Hi,
I purchased some spark plugs at walmart that are supposed to work with my car (a 2000 kia sephia), and the spark plug manufacturer put the gap at .044.
However, looking at the kia website, they suggested the gap should be between .027-.031 for my model.

My question is, which gap would be right in this case? I did not purchase the kia original brand spark plugs (NGK BKR6E), but purchased autolite 3923 coppers- but according to autolite the spark plugs will work on my car. Is autolites wrong about the gap?, or would it be correct to use the .044 gap because the spark plugs are made from a different manufacturer than the original factory kia spark plugs (and perhaps use different materials, such as copper)?

Thanks in advance!

 

Open the hood on your car; look around by the hood latch, there should be a sticker that gives you the information on the plug gap. Also look in your owners manual, go with the gap that Kia recommends for your engine.
Autolite plugs are not gapped from the factory. The only plug that I recall being gapped from the factory is Bosch Platinium.

 

Thanks, i'll do that.

The strange thing is is that .044 is what autolite and other spark plug makers recommend the gap should be on my modile, even though kia says otherwise. I wonder why that is the case?

Thanks again for your help.

 

Because Autolite consolidates spark plug #s from NGK to cover a range of applications. No good.

Return the plugs and get yourself that NGK # from any good parts store.

Stick with the OEM recommended plugs. Far superior and worth the money (and often cheaper than the "premium" plugs).

If I had a dollar every time someone thought they were "saving" money or "enhancing performance" by using something other than the OEM plugs, I'd be retired by now. LOL

 

Thanks for the advice Joe.
Unfortunatly I had allready installed the autolite plugs before reading your post. They seem to be working fine-
But, how do these spark plugs hurt the engine or performance in your opinion, compared to the oem ones?

 

1) Overpriced.
2) Consolidated heat ranges versus the OEM plug with a SPECIFIC heat range for that engine as deemed by the car maker.
3) Poorer quality.
4) Waste of money versus the right plug which will deliver the best performance.

You'll find $1.50 AC Delco plugs in all my GM cars.