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Originally Posted by kdbcom  Using Mike's assumption of the A200 using the same plug I was able to get a Denso (never heard of them myself only denso tape) they gave 2 types a VK20 & an IK20 the VK seemed to be the better quality plug. Sorry I could get no further info, it would probably need an email to the Technical Dept of the Makers e.g Bosh, NGK, Champion |
Other than NGK, the other big name Japanese spark plug manufacturer is Denso. Both NGK and Denso spark plugs are among the highest quality available, especially their Iridium lines, in construction, material, and quality control.
The Denso VK20 has 0.4mm iridium tipped center electrode and a platinum smear/pad on the ground electrode. Denso has made double sided iridium plugs before, but their earlier line had a larger center electrode. The Denso VK20 spark plugs will certainly give longer life than the IK20 spark plugs, but depending on tuning and engine, it is possible for the IK20 to give better performance and fuel economy.
Based on my experience with the IK20, the ground electrode is prone to wearing, as compared to its competitor such as the NGK Iridium IX, which is also a single sided iridium plug.
The NGK equivalent plug to the Denso Iridium Tough (VK20) is the NGK Laser Iridium line (IFR...). The NGK equivalent plug to the Iridium Power (IK20) is the Iridium IX.
Usually, without experimentation with a specific vehicle, it is difficult to know which spark plug will give better engine performance and fuel economy. However, double sided iridium plugs will undoubtedly give much longer life. And I don't mean end-of-life to mean when the engine start to give symptoms. The almost-new-plug engine performance level can be maintained for much, much longer time period than lesser plugs.