My MPG's have been down to 11.5-12.5 lately so I decided to replace the spark plugs last night just in case that fixes it even though I'm only at 34k on the Odo.

I did a lot of research on the Titan forums to find that nobody knows much about anything other than NGK and Nippondenso and several claim that the Bosch are junk. When I went to the local shops, I found that Nippondenso is not avail through them, NGK Platinum is $10 per plug at O'Reilly and Autozone, and Bosch Platinum +4 is $6 per plug at O'Reilly. I'm sorry, but I don't feel like dropping $90 in Spark Plugs so I bought the Bosch +4 which are supposedly junk.

The Clerk kept telling me the Japanese NGK are much better for Japanese cars than German Bosch, yadda yadda, and there might be some fact to that but I told him that's funny because I did just fine running Bosch in my American Camaro and Japanese 300zx's in the past so I'll choose to save $40 this round.

Here's what I learned:

Changing them in these trucks is a real bear, took me 2 hours of laying across on top of the radiator. :rolleyes:

The VK56 in the Armada/Titan uses the exact same spark plugs as the VK35 in the Murano, Maxima, Altima, 350z, etc....

The OEM Plugs are NGK Laser Platinum PLFR5A-11 which are VERY nice Plugs.

http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/products/spark_plugs/laser_platinum.asp

http://www.courtesyparts.com/betasite/22401-plug-spark-armada-ta60-2004-2006-plfr5a-p-20089.html?cPath=1063_1064_1091_1092&


The Bosch PLATINUM +4 4431 runs great with no "running like crap" like I've seen others claim. The engine runs great at all RPM ranges just as it did before.

http://www.boschautoparts.com/Products/SparkPlugs/Platinum4


As for the MPG's, I'm still calculating to see if this helps but it might stay where it is with these big tires and the Airbox Mod.

Hahaha. Keep us informed Pops.... and ease your big foot off the accelerator!:D

I have to agree with Sypda....I'm thinking the Spark behind the wheel is driving down the MPG, not the spark plugs in the engine! ;)

LOL - I'm sure you guys are right but I wanted to make sure before my 36k expires. I'm really impressed that they used such good OEM plugs. From my understanding, the only thing better than our OEM NGK Platinums are the Iridium plugs.

That is why they do not recommend chanking the before 100K. I think that's the recommended mileage!

That is why they do not recommend chanking the before 100K. I think that's the recommended mileage!
Right, but one person I know personally and a few others I have seen on the boards had to change theirs closer to almost 40k due to getting 10 mpg and changing them brought them backup to 14 mpg so I don't have a whole lot of faith in them.

It makes good basic mechanic sense. I hope it does improve your mileage. Hell, it shouldn't hurt it!:D

Yes pops keep us posted..I'm seeing my mechanic on Saturday..and I got 49K
mile on it..and need gas improvement for sure..

Do you think it's possible that the cause for lower MPG right now is winterbled fuel? I'm not too sure about unleaded fuels, but I do know with diesels they switch to a winterblend to help prevent gelling and we generally see beteen 3 and 4 mpg loss until the summer blend comes back. Just a thought.

Do you think it's possible that the cause for lower MPG right now is winterbled fuel? I'm not too sure about unleaded fuels, but I do know with diesels they switch to a winterblend to help prevent gelling and we generally see beteen 3 and 4 mpg loss until the summer blend comes back. Just a thought.
Most definitely and I would expect 12.5 but the 11.5 seems a bit low to me.

Just wanted to chime in on this one. I recently changed my plugs, I have 60k on the meter right now and was getting about 11.8 per gallon. 2 weeks ago I changed the OEM NGK plugs, with NGK Iridium plugs and I am averaging about 14.1 miles per gallon. It is definately worth it, I only paid $8 per plug.
Pops I agree with you, it is quite a task to change them, and I was on the radiator as well.

I have yet to change out the plugs on my Armada but I would have to say anything has got to be easier than the #6 plug on the Xterra that plug is a totally blind procedure. The combination of extensions and a flex joint is mandatory along with bloodied knuckles and a few hundred swear words to just guide the plug into the cylinder and guiding the wire on to the plug is also a blind operation. :censor: I curse Nissan and their engineers with their placement of this plug. "May you get your first French kiss from a diseased camel":usuck:

.... 2 weeks ago I changed the OEM NGK plugs, with NGK Iridium plugs and I am averaging about 14.1 miles per gallon. It is definately worth it, I only paid $8 per plug. ....
Where did you find those for $8 ??? I couldn't even find them stocked anywhere here and they were quoted for $20/ea.

Pops, I picked them up at R&S Strauss, I looked at the guy and asked him, are you sure they are Iridium plugs? He told me yes they are. I was suprised by the price myself. They were 7.99 per plug.

i'm using the same plugs and can't complain about the price. locally in NY, R&S Strauss seems to be the only major automotive parts stores that carry the Iridium plugs.

Pops, that quote you got for almost $20 were probably for the OEM laser iridium plugs. anytime you see OEM labeled NGK plugs, its gonna cost more. luckily for us armada owners, the iridiums are a better option for a lesser cost. my AV6 only uses the OEM laser platinums and they cost about $15-$18 each :rolleyes:

I'm gonna go and pick up some right now...

Alcohol does not produce the same BTU's per unit as pure gasoline does so a 10% winter alcohol blend can drop your mileage as much as 30% around town. Last summer I drove from Texas to Maine, got different mileage in each state due to the "blend" always got lower mileage in liberal states because they believe for some reason that if you add stuff to your gas to make it cost more, it will run better. On the other hand, most of Texas' gas comes from Mesico so there's no telling what's actually in it. Using Techroline additive seemed to even out the mileage. Haven't tried acetone in the car yet, waiting for warranty to go first.... If you ever find a place that sells pure gasoline, you'll see your mileage hit an all time high!

Where did you find those for $8 ??? I couldn't even find them stocked anywhere here and they were quoted for $20/ea.
Het POPs
Do you guys have Advance auto parts there if so try it I see their store carry the new NGK Iridiun IX ultimate performance they're selling it for 6.99 a piece
that is way under what you guys lookup there.;)
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=NGK&MfrPartNumber=4469&PartType=960&PTSet=A

Het POPs
Do you guys have Advance auto parts there if so try it I see their store carry the new NGK Iridiun IX ultimate performance they're selling it for 6.99 a piece
that is way under what you guys lookup there.;)
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=NGK&MfrPartNumber=4469&PartType=960&PTSet=A
That's PERFECT!!! Thank You!!! :bow:

Pops, any updates to your mileage issue?

I just picked up some Iridium plugs for $7.15 each, and that was before the military discount. Changing them this week.

There's no difference in mileage, my plugs were all good. As I've been researching, 12-13 mpg is common with these tires. Funny thing though, I've been getting 7-11 gas for awhile now and was getting 11.5-12 mpg. I decided to go back to getting Shell gas and I've been back up to 12.5-13 mpg for the last 4 fillups. Maybe they have different Winter mixes that affects our MPG's differently?? I know they all come from the same refineries here but I'm thinking their proprietary additive packs might make a difference afterall.

I would like to hear about the Iridiums though. Thay are supposed to be the very best.

Pops, the Iridium IX plugs are the "performance" plugs that NGK offers, similar to the Denso Iridium plugs. its a great alternative to the OEM laser platinum plugs thats recommended for our trucks since it cost less, but offers similar characteristics. only downside is some dealerships will try to claim that these plugs can void the warranty, which is nothing new and just a way for them to make $$$$.

but don't expect an increase in the HP dept; you might see gains in other engines that run hotter(high compression, supercharged, turbo, NO2 equipped) but hardly in our 5.6L engines. i've always used the Iridiums, either NGK or Denso in my other cars and all have similar results. noticeable are the quicker start-ups, slight improvement in mpg, and a cleaner burn on the plugs. i constantly inspect/change the plugs every 15k miles, and what i've noticed in the past, the Iridiums don't burn as fast as copper or platinum plugs. and will all know a cleaner plug will always burn more efficiently.

So, just made a trip from Fairbanks to Anchorage this past week and noticed that once I got out of city driving my gas mileage went back up to 16.9mpg. Thats for the entire trip, down and back.

I also noticed that over the trip there was a 2.1 mile difference between Nav mileage and speedo miles. WTF Over?

Pops I just picked up a set of OEM NGK Laser Platinum plugs for $7.39 each at Advance .

I came here looking for information on spark plug recommendations (which appear to be the NGK Iridiums), but now I'm wondering if it's better to wait for the 105,000 service per the manual. I've got around 26,000 miles, but like most of you I'm pretty hands on and am always looking to make tweaks here and there. I pulled one of the plugs the other day and all seemed fine. I get around 12-13 in the city (which is about 95% of my driving) and the engine runs fine. So, if I'm right, it looks like changing the plugs won't do much but drain my wallet. Agreed?

Of course, Black Spyda had his post on "20 ways you waste money on your car" (http://www.clubarmada.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10613&highlight=spark+plugs) and there it says, "If your engine doesn't "miss" -- skip a beat or make other odd noises -- don’t change the spark plugs or wires until the manufacturer says so."

(This may help those looking to go with NGK replacements ... http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/part_finder/car_truck_suv/default.asp)

BTW, I'm not overly concerned about MPG or I'd have bought a Prius.

Chris

Welcome to the Club!!! Yea, my MPG's are still the same so if you're still around 13mpg, it seems to me that it will likely make very little difference.

Welcome to CA Chris / LafayetteOwner!