Champion J-8 or equivalent. I use NGK, in this case the BR4LM.

Yeah you're better off with the Champ..............I don't even want to get started with NGK.............(I always had problems starting with NGK!)

"Which" sparkplug to use should be spelled out in the owners manual for your lawn mower. And since the owners manual will likely spell out only one plug that will also determine which one is best for the engine.

Champions are Junk.Cross over to NGK or Autolite.

Ok Thank you! I will try the NGK BR4LM.

But just courios, I comparate the Champion and the NGK. The Champion J-8 coeeespond at the NGK B6S... Not the BR4LM, that corrispond a the Champion RJ17LM...

Is better the BR4LM???

I'm pretty sure,if you go to a tecumseh website,no mention will be made about NKG AT ALL; and it's no surprise;they're the worst sparkplug you could put in. Instead what do they recommend? ........Check it out.......

;RJ19LM champion,replaces RJ17LM+ RJ8.........This is directly from tecumsehpower.com the tecumseh website.............Mark

Champion is pure junk.Go with NGK or Autolite.

you know, I used to to bad mouth Champion plugs too. But I got 45k miles out of the set in my Grandwagoneer. I put them in when I installed a re-manned motor in my 83, left them in when I swapped the engine into an 88 and only replaced them when I yanked the motor to put into another 88 . So they outlasted 2 Jeeps. I go with what the manufacturer recommends.

The whole spark plug argument is ridiculous. I have been using plugs both as a consumer and as a professional mechanic since the early 60s. For some reason people tend to get really animated (as evidenced here) and brand loyal when talking about spark plugs. I was that way for many years. As time passed I realized that most spark plug problems arose from incorrect application/heat range of a particular plug or other engine problems. Most mainstream brands make plugs that will last about as long as the other brands as long as the correct plug is chosen for the application. Making wide ranging statements
and wild claims about NGK vs Champion or ND is an absurd argument. The claims just are not true. Buy the correct plug as evidenced by the manufacturers application guide and you will get good service from that plug. Many times other engine problems cause end-users to suspect spark plug problems. Problems like weak ignition coils, overly rich carburetion, clogged air filters, low compression, and restricted exhaust can all cause a spark plug to fail through no fault of the plug itself. Many times the plug is blamed for the failure unfairly.

There is a reason nearly all performance engines and engine builders, whether they are in cars, motorcycles, boats, etc. use NGK.

That being said, on a small engine does it matter? I don't think so. I use whatever the local hardware store has. That is Champion. Champion plugs will not come anywhere near my car, boat, or Harley though.

Well put, Rdaystrom. I agree wholeheartedly.

I agree Rdaystrom.

The sparkplug seems to attract a brand loyalty that is out of proportion to it's utilitarian nature. Advertising dollars seem to figure directly in this intense brand loyalty. Sparkplug brandnames are among the more prominent racing team advertisers and some of us just transfer all that trackside excitement and whoopla to our lawnmowers I guess.

Buying lawnmower (or car) sparkplugs should be about as exciting as buying a drive belt or an air filter. The engine manufacturer can usually be counted on to provide the correct replacement parts. As for me, I'm more into mowing the lawn than making sure my mower uses the same brand plug that the winning NASCAR team does.

Of course it is mostly opinionated choice but some of us have practical experience over a period of years at what seems to be the better mouse trap. Ive had excellent performance from NGK, and also Motorcraft. When I worked for Nissan for nearly 10 years, we would constantly be repairing vehicles that just recently got a Champion tuneup from Precision tune and the heat range of the plugs just didnt work for those Datsuns and Nissans back then. So I guess that has forced me to think negatively upon Champion.
However I know that some manufacturers use Champion out of the plant so that has to at least suggest a recommendation.
I say if you change the plug in your small engines every spring it likely doesnt matter what brand you use, and NGK is a bit pricey to do that with unless you are a commercial user. I have had some of my NGK in place for several years before replacing. I just wouldnt have that kind of confidence in Champion. Just a humble opinion and nothing else.

rdaystrom is absolutly correct. Plugs don't die, other factors kill them. It's like that box of crappy fuses I bought, every time I would install one they imediatly blow. Damn crappy fuses, better try a new brand next time...

I'll second.

I haven't had many issues with spark plugs "going bad". Something usually causes them to go "bad". I have to go way back to when I bought a spark plug for a small engine.

When I worked in the mower shop, we sold many spark plugs. Customers got a new plug in a tune-up. Many walked in looking for a plug thinking that was the magical fix. Who were we to argue.

As I said, I like NGK the best, but as others have said, they really don't matter.

Don't tell anyone, but I use the same plug in my equipment until it wears out (gap erosion). I'd guess 3+ seasons.

I agree 100% with how people think a new plug solves all problems. If you have plugs fouling or failing otherwise due to something other than gap erosion, you have a problem elsewhere.

The only reason I chimed in to begin with was all the neagative comments about champion.........If a manufacturer is still using them,after 80 plus years ,it seems to me that champion is a real DECENT plug.........I'll bet that champion has sponsored more racing teams than anyone else.........but that's beside the point....I feel that in my experience NGK let me down too many times for my money....I'll stick with the Champ,because they are a winner,and I don't have any confidence at all in NGK.............

I can definitely understand fordtech's point. In my case when you change 2500+ plugs/yr, the good and bad kind of makes itself evident. I lost count at how many Champions and Bosch plugs I have pulled out of FoMoCo vehicles over the years, but car engines aren't small engines.

That being said, I generally use whatever the manufacturer recommends. If "Manufacturer T" says use Champion, that would generally be my first choice. If given multiple choices of plugs to use, Champions would definitely be near the bottom of my list, that space is reserved for Splitfires.