I agree but it’s been a very long time
Once I use NGK I replace them almost never!
Champs load up, buck , misfire
The quality has really gone down over the last 15 years imho
As long as a plug sparks and its the right heat range it has done it’s job. All the extra money is spent on improving longevity: Platinum this, and V-groove that add the sharp edges that electricity prefers to leap from. And money is also spent on marketing hype & adv.
You can’t go wrong with an NGK BPR5ES.
Put anti seize on the threads and use torque wrench once the gasket is crushed.
Mine are at least 10 years old and have the little V groove on the center electrode.
I stopped using Champions 30-40 years ago, but it was a 2 stroke thing (fouling plugs).
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Agreed: best plugs on the market.
I stopped using them about the same time for that reason, and I kept getting high-pressure misfires.
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BP “R” 5 ES if you want resistor…BP5ES if you don not need resistor (radio-who listens to radio?). the BP6ES is a step colder, while still a wider range than a champion,and is suited to. highway driving . EEEEEK NGK says the BP5ES is discontinued, replaced by the BPR5ES…the non resistor had a resitance value of 1000 ohms, the resistor is 5000 ohms. I am gonna find old stock…I don’t want resistor !! But the 5 heat range is fine…not so hot as to cause any damage. A torque wrench will almost always result in overtightening…why you ask…just torque correctly. No one does…the leverage is too much…you only tighten finger tight and with new plug/new gasket 3/8 to 5/8 of a turn more.: .not even one full turn ! with a reinstall of a used plug with gasket already crushed it is less…1/4 of a turn…just over one flat. Torque charts show 18-21.6 for NGK…really…21.6 ft lb for a 14mm plug in aluminum cyl head.
https://www.championautoparts.com/Technical/Tech-Tips/Spark-Plug-Torque…
Nick
For historical interest, Denis Jenkinson in his “Jaguar E-type” book relates in Chapter 4 how, every time he sent his E-type to the factory for servicing, it came back with Champion plugs. And every time Jenkinson would take them out and put Autolite AG42s in.
Jenkinson was annoyed by the Champion plugs because if the car had been running at slow speeds for a while then hit the open road at high speed, it would stumble and hiccup at over 4000 rpm until they “cleared.” He said this never happened with the Autolites, and that Champion denied Jenkinson’s reports on this. (remember, he was an automotive and race journalist.)
Jenkinson also related his hearsay that the factory experimental work was done with Autolites instead of the factory contracted Champions…
Dave
some RIDICULOUS prices for BP5ES on web…and some substitute the R without notice.
Nick
Over the past 40 years I’ve had variable satisfaction with alternatives to the Champion plugs. The plug my engine seems to like a lot is the N12Y, nla for many years but sometimes crop up in NOS lots at swap meets. I’ve purchased several over the years and have experienced only one dud, so as usual ymmv with old stock.
I came across an ad here in Canada a couple of years ago of someone who had a large number of NOS N12Ys, so bought 36 from him, for a lifetime supply. I’ve just checked and he still has about 400 or so for sale at C$6 each. Cheap.
Get them before a reseller does.
and as I said the much favored NGK BP5ES and BP6ES are now not manufactured, replaced by the R…resistor…it takes ohms from 1,000 to 5,000, at the plug…plus whatever else you have in the system. You can just find em…NOS still for a while with some web crawls…various prices…from 2.99 to 20 each !! Check shipping too…some charge a lot…others free. I have now stocked up on both 5, and 6…I do not want the added ohms of resistance in my ignition…no radio in a 120 OTS… Really …who listens to radio anyway.
Nick
Hi,
I listen to the radio every day. 
Even with the hood (top) down and helmet on, although above 100km/h (60mph) can’t hear that much.
Back on topic. I too have had some trouble with Champions, not much, but unwanted issues anyways.
These have not given me any misses nor regrets on the V12:
Cheers!
I’ll tell a story. Y’all can take from it what you wish. For years I worked for Allied-Signal; today that is Honeywell. Twenty years ago myself and a few others visited the company-owned Autolite factory in Fostoria, Ohio as part of a management review and it was enlightening. Spark plugs like all things are subject to technology and process control. Autolite had just brought their new factory on-line. They kept very close tabs on the competition. Some things I learned. Autolite, NGK and Bosch were hands down the best spark plugs in terms of technology. That would be seal technology, ceramic technology, electrode technology and, above all, process control. Following up were AC and Denso. In the spark plug race whoever has the newest state-of-the-art factory will likely have the best spark plugs. At that time, it was Autolite. Hands down. (I understand Denso has updated their factories in recent years, maybe others too.) Interesting fact #1: the real Champion spark plug company is AC (Albert Champion) who sold to Delco and the Champion name was contested and won by the sales manager, but Mr. Champion went to GM. Champion had invented a talc powder seal in the early 1900s and Champion - the marketing company - was still using it in 2000!. Electrode technology surrounds the metal and the coatings and the capability to adhere the coatings; newest factory = best technology. The Iridium coatings are able to resist very lean mixtures at high temperatures - hence Iridium spark plugs. Probably not needed for your Jaguar. Ceramics technology is another key factor and and interesting demonstration I was given was great fun. Take this basket of spark plug ceramics and throw them against the wall. Result? Autolite never broke, NGK seldom broke, Bosch sometimes broke. AC broke more than Bosch. Champion broke every time! If you wonder why you have inconsistent results with Champions, look to their seal and ceramic technology. Interesting fact #2: Autolite manufacturers over 3 million spark plugs world wide EVERY day! About 17 million spark plugs are manufactured each day by all manufacturers. Where on earth do they all go?! Interesting fact #3: if you by an AC spark plug for a Ford it is made in the Autolite factory (or at least it was). So there is good reason for the affinity for NGK plugs within the Jag community. They and Denso now have the newest and best factories in the USA. Most interesting fact #4: NASCAR spark plugs. At the time, every single spark plug provided to the NASCAR teams was manufactured in the Autolite factory. Yep! And they had screens to apply the logo of each manufacturer. All the NASCAR spark plugs came off the regular assembly line and went into a little room where an older fellow (sorry I do not remember his name) hand tested and microscope inspected every plug to get the best performance plugs. He then applied the logos and ran them through the furnace as a special batch. He made a variety of heat ranges, but the plugs were all the same!
Oh yeah, one more fact. Unleaded gas is the primary factor in the increase in spark plug life we have all experienced in our lifetimes. A quality spark plug should last 100,000 miles easily. A platinum plug probably longer. The aftermarket spark plug sales far exceed the OEM sales…do you really need to change you spark plugs every 12,000 miles? I think not.
For me? These days I buy NGK or Denso.
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those NGK BPR6ES are the best I think…on the one step colder side than the “5”. The new NGK are all “R” with 5,000 ohms resistance. The non resister, now not made, can still be found…the part will be 7832, while the non resister “6” is 7333. Quite a few on web ads say BP5ES…but not the correct part # so are the “R”. there is also a dash 11…you dont want that…it is a smaller hex lawn mower plug with a wider gap.
Nick
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A less common choice is the triple electrode BP5ET. Here is a spark comparison side-by-side with the Champion N12&Y using a Comparator (fires the plug continuously under in a pressurized chamber). NGK on left, Champion on right:
In the car the results were not as dramatic - at least from a seat-of-the-pants test.
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I just searched for it – Moss Motors carries them. $4.29/each
And SNG Barratt carries Champion Plugs for 3.8, 4.2 and 5.3. In the $3-$.50 price range
the BP5ES non resistor, and BP6ES may show in web sites, and in catalogs…but it is in fact discontinued…some NOS exists…so always check if real…some places just automatically substitute the BPR5ES…if ordering NOS…ask and check to be sure. I found some for $2.99…most in the 4.99 to $8 range…double to triple the actual former retail cost…even a few for $25 for ONE ! Nick
That’s odd…BP5ES readily available in NZ. Normally with Japanese made NGK here the -11 would signify pregapped at 1.1mm gap, not a completely different plug?
are you sure…it is avail in NZ…not just new old stock…NGK website says discontinued, replaced by the R. (Yes, the -11 has a wider gap…would be interesting to measure if the electrode is in fact a tiny bid different to accommodate that.)
Hi Nick
Yes might be old stock being sold, but lots of options on our eBay equivalent. Think I might buy some and stock up 
As no one else will, I will shout for NGK iridium plugs. They last longer. Otherwise as long as they are the same heat rating as the standard plug the rest of the engine will not notice. And they are very happy with the 40,000volts from a Lucas Gold coil.
I tested multiple electrode spark plugs, on my naturally-aspirated dyno test engine, and saw no significant measurable improvements
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That’s because only one electrode will spark per cycle. Which one depends on the gap adjustment, condition, and the local heat conditions.