NGK's new Ruthenium spark plugs

[Daox]

So, late last year NGK came out with a new spark plug electrode material. They claim a few kind of 'normal' spark plug benefits.

Ruthenium HX

Today's technology allows for efficient designs that create more power while using less fuel. This has shortened the life of traditional iridium and platinum spark plugs. In response, NGK has created NGK Ruthenium HX, a high stability spark plug with twice the service life of NGK Iridium.

Some very interesting claims there. As far as ignition speed, thats basically what Pulstar says is superior about their plugs. They claim an improvement in acceleration, but they don't say to what speed! Is that 0-60? 0-100? Is it 10 accelerations to 100 mph? Who knows. Its largely marketing gimmick unless we know the scale of that chart. That said, I think the main benefit of these ruthenium plugs would be their claimed twice the service life. This would make them basically good for the life of the vehicle.

Sounds like the same old rhetoric to me. But, their price doesn't seem to bad. The local O'rileys has the size my Mirage uses for $9 per plug. Not bad for a brand new product that is claimed to last longer than iridium.

[19bonestock88]

So for $27 you could try a plug that seems to not just last longer than platinum or iridium, but also causes a faster burn, effectively advancing your ignition timing? Hmmm...

[Ecky]

Color me skeptical, but I'd give them a try.

[19bonestock88]

I’m a little skeptical too, and I’m unsure if I even can try them... Saturns use compression sense ignition to generate a cam sensor signal for its SFI, and it’s known that messing with the wires/plugs on an S series can throw a cam sensor code and make the car run poorly... maybe since the Ion uses a similar system it would behave the same...

[oil pan 4]

Ruthenium is most commonly used as a cheap replacement for rhodium in electronics and hight tech stuff.

I almost bought 50 ounces of ruthenium back in 2015.

[IsaacCarlson]

I don't see much in those tables that's useful in demonstrating the advantage of the plugs. I side gap normal plugs and that seems to help performance by getting the electrode out of the way so the flame kernel can spread faster.

[2016 Versa]

Anyone tried these yet? I was just looking at them online the other night. I've already got an extra set of platinum plugs for my Ford Escort and won't need a new set of plugs in the Versa for a few years but was just wondering if there's any advantage to these or not. Personally I've had very good results using Bosch platinum for the past 25 years or so. I think every set of platinum plugs I've used has gone 100-125K miles and wasn't missing when I changed them. I just changed them because I felt guilty about leaving in for so long. The extra's I've got for the Escort I bought one time when I was placing an order with Rock Auto, I think I paid something like $ .75 a plug so unless there's a great advantage to the Ruthenium I don't think I'll be buying them at $9-10 each. If they'd give double the life in the Versa I might consider them since half the electrical connectors, half the vacuum lines on the engine, the intake, and throttle body have to come off on it to change plugs. The Versa has Iridium in it now and is the first set of Iridium I've ever used. There's no sense in any manufacturer making a car that has to have half the engine disassembled to change spark plugs but Nissan did it.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Ruthenium is most commonly used as a cheap replacement for rhodium in electronics and hight tech stuff.

I almost bought 50 ounces of ruthenium back in 2015.

I thought Ruthenium was perhaps a made up name and their marketing department should be fired.

None of this new tech works on old cars like a 1977 vintage.

So at what point does new tech not work?

Do these spark plugs depend on sensors and computers to adjust for what they are doing different?

[Daox]

I would imagine that the main benefit of these plugs is their improved life over iridium plugs. The other benefits are there, but probably quite small.

[KrautBurner]

I'm unable to find these plugs for my car
it must be too exotic