spark plugs and snake oil

I'm getting ready to change the plugs on my car, and am wondering if there's really much difference between the $1.79 plugs and the $12 plugs. Are the expensive plugs like the audiophile cables that are directional?

Anyone have thoughts on this?

What kind of car? How old?

It's a 2001 Ford Focus

4 cylinder 2.0L DOHC Engine

Yes.

Not in initial performance but yes in longevity.

The premium plugs will have platinum electrodes and will last 60,000 miles or more while maintaining as-new performance.

The electrodes in the cheaper plugs will burn away much faster, degrading performance and fuel economy.

That said... if your goal is absolute minimum expenditure of money as opposed to not having to work on the car, the cheaper plugs will probably cost less in the long run.

Most manufacturers start out with the expensive spark plugs in order to reduce the amount of service required while the car is under warranty.

tanstaafl.

I recently inherited this car from my grandparents and it's just ticked over 80,000, so while it's 12 years old, it still has some miles left on it. I'm fairly certain that it still has the original plugs and wires, which is why I'm changing them.

I think it'd be nice to have some longevity to the plugs so I don't have to worry about them for a while. I don't mind spending a little extra if it's warranted, but I don't want to uselessly pour money into snake-oil.

Anyone have a particular brand/style they recommend?

One of those car TV shows “House Power” I think did some test on one of those expensive plugs and it was found to give a couple extra house power (to like a 500 hp engine). I’m a bit skeptical myself. A search on their website will probably list the plug.

Personally I have not had good experiences with Champion spark plugs in good running motors. One actually fell apart in a motor. However that motor was a blown fuel injected big block

One of the sites I read said you shouldn't gap iridium plugs because the material is so hard that you can damage it?

You won't damage the iridium (more likely to damage the gapping tool) but you will crack or break the ceramic insulation around the center electrode.

tanstaafl.