RJ19LM Plugs: Champion or NGK?

[Mr_Accord]

I have been using the Champion RJ19LM plugs in my Craftsman Mover with a B&S 6.5PH Quantum Series Engine for a few years now. I just wanted to know if there was a noticeable quality and longevity difference between the NGK and champion plugs? I know when it comes to plugs for cars I would take NGK over Champ any day, but with copper plugs for small engines is there a big difference?

 

[dparm]

Plugs are plugs, I doubt it's going to make much of a difference. I'd just get what's on sale.

 

[mrsilv04]

I'd use whichever one is easiest to get your hands on.

In that application, you'll do fine with either.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
I'd use whichever one is easiest to get your hands on. In that application, you'll do fine with either.

+1 - if this was a high HP application perhaps a different plug would be in order, but for a "utility" engine my belief is that Champion or any quality plug would suffice. Use what you can find that is the cheapest.

 

[boraticus]

In all of my years of OPE ownership and operation, I've only had two spark plugs fail. One was in a power ice auger the other in a chainsaw. Both engines are two stroke. Both plugs that failed were Champions. In the same period of time, I've never had an NGK
give up the ghost.

Considering that the Champion plugs made up a small percentage of the plugs I was using over that period of time and NKG was by far more numerous in application, mathematically, the failure rate of the Champions plugs is very high.

 

[T-Keith]

I have replaced dozens of Champion plugs, but only a handful of NGKs. You could not pay me to use a Champion plug, in my experience they are absolutely worthless. Buy an NGK and you won't have any trouble.

 

[97prizm]

I know I will get flack for this but, I've used different plugs for my mower with the same engine, and the diamond fire plug reduced fuel consumption. I filled the mower with the exact same amount of gas, and it always need refuling less often.

 

[doitmyself]

I will join you, 97prism, and put on my flame suit to say that over the past 30 + years I have used Champion plugs and not experienced the problems others speak of here.

I use OEM Bosch plugs in my workplace Stihl chainsaws under professional use and once every few years one will fail, but that is par for the course in my opinion.

 

[wolfc70]

I have never had a plug fail on my OPE stuff. I have had three champion plugs fail on motorcycles. Never had a NGK plug fail, ever. I will only buy NGK, Bosch or Denso.

 

[GhostFlame]

I usually use NGK in my Kohler 15 hp lawan tractor. They were out of NGK and I purchased a champion. It runs better than before or it may be that Its just new. I change every year anyway $2.65 for the plug its just easier. I would use whatever they have.

 

[engineerscott]

NGKs give me the least trouble. I've replaced Champion and the occasional Bosch but since I've been running NGK I've only replaced them because they were just in the machine so long it seemed like the thing to do (i.e. in the course of a routine tune-up).

Champions on the other hand have outright failed on me. At least two of those failures were due to cracked insulators which allowed the high voltage to arc over inside the body of the plug and therefore provided no spark in the combustion chamber.

I wouldn't replace a plug that was working, but if you need to replace the plug I'd buy NGK.

 

[yeehaw1960]

I get NGK (equivalents for J19LM, J17LM and CJ8)for 50 cents a piece less than Champions at O'Reilly's Auto. Since I buy them 40 at a time, it's a real savings with not much, if any, difference in the quality so far. Every once in awhile I catch Champion on "end of season" clearance at Walmart for a buck. I buy all they have when that happens. I've also heard great things about "Torch" plugs...NOT!

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: yeehaw1960
I've also heard great things about "Torch" plugs...NOT!

+1 They are low grade junk. I have 2 90cc ATVs for the kids that had these in them and one of them ran OK, but the other always had a weird misfire that I could not diagnose. Replaced them with NGK Non-Resistor C7HSA from Sparkplug Auto at $1.54 each and problem solved. The previous owner tried to save a few cents by buying Torch plugs (that were supposedly cheap--but not sure how much cheaper than $1.54 you can go).

 

[01rangerxl]

NGK has higher and more consistent quality, so you are less likely to get a dud. However, the Champions typically work just fine in most OPE, there's just a higher possibility of getting a bad one.