What is the most popular glow plug for a 1/8 nitro buggy or truggy?

The O.S. Turbo P3, with 178 of the 318 racers in our count who named a plug. The O.S. P3 Gold is next at 41, then the O.S. P4 at 30 and REDS' TS3 and TS4 at 23.

What heat glow plug should I run in a 1/8 nitro buggy?

Most racers in our count run an ultra hot P3. The colder P4 is a distant second. Conditions change the answer: a colder plug for hotter days or higher nitro, a hotter plug for better idle and throttle response.

What is the most popular glow plug for a 1/8 nitro truggy?

The O.S. Turbo P3, with 24 of the 48 truggy racers who named a plug, followed by the P3 Gold at 11. Truggies are a smaller group, so the list counts them with buggies.

What is the difference between the O.S. P3 and P4?

Heat range. The P3 is O.S.'s ultra hot turbo plug and the P4 is one step colder, super hot. Both fit .18-.28 turbo head off-road engines.

What is the best glow plug for a 1/8 nitro buggy?

We count what racers run, we don't test plugs, so this is popularity rather than a lab result. The most common pick by far is the O.S. Turbo P3.

RoundupSource: So Dialed

Most Popular Glow Plugs for 1/8 Nitro Buggies and Truggies

Updated November 2026 · Counted from racers' setups in the RC Setup App · How we counted

The most popular glow plugs in 1/8 nitro buggies and truggies, counted from racers' setups. The O.S. Turbo P3 leads by far.

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Wondering what glow plug to run in your 1/8 nitro buggy or truggy? The O.S. Turbo P3 is the most popular by far: more than half the racers who named a plug run it. We counted the setups saved in the RC Setup App since January 2024: 318 racers named a glow plug, and O.S. makes the top three. Buggies and truggies run the same plugs, so they share one list.

The number under each plug is how many racers run it. Counts updated November 2026.

Buy links to AMain may earn us a commission. That doesn't change the order: racers decide that.

Choosing an engine too? See the most popular engines, fuel and pipes for 1/8 nitro buggies and truggies.

Most popular glow plugs for 1/8 nitro buggies and truggies

This list covers plugs with at least 10 racers. All five are turbo plugs, and most racers run an ultra hot P3 heat.

1. O.S. Turbo P3

More than half the racers who named a plug run this one: 178 of 318. It's O.S.'s "ultra hot" turbo plug for .18-.28 off-road engines, and about half of its racers who named an engine run an O.S. It leads in buggies and truggies alike, and the Mugen MBX8R is its most common car. A bare "P3" counts here.

Buy the P3 at AMain

2. O.S. Speed P3 Gold

The 24K gold-plated version of the P3, in the same ultra hot range. O.S. says it's easier to tune, with more low-to-midrange power and longer life. 29 of its 41 racers run an O.S. engine. It's more of a truggy pick than the plain P3: 11 of its racers run it in a truggy.

Buy the P3 Gold at AMain

3. O.S. Turbo P4

One step colder than the P3, in O.S.'s "super hot" range. 27 of its 30 racers run it in a buggy. Engines are more mixed than on the P3: 15 run an O.S. and 7 a REDS. O.S. also makes a gold version of the P4.

Buy the P4 at AMain

4. REDS TS3 / TS4 Turbo Special

21 of its 23 racers run a REDS engine, so this is mostly REDS owners sticking with the brand. Racers name the TS3 most, then the TS4, so heats are counted together. On REDS' scale the TS3 is ultra hot and the TS4 one step colder.

TS3 at AMain TS4 at AMain

5. ProTek Samurai P3

ProTek's P3 is the plug made for its Samurai engine, and 7 of its 16 racers run a ProTek engine. ProTek rates it for most .18-.28 turbo head engines, including O.S., Novarossi and REDS. Most racers who named a heat run the P3. There's a gold version too.

Buy the Samurai P3 at AMain

How we counted

We count anonymous totals from setups saved in the app for 1/8 nitro buggies and truggies. A racer counts once per plug no matter how many setups they've saved, and a value only counts if the racer entered it themselves, not if it came along with a copied setup. A bare "P3" or "P4" counts as the O.S. plug those names come from. Names that could mean more than one plug, like a bare "T3", don't count toward any plug. Specs come from the retailer's listing for the plug each button goes to.