plugs. Decided to change them after only 35K miles. Without going into a long story, 6 of them broke. The second one I took out broke. Trailered the car to the dealer and they broke 5 more. Like I said, going back to 2 piece plugs is out of the question. Champs it is.

Buck Sergeant

Goldenpony, you gotta be kiddin. 150K is outstanding. Grandpaw used to say,"if it works, stay with it." Buy the way, don't forget the anti-sieze. Great looking ride.

Goldenpony

Buck, that 150K miles was on 2 sets of the Champions. Yes, I use the nickel anti-seize.
I read several posts where guys tear down the Champions, but I have had good luck with them. With the 2 sets of plugs, 16 of them, I had one that was bad and the company I got them from replaced it with no questions.

Derf00

From what I've seen of the people ripping down on the Champions it's usually user error. Unlike the OEM plugs with a grounding strap that cannot be /does not need adjusting, the Champions have a traditional electrode tip which means you must check the gap before installing them. You'd be surprised how many people aren't aware of this or don't use the correct tool to gap the plug so they damage the tip in the process then blame the plug.

Also, rough handling during shipping can crack the porcelain which leads to voltage leak. I've seen OEM plugs fresh from the dealer or from an auto parts store with cracks from ALL mfg's and for ALL types of vehicles.

Either way, people stick with what they want. I prefer the Champions and am on my second set like you...problem free.

ghunt

FWIW, E3 makes a one piece plug for the 3V. I have them in my car, about 20K miles with no issues, but I understand they're kind of a "gimmicky" plug.

Buck Sergeant

ghunt, you hit the nail on the head. I purposely omitted the E3 plugs because of the bad rap they have been getting in my shop. Now that I know you are using them with no issues, I will give them a second look. Are your plugs being used under competition situations, or daily driving???
Anyone else using these E3 plugs, please give your assessment.

ghunt

Well, like I said they've only been in my car 3 years and 20K or so miles. I don't know how they hold up long term, but they were the best priced one piece plugs I found when I was doing my plugs so I figured I'd try them out. I've heard of other people having issues but I haven't had any problems with them.

Buck Sergeant

ghunt, thanks for the feed-back. Also,I like the way you have put your combos together on your 05 GT.