Spark plugs have come a long way since I first started to drive almost 36 years ago. Back then copper was the big thing now its platinum. We also went from tuneups every 3,000 miles to 100,000 miles now a days. Of course it has also gotten more expensive to do a tuneup for what I pay now I could tune up my car 3 or 4 times back then. **Why Platinum? **Platinum is a harder metal and it is not as susceptible to heat as the older style plugs and can give you up to 100,000 miles as opposed to 3,000 back then. Platinum also lowers the energy demand to create the spark and is more resistant to fouling than the older plugs were. **AC Delco Platinum Plugs **These are made with a dual platinum tip, a platinum center electrode, one piece integral suppressor to help get rid of radio interference and also meter the spark energy to get longer life from the electrode. It also helps seal out compression leakage. All this adds up to better gas mileage and a cleaner running engine with less emissions. This will be my second set of plugs since I bought my truck about 4 years ago. Of course I bought the el cheapo's last time and only got 35,000 miles out of them and no they weren't the platinum's. I screwed up and took it to the dealer and even though they charge an arm and a leg they don't give you the good stuff unless you ask. Live and Learn! Another advantage to a platinum plug is that the spark gap will not change like the older style plugs as the platinum is a much harder metal. So they will stay at the set gap thus helping not only power, but more important gas mileage. When I first did the other tuneup I was getting 22mpg highway and 18mpg city, which for a 4x4 is pretty danged good. Now I have regressed to 16mpg highway and about 12mpg city. With gas this high it really hurts the old wallet. **Bottom Line **The old pay me now or pay me later is very true when it comes to spark plugs. A good plug will help reduce carbon deposits, give good gas mileage and power when you need it most. They also help reduce emissions by burning the fuel more completely which helps keep our air cleaner. With a fresh tuneup I can stick my face right next to the exhaust and not burn my eyes or nose. Now I can't do it, that was my final clue to change the plugs. Had I been keeping track of my gas mileage I would have known a few months ago that I needed a tuneup. I don't drive a whole lot anymore so I really never noticed the drop in my gas mileage. The next nice day my truck will get the new plugs and cap, rotor and wires and once again be the terrible Redneck Monster it is.....lol

kid-kansas

Vincennes, IN