Denso spark plugs (Denso): selection by car, decoding of markings, heat rating and reviews

The correct operation of a car engine largely depends on the serviceability of the spark plugs (SPS) used. The range of SZ today is so huge that any consumer can choose devices for their car based on preferences and financial capabilities. How to select Denso spark plugs for a car, what these spark plugs are and what disadvantages are typical for them - read about it below.

Characteristic

Denso spark plugs, judging by the reviews of many car enthusiasts, are today one of the highest quality and most effective products for the ignition system.
Among hundreds of brands, Denso is the first to patent the TwinTip technology used in the TT production line. Such devices are made with a central electrode, which is made of nickel, with a reduced diameter, in this case it is 1.5 mm. It should also be noted that the size of the side electrode has similarly been reduced to 1.5 mm. The company produces products not only for gasoline engines, but also for gas (the author of the video is the DENSO Russia channel). We invite you to familiarize yourself with the main features characteristic of Denso SZ, regardless of what heat rating they have:

1. Products of this brand are characterized by improved discharge formation. If you believe the manufacturer, then in fact they achieve the greatest efficiency. It should be taken into account that the production of such products does not use precious metals, for example, iridium, and accordingly, the cost of such devices is lower. This is reflected in their final price.
2. The iridium or platinum NW electrodes are made of iridium or platinum, respectively. The cost of such products is higher, but their service life is truly impressive. In the first case, it ranges from 60 to 120 thousand km, depending on the thickness of the central electrode, in the second - 70-80 thousand km.
3. According to official data, Denso products provide improved performance at relatively low costs.
4. To produce a spark and start a car engine, Denso SZ requires much less voltage. This means that the power unit can be started much faster, in particular, we are talking about starting in frosty conditions.
5. Since Denso products have a thinner central electrode, the discharge itself will be more powerful, resulting in higher operating efficiency. This is also important in winter working conditions. As mentioned above, the electrode size is 1.5 mm, while in standard SZ it is about 2.5 mm.

Range

Now we invite you to familiarize yourself with the lines of devices produced by the Denso brand:

• Nickel TT;
• Iridium TT;
• Standard;
• Platinum Longlife;
• Iridium Power;
• Iridium Racing;
• Iridium Tough.

Photo gallery “SZ Denso models”

Advantages and disadvantages

For a more complete picture, we also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the advantages and disadvantages of SZ. We are talking about all models, and k20tt, k16tt, w20tt, ik20 in particular. You have compiled a list of pros and cons in accordance with customer reviews, so you can be sure of the veracity of the information below.

First, let's look at the advantages:

1. When installing such sanitary protection systems, fewer harmful substances will be released into the environment. Due to the fact that the formation of a discharge on the electrodes of such SZ has become improved, the overall combustion process of the mixture in the engine will be more stable. Ultimately, the use of such protective equipment makes it possible to reduce fuel consumption and reduce the volume of harmful emissions into the environment. The advantage of reduced consumption is only relevant for those cars whose engines are tuned correctly and generally operate without failures. The savings themselves will be low - no more than 5%.
2. Large selection of devices in different price categories. This allows you to select products for any type of car.
3. Since spark formation has been improved, the combustion parameter of the combustible mixture also increases. This allows for ignition of even an excessively lean air-fuel mixture. Ultimately, misfires in the ignition system may continue to appear, but this will occur much less frequently.
4. If your vehicle is equipped with a gas cylinder installation, then you can use products from the Tough line specially designed for such engines. Devices of this model are equipped with a platinum tip, which is installed on the side electrode. It should be noted that in fact such devices have higher wear resistance, and this is especially important for gas engines. This information is confirmed by consumer reviews. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that in general the temperature of the power unit when operating on liquefied gas is higher. So if the engine runs on such fuel, the combustible mixture will burn at a higher temperature.
5. In addition, products from the manufacturer Denso have their own self-cleaning system. Thanks to the use of modern technologies in production, Denso produces products that, as a result of prolonged use, clean themselves. Such products are not afraid of the problem of soot, which ultimately also allows them to increase their service life.
6. Iridium products are more resistant to corrosion, which can significantly increase their service life, as well as the quality of work (video author Mikhail Vlasov).

As for the minuses, they are as follows:

1. The first drawback is that there are many fakes on the market. As you might guess, counterfeit products will not be able to boast such advantages as the original ones, at least because the heat rating in them is different. Accordingly, the service life of such devices will also be low.
2. Separately, it is necessary to say regarding the service life. Judging by the reviews, in some cases it will be lower, in particular, owners of vehicles that run on gas and diesel write about this. In any case, even the reduced service life of gas SZ will still be higher than that of the same products from other manufacturers.
3. High price. Everyone knows that high quality comes with high cost, but not all consumers can afford such devices.
4. In addition, in some new spark plugs the gap itself is not adjusted to the working gap.

Marking

You can learn more about the markings, as well as the decoding of the symbols, from the table below.

Explanation of markings

The characteristics of the entire variety of SZ Denso can be read by the alphanumeric code. For example – IK16:

• I – represents the iridium type of component with a diameter of 0.4 mm;
• K – means size 14X19.0X16.0, where the thread diameter is 14, the length of the threaded connection is 19, the size of the wrench for unscrewing the product is 16;
• the glow number is 16, this number indicates “hot candle”.

How to distinguish original candles from fakes
In the characteristics of the IK20 model, the readings of the first letters are the same as in the first model, the only difference is the heat number. SZ can be not only iridium, for example, a model designated K20tt. Then K denotes the size 14Х19Х16, 20 – CC, tt – this is TWIN TIP, a designation of improved characteristics. There is a model marked IX24, where:

• I – IRIDIUM;
• X – diameter, thread pitch and wrench size for dismantling 12Х19.0Х18.0;
• 24 – CC, indicating “cold candle”.

The latest model is used on highly accelerated power units.

Selection of spark plugs for the car

To select SZ by car make, you need to know:

• thread diameter;
• thread length.

They also differ in the size of the spark plug wrench for dismantling, because... The seats in the cylinder block may differ slightly. The most common sizes of spark plug wrenches are 16 and 22 mm. SZ are selected for the vehicle using the CN indicated on the element. There are hot SZ and cold:

1. Hot SZ - have a high thermal power; for Denso components the heat rating is indicated less than 20. NGK is no more than 5, has a low ability to remove heat from the insulator. Installed on conventional naturally aspirated engines.
2. Cold SZ - have a high CN, more than 20, and good heat dissipation. Installed on forced power units.

When installing hot spark plugs on a forced power unit, the spark plug electrodes may melt, which will harm the power unit. If you install cold spark plugs on a low-speed naturally aspirated engine, a large amount of carbon deposits will form on the electrodes. In this case, misfires will occur. In order to choose the right spark plug for the car brand, the company’s official website presents a developed catalog of Denso spark plugs, which will help you make the right choice.

When choosing spark plugs, you should not save money and buy cheap products; the life of the ignition system and power unit depends on this.

Iridium spark plugs Denso

The creation of iridium spark plugs made them the “face” of the company. Denso currently has several series in its assortment:

1. OEM spark plugs supplied to car factories have an unconventionally thick (0.7 mm) central electrode made of iridium and a side electrode coated with platinum. This is done to guarantee compliance with the declared resource of 120 thousand kilometers, although it reduces the efficiency of operation (the thickness of the electrode affects).
2. Iridium Power - spark plugs that have an ultra-thin (0.4 mm) central electrode, and a U-shaped groove in the side electrode. For a long time, these spark plugs were the most effective in the Denso Iridium line, until they were supplemented by new series.
3. Iridium Tough spark plugs are a hybrid of the previous two: a thin central electrode is combined with a platinum-coated side electrode. These spark plugs are close in service life to OEM spark plugs, but work much better on natural gas, which is gaining popularity in Europe.
4. SIP spark plugs are a miniature masterpiece of technology: opposite the central iridium electrode, an equally thin platinum pin is soldered onto the side electrode. This gives ideal spark stabilization, ease of ignition at high speeds and powerful boost. SIP spark plugs are the most economical among all those produced by Denso, and this effect can be felt even on a not-so-sophisticated engine. The development of SIP technology has become Iridium TT spark plugs, which still have no analogues among competitors.
5. Iridium Racing are designed for ultra-hard operation in engines with maximum boost levels. They do not have a side electrode at all - the spark hits directly at the edges of the skirt. There is no side electrode - there is no risk of overheating, leading to detonation, which is fatal for highly accelerated engines.

In the eternal confrontation with NGK, it is iridium spark plugs that bring Denso leadership - holding 55% of the iridium spark plug market in general, in the field of SIP spark plugs Denso is actually a market monopolist (90%).

Recommendations for selection

When choosing new spark plugs, follow these recommendations:

• choose only high-quality products from trusted manufacturers;

You should not save when buying spark plugs - they are the key to stable and reliable operation of the entire engine.

• do not try to buy the most expensive ones (if you are the owner of a budget car or your car has a replacement period of 30 thousand, then there is no point in buying expensive parts designed for a hundred thousand);
• avoid fakes - before purchasing, carefully inspect the packaging, open it - check the markings on the part, the clarity of the threads, the quality of the coating;
• Buy products only from authorized dealers or trusted stores.

Marking of Denso spark plugs

Video: Spark plugs in Japanese cars: marking of Denso, NGK spark plugs

Each manufacturer uses its own coding scheme for spark plug parameters. Denso has adopted the following for new series:

Iridium TT candles have their own scheme:

Old marking system:

For example, let's find an analogue of our classic candle A17DVRM. Here the difficulty is only with the heat number (Denso does not provide comparisons with the domestic standard), but from the catalog of analogues we can conclude that Denso’s analogue of the Russian “17” will be “20”. Since we need a 14x19 threaded shank, and the spark plug wrench we use is 21, we need to look for spark plugs with the W20 prefix in the “old” series (since VAZ spark plugs have been replaced for decades) - for example, W20EPR-U, spark plugs with 19mm shank (E), center electrode protrusion (P), built-in resistor (R) and U-shaped groove on the side (U). If you want to install iridium spark plugs, then IW20TT will do.

The best manufacturers

Below are the best spark plug brands. These are the ones you should pay attention to when choosing new ones.

1. Denso is a Japanese manufacturer whose products are almost exact copies of the originals. Only markings will help to distinguish it. Denso iridium spark plugs are widely known for their unsurpassed reliability.
2. Bosch is one of the leading companies with a long history. Bosch spark plugs are distinguished by high technical characteristics and an affordable price.
3. NGK is another company from Japan. NLC products are distinguished by stable sparking and stable, excellent operation at high voltage.
4. Brisk - a Czech company produces reliable but expensive spare parts, distinguished by a special method of spark formation, which reduces fuel consumption.
5. Champion is an American manufacturer of quality candles at an affordable price. These products are often installed on domestic cars and budget foreign cars.

Video on choosing candles

Selection options

We won't talk much about the choice. The choice is made in accordance with the technical parameters of a particular vehicle. When purchasing, it is important to buy the original and not a fake; we will tell you more about their differences below. Denso's official website offers a great opportunity to consumers. In accordance with the parameters entered into the form about the car, the system automatically calculates and provides the user with SZ models, the use of which is allowed in the car.

Characteristics of candles

The modern market offers for sale a huge number of candles, differing in configuration, material and technical data. For each type of engine and car model, its own spare part is selected in accordance with its characteristics.

Candles are characterized by a set of the following parameters:

• The number of electrodes is the number of them in the spark plug (the most common are parts with two elements).
• Heat number - a parameter that determines the thermal properties of the part. The higher this number, the better it works at critically high temperatures. In accordance with this parameter, candles are:

1. hot - heat number from 11 to 14 (for lightly loaded engines and measured driving);
2. medium - value from 17 to 19 (used in most vehicles with a power of 100 hp or more);
3. cold - over 20 (for powerful turbocharged engines).

• Spark gap - the distance from the central to the side electrode (the larger it is, the better the fuel ignites).
• Material of execution - in most cases, candles are made of alloy steel with the addition of nickel and manganese. The platinum coating of the electrodes significantly increases the service life of the part, and at the same time its cost.
• Dimensions such as:

1. thread length - there are short -12 mm, medium - 20 mm and long - 25 mm models;
2. thread type – the most common type found on cars is M14×1.25 (where 14 is the thread diameter, and 1.25 is the thread pitch);
3. hex head size - modern values ​​are most often 16 or 21 mm.

You should choose your candle size very carefully! The short part will not fit completely into the engine socket, and the long part will protrude from it.

Comparison with competitors

Strict quality control and leading positioning in the global market allow Denso spark plugs to be considered one of the favorites when choosing a new set - indeed, in most cases, in terms of price/quality ratio, they will beat their analogues. If the car initially uses iridium spark plugs, especially with a rare shank size (for example, 10x19), then in fact the choice remains only between Denso and NGK. In this case, sympathies may also be on the side of Denso, since their range allows you to choose a more suitable type of spark plug - long-lived Iridium Tough, highly efficient Iridium TT or Iridium Racing, if you plan to squeeze everything out of the engine that it is capable of.

The main advantage of Denso is a relatively low percentage of fakes, which sets them apart from NGK, which have become almost synonymous with counterfeit (on Ebay, just search for spark plug to see a huge number of “NGK-type” offers at cheap prices from China).

How to select new candles

When choosing new spark plugs, you should first of all follow the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations.

When selecting a new spare part, you need to rely on the make and model of the car, the type of engine, and also take into account the main technical characteristics of the part (discussed in the article above).

Difficulty when choosing new spark plugs may arise due to the lack of a uniform marking of spare parts - each company has its own. However, the basic characteristics of the element reflect all firms.

For the correct selection you can use:

• manufacturer's spark plug catalog (on the brand's website, in an auto parts store or at a service station);
• Numerous online resources for self-selection by car make and VIN code.

Online selection services

There are a huge number of online resources that will help you choose spark plugs by car make and model or by its VIN code. You can use any of the proven resources presented below.

Selection services from manufacturing companies:

1. ngk spark plugs using a special service on the company’s website. Online selection of ngk products by car brand is here.
2. Brisk spark plugs can also be selected on the manufacturer’s website.
3. Champion spare parts can be selected using the service on the main page of the company’s Internet portal.
4. For bosch products, selection can be made here.
5. The selection of Denso spark plugs for your car can be done using the brand’s product catalog.

Universal services:

1. Selection of candles on the Automag store portal.
2. Search for auto parts by car brand and VIN code on the website port3.ru.
3. The auto spark plug portal will also help you select a spare part by car brand.
4. You can quickly select spark plugs and other auto parts on the website cardone.org.

How to distinguish an original Denso from a fake?

In order not to waste money in vain, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with how to properly buy the original. Diagnostics of the purchased product can be carried out both by the appearance of the device and by its internal structure.

Naturally, when buying spark plugs, you will carry out visual diagnostics:

1. Inspect the product carefully. In original spark plugs, the surface of the contact terminal is more matte. As for fakes, they have a glossy surface.
2. Pay attention to the inscriptions indicated on the case. In counterfeit products, if necessary, the text can be removed with a fingernail or a coin, and this can be done very quickly. In original products, it is almost impossible to remove text, or at least it is much more difficult to do so.
3. Carefully inspect the threads of the device and the electrode. The actual quality of these structural elements in fakes is lower, this will be noticeable.
4. If we talk specifically about the housing of the devices, then in fake products it is not as high quality as in the originals. In particular, in this case it means that the surface of the case is not processed so well.
5. If you do buy a fake, then when operating the car you will notice that when driving uphill or at high speed, the engine power may decrease for no reason. But then she can also recover on her own. Accordingly, fuel consumption when using counterfeits may also be higher. The difference is not critical, but you can trace it only with accurate flow measurements.
6. With prolonged use, the side electrodes of the products may begin to melt. This can be monitored by periodically checking the status.

Replacement frequency

Different car models require different replacement intervals for spark plugs. It is always indicated by the manufacturer in the operating instructions for the vehicle.

There are a number of signs that indicate the need for replacement:

• increased fuel consumption;
• vibration when the engine is running;
• Difficulty starting the engine.

In most cases, replacement should be made every 20-30 thousand kilometers, on many foreign cars much later. Expensive iridium and platinum spare parts can easily withstand more than one hundred thousand mileage.

Only the entire set of spark plugs should be changed! This will avoid unstable operation of the motor in the near future.