Autolite Single Platinum HORROR story

[pbm]

I'm resurrecting this thread because I pulled out the plugs on my b-I-l's 04 Corolla yesterday and found Autolite 3924 plain coppers in there. The car has 226K and he can't remember how long they've been in there. They looked OK except that the gap had opened up. The car was running good so I have to say I'm impressed with regular Autolite plugs.
Since the Corolla has a COP (coil on each plug) ignition can I assume it doesn't have a 'waste spark' system (where the voltage goes in both directions)?
From what I witnessed I would have no problem using Autolite coppers in my Corolla.

 

[Kestas]

This is my first time reading this thread. I'm amazed at how much is made out of these different types of plugs and how they perform.

Let's get down to basics. When it come to making a spark, all you need is metal and a gap, and I believe resistance factors in as well. The use of copper, platinum, and iridium is there only for longevity of the metal tips, not for initial performance.

When I read about one set of plugs performing better than another, I'm convinced there are other factors not taken into account, namely:
- There could have been a defective plug in the set.
- There could have been intermittent contact within the spark wire or coil, related to installation.
- The resistance of the plug may not have matched OEM plugs.

Basically, I would discount a lot of postings made above.