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 percentage under each plug is the share of racers who 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.
- O.S. Turbo P356%
- O.S. Speed P3 Gold13%
- O.S. Turbo P49%
- REDS TS3 / TS4 Turbo Special7%
- ProTek Samurai P35%
1. O.S. Turbo P3
56% of 1/8 nitro racers
More than half the racers who named a plug run this one: 56%. 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 (opens in new tab)
2. O.S. Speed P3 Gold
13% of 1/8 nitro racers
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. 71% of its racers run an O.S. engine. It's more of a truggy pick than the plain P3: 27% of its racers run it in a truggy.
Buy the P3 Gold at AMain (opens in new tab)
3. O.S. Turbo P4
9% of 1/8 nitro racers
One step colder than the P3, in O.S.'s "super hot" range. 90% of its racers run it in a buggy. Engines are more mixed than on the P3: half run an O.S., and REDS is next. O.S. also makes a gold version of the P4.
Buy the P4 at AMain (opens in new tab)
4. REDS TS3 / TS4 Turbo Special
7% of 1/8 nitro racers
91% of its 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 (opens in new tab) TS4 at AMain (opens in new tab)
5. ProTek Samurai P3
5% of 1/8 nitro racers
ProTek's P3 is the plug made for its Samurai engine, and about half of its 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 (opens in new tab)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.
