NGK Laser Platinum vs Denso Iridium TT – Comparison
The NGK Laser Platinum that are on the Octavia VRS project have been swapped out for a set of Denso Iridium TT spark plugs. But why?
On cold start the engine idle was a little uneven and when maneuvering it sounded like the engine had some really big cams in it.
The previous plugs before the service did not do this. So I switched the NGK to Denso hoping that the idle would even out.
NGK Laser Platinum vs Denso TT Iridium – Any Difference
With the Laser Platinums the idle wasn’t horrible after the cold start, there was just a light miss now and again.
With the Denso Iridium TTs this light miss appears to have gone and the lumpiness seems better.
Perhaps this is because the Denso are newer plugs. I’ll report back in a few weeks if anything changes.
Laser Platinum vs Denso – Driving
Once there is temperature in the engine, I don’t notice any difference between the two plugs, power wise. Fuel economy I couldn’t comment, I don’t do the same drive every day in the car so I can’t compare tanks of gas.
Denso TT Better?
Are the Denso Iridium TTs better than the NGK Laser Platinums?
On first blush I think so but as I said, the Denso are new so perhaps it’s unfair to compare with the NGK. If my opinion changes after a few weeks I’ll update this article. As things stand at the moment. I favour the Denso.
Technical Differences
With regards to the spec sheets. The NGK spark plugs obviously use a platinum electrode. The difference between the Laser Platinum and the normal platinum plugs is the thickness of the electrode. The Lasers have a much thinner electrode which is supposed to help ignition and also reduce fowling. And the Lasers cost a lot more.
The Denso’s use an Iridium electrode and they also add a thin extension to the conductor. The electrode is thinner than the Laser Platinums. The marketing says the same as NGK, the thinner electrode helps ignition, especially on cars with challenging conditions in the combustion chamber eg high compression/high boost.
The hypothetical benefits of Iridium over Platinum is that Iridium will last longer because it is a harder material.
This is the first time I try Denso Iridium plugs but I can say NGK Iridium plugs last a lot longer than the equivalent NGK platinum spark plug. I think the difference in ignition for power and economy will be very hard to notice. In my opinion.
