Everyone always talks about how platinum tipped plugs are the way to go, etc., but on here, I looked around and saw a couple people say that gold-tipped plugs may not last as long, but they fire better. What causes gold-tipped plugs to fire better than platinum? Also, I have 7500 on my X, and will probably replace the plugs at 25,000 to 30,000 miles. How often should Gold NGK plugs be changed vs. the platinum ones?

I'm not really qualified to answer, but isn't gold really soft compaired to platnum? Also, I think gold conducts electricity better (one of the best conductors actually). Actually I just looked this up;

edit to add: the numbers at the far right are the Resistivity - I copied this from a table and it doesn't display right in a forum.

Metal Resistivity, r

gold, 99.9 pure, 0 degrees C 2.22

silver, 99.98 pure, 18 degrees C 1.63

silver, electrolytic, 0 degrees C 1.47

copper, annealed, 20 degrees C 1.72

platinum, wire, 0 degrees C 11.0

I really wouldn't worry about changing the plugs that early. With good maintenance otherwise, you should be able to get close to 90,000 out of them or so. I pulled my plugs at around 95k and they were still ok. They sure as shit weren't new but they weren't horrible, granted I replaced them anyway.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by gold plugs unless it's a name they've given them. Platinum is hard and therefore lasts a long time, thus the 100,000 mile replacement interval. Copper plugs conduct better so will theoretically give a better spark at the cost of more frequent replacement intervals.

well, the tips of the spark plugs are either gold, platinum, or other metal. Platinum evidently lasts the longest, and from the previous posts, I assume Gold conducts electricity better...

Compared to the several thousand ohms intentionally built into a resistor plug, any difference in electrode material resistivity is meaningless. If anyone is making gold-tipped plugs the idea came from the marketing department and not engineering.

Metals like platinum and iridium are used because they are hard and can be fashioned into a small electrode that doesn't erode much in the nasty combustion chamber environment

he hit the nail on the head. they arent used because of increased conductivity. they are used because of superior resistance to corrosion.