A great question that engine tuners ask on a regular basis. But to make this little game of hide and seek as quick and easy as possible, I’m going to point you to 3 simple areas. Your car, your owners manual, and, even if you’ve found it by that point, a great online resource that lists not only the factory plug for your car, but every other plug available.

If I had my way, there would be a sticker under the hood of all vehicles that lists the OE part numbers of every major component – light bulbs and paint color included. While we’re at it, if every car purchase included a handy little mechanic, I certainly wouldn’t complain. But since we don’t live in Utopia, we have to go hunting for this stuff.

Some vehicle manufacturers have kindly put the OE spark plug part number, on a sticker no less, under the hood, complete with recommended gap settings. But, if you’re in the same boat as me, and 90% of the rest of the world, your next stop is your owner’s manual. Lost your owner’s manual? I’ve got one more resource for you – this one, you’re going to love!

Check out this cool tool at SparkPlugs.com – use the vehicle lookup to find your car. What magically appears in front of you is every spark plug available for your car by NGK, Denso, Bosch, Autolite, Champion, E3, Splitfire and Pulstar, complete with recommended gap settings. There will likely be some plugs that say something along the lines of “OE manufacturer or OE type”. If you know the brand of the original plugs in your car, just find that brands plug with that handy label. Those are the stock plugs. All other plugs with that label are the stock equivalent in other brands.

Want more information on any of those plugs? Roll over the part number and the plug specs and image appear on the left hand side. Click on the “more info” button and even more details come up. Looking for better performance or gas mileage? After talking with some mechanics and spark plug techs we’ve learned 2 things.

#1- Never go down in quality. If the stock plugs on your vehicle are higher quality than standard nickel plugs, the vehicle manufacturer likely chose them for a reason. Some manufacturers are starting to see the advantages of using ‘high performance’ plugs. Others have had the spark plug manufacturer make that particular spark plug for your specific engine. Downgrading to a cheaper/inferior plug, though cheaper, could actually lower your engine’s performance, possibly even causing engine damage.

#2- Upgrading your plugs CAN increase your performance. Studies have shown that using ‘high performance’ plugs that are part of newer technology, such as iridium and fine wire plugs, can actually increase a vehicles gas mileage, horsepower and performance.

How can you tell what would be an upgrade vs. a downgrade? According to SparkPlugs.com, the list of available plugs is categorized according to a variety of factors that affect a plugs performance, resulting in a “super, premium, and ultimate” sort of ranking, with the best plugs starting at the top. With the information they’ve provided, it helps consumers like us to find the best quality at the best price, and allow our babies to keep pluggin along (no pun intended). Happy Tuning!