Bosch Spark Plug Replacement

• Performance
• Ease of Use / Installation
• Quality
• Price

• 4
• 5
• 5
• 5

According to its website, whenever your car needs power, acceleration, and throttle response, installing a set of Bosch spark plugs can help your car hit that trifecta. But how true is it to that claim? We've installed a set of Bosch platinum spark plugs on our 2002 Camry to find out whether or not Bosch can truly solve all of your car's engine troubles.

Features

• Bosch's unique four ground electrode design for a more powerful spark and better combustion
• Includes fused iridium and platinum center electrode
• With extended insulator nose for convenient maintenance
• Longer lasting performance life due to its four yttrium enhanced ground electrode
• Factory pre-set gap

PROS

• Replacing the stock spark plugs on our Camry with this part required minimal DIY knowledge and tools. It only took our team about 30 minutes to remove the original part and install the new Bosch spark plugs. The pre-set gap also helped lessen installation time.
• After installation, we turned on the engine to look for differences in our Camry's startup. It was quite impressive as it started up more quickly than with the original plugs. This faster response became more noticeable a few more weeks after installation when we had to start the car up in cold weather--about 70 degrees F to be exact. It started up smoother and faster than it normally does.
• During our test drive, we noticed that the Camry's engine definitely ran smoother, quieter, and with less vibrations. Overall, the engine's performance improved, with a smother sounding and feeling tone.
• A few months after installing the part, we also noticed an appreciable improvement in our Camry's fuel economy. We were averaging 32mpg after about 300 miles on the Camry.

CONS

• Although the Bosch plugs provided significant performance gains for our Camry, it might not have the same effect on cars equipped with performance engines. These Bosch platinum spark plugs are designed to operate at a lower voltage. The higher temperatures in a turbo engine might put additional stress on these low-voltage plugs and consequently fail to show any significant improvement in the engine's performance.
• The improvement in gas mileage was not as instantaneous as we had expected. We only started noticing an increase after about 300 miles.

Our say

The Bosch spark plug is the adequate solution for vehicles that are in need of an efficient fix to a lot of engine problems, such as idling and loss of power. This replacement part allows your car to gain more power, increase gas mileage, and make it run smoother as compared to when it had stock plugs. But keep in mind that these effects are only exclusive to non-aggressive vehicles. So if you're driving a car with turbo or WOT to redline features, you're better off with Bosch's higher voltage plugs. Overall, the Bosch platinum spark plug is a good replacement to your stock plugs, especially when considering its durability, economy, performance and longevity.