Which spark plug?

Just my $0.02, but if the original type is working fine for you, why change?

If you have a highly tuned car with unusually rigid ignition demands, more expensive plugs may be required. Some plugs even have index keying so that they fit into the head in a certain alignment. But yours is not one of them, I think.

There are also "hotter" or " colder" plugs for special needs. Platinum tipped plugs can tolerate higher temperatures for a longer time without as much erosion.

Today's (and that includes your car) ignition systems are gentler on plugs than the Kettering systems of the past, and will fire plugs that would make Kettering systems miss and sputter.

But for ordinary driving, use what works in your engine. If a plug does its basic job

- to allow a nice spark between the terminal and ignite the gas mixture - there is usually not much else to be gained. Dont expect noticeable gains in mileage and power, unless the plugs in your car are really in bad shape.

I assure you the Champion was not the original plug in your Town Car. The originals were Motorcraft which is the Ford Motor Co. brand. Prior to that was the Autolite brand. If you are looking for the best overall plug for a stock Ford product, you should be looking at the Motorcraft brand. They just work with few failures. I have always had equal satisfaction from Autolite in Ford products. The current Champion plugs may also work well. The one that I will/would not use is the Bosch brand unless you just enjoy chasing down and replacing misfiring plugs which has been my experience in everything I ever installed them in. The only gain a platinum plug has is longevity. Copper core plugs work as well or better - just not as long. The platinum plugs are primarily used by the manufacturers to extend replacement intervals and the platinum plugs erode the electrode firing surfaces much more slowly which results in a more constant gap. This is sometimes important to control emissions. If your car specifies plug changes at 15k miles, you are just as well to use the copper core plugs. Unless you have some good reason not to do so, go with the OEM plugs in your Town Car.

Lugnut

That exactly contradicts my experience. I haven't used NGK's but I prefer Autolite or Bosch Supers. Champions are OK but tend to never self clean after fuel fouled. GEt the choke stuck closed once and you're buying new plugs.

nate

man of mach> champion and ngk will have the less failure rate auto lite and bosch plugs

We are not talking about any other car than an '87 Town Car in this thread. Autolite and Motorcraft are basically the same plug. I would venture to say that most seasoned Ford techs would disagree with your post........

Plats are OK on an engine with an O2 sensor and fuel injection but if you run them in an engine that could foul the plugs, the first time they foul they are done. Bosch plats are especially susceptible to this. In an older car (I assume an '87 has FI so this is probably not applicable to the OP) stick with the conventional plugs.

nate

Mike Walsh wrote:

insulator. Years ago (1970's) Motorcraft/Autolite plugs had a wider heat range than other plugs because they used a copper core and others used metals that do not conduct heat as well. These days virtually all plugs have a copper core.

very slowly. They are worth the money if you go a long time between plug changes.

If the Champions are working for you, why change?

The platinum plugs will last longer in some newer engines, but if you foul plugs, they'll foul just as quickly. For the most part they are more trouble than not in earlier engines.

They would install the original Motorcraft plug that it came with, which is fine.

Because different engines are different. I've had nothing but great luck with NGK plugs on Toyotas, but nothing but trouble with them in BMWs. But the old BMWs do very well with the Bosch Silver plugs, as do old VWs, though those plugs tended to run poorly in my old Mitsubishi.

If the Champions are working fine for you, buy more of them.

--scott

Autolite AP 64 are the best spark plugs for my 1978 Dodge van. cuhulin

Many years ago, I owned a Vespa Moped.I couldn't find a spark plug that would even hardly halfway work.Untill I bought an old spark plug from an old Trabant car at a local auto junk yard.I want me an old warbling Wartburg car. cuhulin

The OEM plug type and brand should be listed on your under-hood emissions label. Motorcraft asf22 or somesuch. I dont recall ever seeing champion used oem by ford. Stick with stock. Ben

You have to use the spark plug/O2 sensor anti-seize compounds that are designed to conduct electricity....