Iridium Spark Plugs

[Fairlite]

Ok I have a question. I just had my 60,000 mile Maint. done on my 2000 Solara SLE. When I asked the dealership about Iridium plugs they told me *NOT* to use them because they burn too hot and can cause damage to the cylinders and the piston rings. They said that the only toyota that should have iridium plugs is one model of the Corrolla. My question is this, is there any truth to these statements? I right now I just have the Factory Platnium plugs. I would figure that a Toyota Dealership would know what is good for my car.
Thanks in advance.

[ericatdallas]

Why do you want to use Iridium plugs anyway? I remember reading somewhere in the forums that Solara can't use them.

[krook]

no, Flipside said somethin' like the performance gains would be very minimal. So minimal in fact, that the regular stock spark plugs would be sufficient enough

[Jackass-Jeff]

The factory used denso iridium plugs on the v6 engine while using some other plugs on the 4... they said you should get colder plugs IF you planned to s/c or turbo it... search for the post... i guess

[Guest]

You will only benefit from the Iridiums if you're runnning the S/C. Otherwise it's a waste of money. And as far as I know the Iridiums have a colder spark, so I don't know what the Toyota tech is talking about.

[Flipside909]

You will only benefit from the Iridiums if you're runnning the S/C. Otherwise it's a waste of money. And as far as I know the Iridiums have a colder spark, so I don't know what the Toyota tech is talking about.

Actually those assumptions are all wrong. Iridiums burn more completely and have a higher melting point than regular platinums. There are 2 types of Denso Iridiums, the Denso Iridiums that you buy aftermarket, and the Denso Iridiums that are OEM on SEVERAL current Toyota/Lexus models. The aftermarket Iridiums do not last as long as the ones as OEM. You can order the specific OEM Iridiums from your Toyota parts counter. It's not just for S/C usage. I have a set of Denso Iridium IK20 (oem heat range) plugs on my avalon. They have already over 15,000 miles on them now and the car still runs just as smooth as the day I first put them in. This car currently has 105,000 miles. For the colder plug range IK22 is where S/C'ed applications will benefit. You need the colder plug range to prevent detonation during heavy/hard acceleration. It's not a waste of money since the price of Iridium plugs are getting as cheap as Platinums. BTW, Solara 1MZ-FE from 99-02 use dual tipped platinum..same with the 1MZ-FE found in 97-01. For 2002 Gen5 V6, they now use single tipped Iridiums. My 95 Avalon came stock with single tipped platinums. Toyota always moves up in technology for plugs...never backwards.

[Guest]

I'm sorry I wasn't specific - I meant to say IK22 have a colder spark and are optimal for S/C apps