Iridium
is a precious, silver-white metal and one of the densest materials found
on earth. The natural properties of Iridium offered NGK the opportunity
to create one of the world's finest spark plugs. The result are spark
plugs that require less voltage to spark, burns fuel more efficiently,
sparks at leaner air/fuel mixtures, and delivers higher horsepower and
better gas mileage.
NGK offers two choices of this precious metal plug:
The Iridium - A high quality iridium plug installed
as original equipment (OE) in the automotive industry since 1994, and
the new Iridium IX® - The ultimate evolution of a performance spark
plug. Now available for the Porsche 968 here.
Iridium IX Spark Plugs are the most technologically advanced high performance plugs available. Featuring a 0.6 mm iridium center electrode tip, they offer superior ignitability without sacrificing durability. The tapered ground electrode increases flame kernel expansion, while the superior heat range design is ideally suited to the demands of high performance environments. Specially designed to meet the needs of serious enthusiasts, Iridium IX Spark Plugs offer outstanding acceleration, high fuel efficiency and long life. When you demand the most from your engine, rely on the proven performance of NGK Iridium IX Spark Plugs.
NGK's new Iridium IX is the personification of
these qualities and takes premium performance spark plugs to a new level.
A level that is expected from the world leader in spark plugs.
Some facts about Iridium
Iridium is an extremely hard metallic element that is brittle and it's colour is white, it's symbol is Ir and has an atomic number of 77 with an atomic weight of 192.22 and a specific gravity of 22.6. Iridium has a melting point of 2410 degrees Celcius.
Being extrmely rare it is only 77th on the list of abundant elements from the Earth's crust.
Mainly used as an alloying material for platinum; with a 10% Iridium content the alloy is much harder than pure platinum. Platinum alloys containing larger quantities of Iridium are used in making precision instruments, surgical tools, pen points, and standard weights and lengths.
Iridium was discovered by the British chemist Smithson Tennant in 1804 and was named for the iridescent nature of some of its compounds.