Jason Bleazard <dml@bleazard.net> wrote:
> Rick Barnes wrote:
>> 6+ years, don't worry about the resistance, except the resistance to throw
>> them away,...toss them, get new wires.
>>
> Okay, then, new wires it is. Silly me for thinking that the MSDs would
> last forever. I don't think I'll splurge for those again. The engine
> is stock, but it does have annoying tendency to ping on winter gas, so I
> don't want the cheap China-Mart crap in there either.
I believe that the main issue with aging spark plug wires is the
breakdown of the insulation itself, leading to cracks, thin spots,
etc. which can promote induction firing or allowing the spark itself
to actually jump out of the wire to another wire or ground. Does
anyone know if the conductor itself is consumed as well? If not, it
seems like maybe a little split loom tubing would get a few more years
out of the wires?
> Anyone have experience with the Summit Racing brand?
> http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=SUM%2D867624
> Looking through the archives, it seems that Taylors are widely
> recommended. I'm assuming Spiro-Pro are the ones to get among the
> various Taylor products?
My first spark plug wire upgrade on my Dak was to the MSD 8.5mm
wires, then at some later point I switched to Magnecor. Magnecors are
definitely a very high quality wire, but you will pay for that. I
don't remember exactly why I switched, I think maybe I burned one of
the MSD wires on a header tube, but I don't recall for sure. I think
I got the Magnecors because a DMLer had put together a group buy many
moons ago. When I needed new plug wires for the Cuda, I purchased MSD
wires, but the fit was terrible, so I sent 'em back and ordered a set
of Taylors, which were actually $20 cheaper than the MSDs. (I
remember looking at Magnecors for the Cuda, but I don't remember now
why I decided to go another route - it was probably a price thing.) The
Taylors fit perfectly. I got the 8mm Spiro Pro version; I'm not
familiar with what other types might be available. IIRC, when
comparing wires, for example 8mm vs 10mm, often the electrode itself
is the same, and the difference is the amount of insulation. (That
may not necessarily hold true for all brands, etc.)
As far as the Summit brand goes, I don't think Summit actually
makes anything themselves, so I guess the trick is to figure out who
is building them for Summit. My guess would be Taylor, but that's
just a guess with nothing to back it up. Of course, just because a
certain company is the actual manufacturer doesn't mean you're getting
the same quality as their brand name product - it might not be just a
rebadged version of the same product, it might be manufactured to a
different spec and/or using different materials. So, just because a
good company is building the product doesn't necessarily mean the
product itself is quality.
Sorry, my post is mostly just a bunch of words that don't help much
:-) but I don't have any idea about the quality of the Summit wires.
I do have the Taylors and have been pleased with them. If the price
difference is a decent savings, I would probably be tempted to try the
Summit brand, especially on a daily driver. Heck, I'd probably be
tempted to test out the existing wires and not spend anything at all
if I didn't have to... ;-)
--
-Jon-
.- Jon Steiger -- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com -.
| '96 Kolb Firefly, '96 Suzuki Intruder, Miscellaneous Mopars |
`-------------------------------- http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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