The Answer to Spark Plug Wires ( Ignition Wires )

[David15151]

This is to help all those looking to upgrade their ignition wires and are not sure what brand they would like to buy.

The following is the resistance measured in ohms/ft by each major ignition wire distributer.

(low = good, high = bad)

MSD Ignition 8.5mm Super Conductor (40-50 ohms/ft)
Accel Thundersport (150 ohms/ft)
Taylor 8mm Spiro Pro (350 ohm/ft)
Aurora ignition wire set (400 ohms/ft)
Vitek Performance Cables (their web site does not mention resistance, but John Monnin measured them at about 800 ohms/ft; the label under Vitek's braiding says "Magstar Gold 8mm High Performance S-4 Stainless Steel Mag Wire" - thanks John!; Magstar wires are manufactured by Wiretec)
Wiretec Magstar Gold (800 ohms/ft as measured by John Monnin)
NGK Resistor Spark Plug Wire Set (2600 ohms/ft)
Mitsubishi factory wire sets (3000++ ohms/ft)
Car Quest brand wire sets (3000++ ohms/ft - Thanks to Bret for measuring these wires.)
Magnecor KV85 (6000++ ohms/ft)

 

[defaced]

So is this saying that the MSD wires are the best ones to use?

 

[David15151]

that would be correct

 

[95TSiNewbie]

This should be in the tech articles or maybe a sticky?? just a thought.

 

[LaserDad91]

I have been unable to find the MSD Superconductor for a 1G, NA, 2.0 liter. Does anyone know where to get them?

 

[44pirate]

So what your saying here is, these are what the manufacturers claim. Have you actually measured them yourself. How about we all go and measure what our wires are.
There was a thread about this. From what I remember, the #'s I see do not look like what the actual's came out to be.

 

[David15151]

Most of those numbers were from tech data from their websites unless stated otherwise next to them. Here is a real test using the MSD vs Stock vs Magnecor from a 3000GT VR4 motor (6G63t) just to see if they are close with their numbers.

Comparison of Ignition Wire Resistances

MSD 8.5mm Super Conductor Factory MD156560 Magnecor KV85 V5
Cyl # Ohms Length Ohms per ft Ohms Length Ohms per ft Ohms Length Ohms per ft
1 131 ~16 98 5810 16 4358 8720 16 6540
2 124 ~31 48 7480 29 3095 16070 30 6428
3 51 ~11 56 3975 11 4336 6700 10.5 7657
4 105 ~25 50 7070 24.5 3462 13920 24.5 6818
5 35 ~7 60 3310 6.5 6110 4770 6.5 8806
6 104 ~25 50 8060 23.5 4116 13380 26 6175

(sure hope this table posts right)

 

[99gst_racer]

So are you saying MSD's are the best to use and Magnecor's are the worst?

 

[David15151]

Maybe this will post right now.. (table 2nd try)

-------MSD 8.5mm Super Conductor---Factory MD156560-----------Magnecor KV85 V5
Cyl #--Ohms-Length-Ohms per ft----Ohms-Length-Ohms per ft--Ohms-Length-Ohms per ft
-1-------131---~16--------98-----------5810----16-------4358-------8720----16-------6540
-2-------124---~31--------48-----------7480----29-------3095-------16070---30------6428
-3-------51----~11---------56-----------3975----11-------4336-------6700----10.5----7657
-4-------105---~25--------50-----------7070----24.5-----3462-------13920---24.5----6818
-5-------35-----~7---------60-----------3310----6.5------6110-------4770-----6.5-----8806
-6-------104---~25--------50-----------8060----23.5-----4116-------13380---26------6175

 

[David15151]

damn it i suck at posting..

 

[David15151]

yes I am saying MSD is the best, and Magnecor is the worst.. you can see from my test above.. if you can somehow make sense of that jibberish as i cant seem to figure out how to post the table. Doing a test the resistance of MSD ranged from 48-98. The Stock wires went from 3095-6110. The Magnecore ranged from 6175-8806.

Note: if you press the reply button and look below where it displays the previous posts you can see my table the way its supposed to be.. for some reason the normal display wraps it.

 

[96TSi_Chris]

Lets see a real test on a DSM. Someone needs to actually do it rather then referring to a site or tech article for me to believe. By that chart, mitsubishi factory wires are better then magnacores and are practically even w/ NGK? I dont buy it.

 

[David15151]

That table is a test on a real vehicle as you put it. It is not just made up. I highly doubt the ignition system from a 4G63t and 6G63t differ by much but I will try to call a friend up who still has a stock set of wires and compare them with a 8.5 Magnecore set (which I have) and a set of Accel thundersports (which i am buying) on my DSM. I don't have a set of MSD wires for a DSM and I don't want to spend like 80 bucks just to prove something thats been proven again.

 

[99gst_racer]

yes I am saying MSD is the best, and Magnecor is the worst..

I find it very hard to believe that Magnecor wires are the worst for our cars. They are recommended by all hardcore DSMers and used by most. I'm not calling to a liar, but maybe your info is full of $hit. I've always used Magnecor and I always will. Now I will just pretend I never read this nonsense move on. Thanks for the laugh.

 

[David15151]

ok, here is a post by the person who did the test on the 6G63t.. I shall be doing my own resistance test as well and posting results and i encourage all of you to do the same if in fact you wish to know the EXACT resistance of your wires. So, after reading this.. you tell me has no idea what he is talking about.

I decided to not use Magnacor wires again because of the high resistance I measured in the wires. Magnacor argues on their web page http://www.magnecor.com/magnecor1/truth.htm that measuring resistance with a volt-ohm meter is irrelevant and that "skin effect" electrical transmission occurs when current is in the ignition wires. What Magnacor fails to mention is that when skin effect transmission is occurring, then the effective resistance along the wire actually increases.

Electrical charge flow for direct current (DC) occurs through the entire cross-section of a wire. Larger diameter wires of the same material have lower resistance (ohms) per foot of length. Unlike direct current, the charge flow for alternating current (AC) tends to be localized near the surface of a conductor. This tendency is called the skin effect. The higher the frequency the greater the tendency is to have current only at the surface. When skin effect transmission is occurring, the effective resistance along the wire increases because the area or volume of metal available for transmission has decreased. The higher the frequency, the higher the effective resistance becomes. The brief high-voltage impulses along our ignition wires can be considered similar to alternating current. Therefore, skin effect electrical transmission occurs in the ignition wires. At the relatively low frequencies our ignition system operates at, which is up to about 8000 Hz, the effective resistance is roughly only a few percent higher to perhaps double the DC resistance. For more information regarding the skin effect search http://www.google.com/ and look at the article by Willem Naegels at http://diyaudiocorner.tripod.com/skin.htm.

In a series circuit, such as in the High Tension side of our coils, current (amps) must remain constant across the circuit. However, the voltage drop across each resistor in the circuit is directly related to resistance. Higher resistance means a greater voltage drop across the resistor. The resistors are the coil secondary wire, both ignition wires, both spark plugs when they are resistor plugs, both spark plug gaps, and the engine heads and block. The sum of all the voltage drops must equal the voltage available in the electric field produced in the High Tension circuit.

So, contrary to Magnecor's claims, DC resistance measured along the ignition wire's length does matter. The greatest amount of voltage is available at the spark plug gaps using wires with the lowest DC resistance and therefore the lowest skin-effect effective resistance. Usually, the problem with low resistance wires is that they can do a poor job of suppressing EMI generated by the ignition system. MSD Ignition, Accel, and other manufacturers, have solved this problem with careful design.

 

[96TSi_Chris]

That still tells me jack shit. Talk is cheap. DSMs are a different breed and i cant count on my fingers and toes how many DSMers i know that use Mags. Hell i had an extra set w/ 15k on em laying around and gave em to my boy for 20 bucks and they made a huge response on his car over his BRAND NEW mitsu wires. Explain that.

 

[David15151]

please just go test the magnecore wires then and post results I know ill be testing mine.
this is sounding like a "which motor oil is best" thread. Unlike motor oil though we can just be smart about it and just TEST it. It is not that hard to do. If you think the numbers are wrong TEST the wires and check results. Just dont go and post you got 500ohms of resistance on a wire 3 inches long.. remember to convert it to ohms/ft.

 

[dave99gst]

That still tells me jack shit. Talk is cheap. DSMs are a different breed and i cant count on my fingers and toes how many DSMers i know that use Mags. Hell i had an extra set w/ 15k on em laying around and gave em to my boy for 20 bucks and they made a huge response on his car over his BRAND NEW mitsu wires. Explain that.

I find it hard to belive any wires will make a HUGE RESPOSE period.
unless your like missing a wire or 2. I dont think anyones rear is that dyno-sensitive to
feel a diff from brand to brand. just my .02

on another note - instead of flamming , how bout' ya all do test them.
just because your boy(s) all say magnacores are the best dont mean they are.
( and no i dont use them )

 

[midnght]

on another note - instead of flamming , how bout' ya all do test them.
just because your boy(s) all say magnacores are the best dont mean they are.
( and no i dont use them )

Friends this statement should apply for everything DSM. Just replace "MAGNACORES" with any topic.

 

[99gst_racer]

just on another note - instead of flamming , how bout' ya all do test them. just because your boy(s) all say magnacores are the best dont mean they are.
( and no i dont use them )

I'm not trying to flame. I'm not going on "my boys" opinions. I've been a member of this site for almost 2 years. I've said alot and read alot. It seems that Magnecor has been a #1 choice of many smart tuners. There is a wealth of knowledge on this site and I've read nothing but positive things about Magnecor wires. Now someone steps up and says "Magnecor is the worst". I'm just not convinced, nor am I prepared to jump and believe the first person that I've heard say this.

If 100 of my "boys" said they were the best because of experience, and then 2 people said otherwise because of a chart of numbers....... I would take the advice of my "boys". I've used Magnecor for 2 years. I believe they are great wires, not the worst. It's that simple.

 

[ShadowWulf]

Just test the wires, im REALLY curious how its gonna turn out since this is an upgrade im planning on doing soon.....

Oh...and everyone says hondas are fast and everyone drives them so they must be?

Just test them please...

 

[guitarXgeek]

Oh...and everyone says hondas are fast and everyone drives them so they must be?

Who the hell says that? I usually hear the opposite

Anyways, I use NGK wires and they've been quite good to me so far. I do have a hard time believing that Magnacores are the worst, though. Considering the fact that I know a lot of extrememly quick DSMs using them with no problems whatsoever, it's tough for me to believe ONE person that claims they are the worst.

 

[99gst_racer]

Oh...and everyone says hondas are fast and everyone drives them so they must be?

Must be different in Cali. Around here, we call Honduhs slow and reliable. Even the people that drive them know that.

Like I said, I wouldnt believe "everyone", but I would believe myself after I used them and the other 100+ hardcore DSMers that use them. I take advice from tuners, not average Honduh owners.

I dont see the big deal.... They are just plug wires. They all work almost the same on street cars. Whats' next..... bitchin about brands of window cleaner?

Anyways, I use NGK wires and they've been quite good to me so far. I do have a hard time believing that Magnacores are the worst, though. Considering the fact that I know a lot of extrememly quick DSMs using them with no problems whatsoever, it's tough for me to believe ONE person that claims they are the worst.

I agree. I've used NGK wires also and they were awesome. But for some reason, they are at the bottom of this list.

 

[leet]

Must be different in Cali. Around here, we call Honduhs slow and reliable. Even the people that drive them know that.

Like I said, I wouldnt believe "everyone", but I would believe myself after I used them and the other 100+ hardcore DSMers that use them. I take advice from tuners, not average Honduh owners.

I dont see the big deal.... They are just plug wires. They all work almost the same on street cars. Whats' next..... bitchin about brands of window cleaner?



I agree. I've used NGK wires also and they were awesome. But for some reason, they are at the bottom of this list.

Magnecors usually are decent. However, I have seen some pretty crappy sets come from them. I have some on my car right now that are arcing through the insulation after about 15K miles. *shrugs* Time for new ones.

 

[David15151]

I posted this because I got tired of all the "what spark plug wires?" threads that pop up once a week. I did not post false info. I gave numbers with all of my rankings of the wires. I even showed a graph from a live test that showed numbers from each wire off the engine. If I am wrong prove me wrong. You keep telling me that you refuse to believe me because I don't have proof? I think I gave a lot of info to support myself. Where is your support to all those that call BS on me? Did you go and do any research to back yourself up? I guess though because it "feels" better it must be better. Why don't you take your Magnecores out of your car and test them if you want to see it to believe it. No matter how much info I post you will still no accept that maybe you could be wrong. Hell, I could be wrong but unless you can compile some info to show me my numbers are off I don't see a reason for me to change my opinion about it. These are not turbos here they are only ignition wires. Use what you want to use but don't say that I did not do my homework and just make stuff up without some back-up. At no point did I say take your Magnecore wires out and put in MSD. I said MSD has a lower resistance then Magnecore (and lower resistance is good). I gave my proof. Show me yours. I'll be giving even MORE proof with my own Magnecore wires in my own car. I guess though you can call those BS too cause I could of just made those up too right? Maybe screenshots would help.. oh wait it was photoshoped! How about you just go out to your car.. and test the ones on your car and see with your own eyes the results. I will understand if you don't want to post the results.