A Closer Look - Plug Wires

[oemtech]

Having taken a "Closer Look" at the fuel filters I thought I would take a "Closer Look" at the spark plug wires for the 8.1L engine. I did not buy X sets of wires due to cost. But, I did do some research on various brands such as Accel, MSD, Bosch, AC Delco, Taylor, Moroso and Magnecor. There are others but after looking at the specs and the like I found they are all pretty much the same.

Size - Diameter

7 mm is pretty much stock size.
8 mm to 8.5 mm is the next commonly available size.
9 mm is in the High Performance or Race type wires.
10 mm or 10.4 mm seems to be the largest available.

Construction

Some of the specs/terms used in the construction are:

Fiberglass braid
Kevlar inner core
Ferrite EMI/RFI
Copper/Nickel Conductor
Spiral Wound

Boot Material

Just about all OEM's specify Silicone and Stock style boots. If they don't use stock style boots you probably will not be able to use the metal boot covers that are on the stock wires.

Temperature Range

Just about all of the wires reviewed with stand temps to 600 degrees and some as high as 1000 degrees for a short duration. If you add protective boot covers this will increase the temp rating to 1200 degrees.

Wire Resistance

This number is usually measured by the foot. In the case of the 8.1L the wires are about 1 foot long. Most OEM's don't provide this info unless it is very low. The lowest I have seen is 40 ohms per foot. The theory here is the lower the resistance the better the spark.

Cost

I found stock style wire sets for as low as $45 to well over $200 for the 10.4 mm with boot protectors.

Boot Protectors

These boot covers offer addition heat protection up to 1200 degrees and are primarily for race applications. IE - High heat for a short duration. They are not intended to resolve poor cooling of the engine due to restricted air flow/circulation.

Most are made from some flame proof material such as heat treated fiberglass, Nomex, Kevlar or some combination of materials.

Most are 1" x 6" double layer. Some are as small as 3/4" x 6' or as large as 1" x 8".

The cost runs about $35 to $55 for a set of 8 and you can get them in various colors.

The Bottom Line

Are replacement wires even necessary? No, as long as you are not having any problems. But, if you are looking for that last ounce of performance and dependability then yes they are worth the cost. If you are going to try to justify the cost on increased HP/TQ or gas mileage then you are going to be very disappointed. The HP/TQ will only show up on a dyno and the mileage increase, if any, would be in the .1 or .2 mpg under the very best conditions.

Of all the wires and plugs I have installed I hear, "It runs smoother", "It sounds better", "It idles better", "It has better throttle response". Now are these perceived improvements or actual improvements. I don't know and trying to prove them wouldn't be worth it.

In my research I found a OEM (Magnecor) that offered a little bit different approach to selling their product. They seem to offer a plug wire very similar to Taylor Cable. But, their site has a very informative section that talks about plug wires and is worth reading. Link Here Maybe I can get Mike to run a dyno test on a set of stock wires, a set of Taylor's and a set of Magnecor's.

After digesting all this info I plan to stick with Taylor wires as the stock AC Delco's are only 7 mm and 1000 ohms per foot.Overall they provide a very good bang for the buck. There are 2 versions of their 10.4 mm wires that you may what to consider. Taylor TV 50's and 409's. The only difference is the TV 50's are of lower resistance than the 409's, 50 ohms per foot versus 300 ohms per foot. Of course the TV 50's are more expensive. Here are some photo's than show the difference in the stock AC Delco, the TV 50' and the 409's.

Taylor TV 50's/409's - Stock AC Delco

Close up Stock 7mm Wire


As many of you know Taylor also makes a set of "Extreme" wires. These are 409's with a protective heat treated fiberglass boot covers installed from the factory. While I was researching information for this write up I decided to get a set to install on my TV 50's, not that I needed them. I ordered 2 sets, one Silver and one Orange. I was some what surprised when I received them as they had the steel ring installed like the Extremes and made it impossible to install on a completed set of wires as the ring is smaller than the coil boot. But, I found a way around this and got them installed.

The covers a 1" x 6" dual layer heat treated fiberglass. I tested this with my acetylene torch and they didn't burn. I also found that the part of cover that fits over the plug boot is folded and sewn so you have almost 4 layers at the weakest point of the plug boot. It's a struggle to get the cover over that area as the stitching does not stretch very much. One last bit of info, the Orange color is nothing more than high temp paint sprayed on the unpainted Silver version. Here are some photo of the covers.

Taylor Boot Protectors



Installed

[oemtech]

Having taken a "Closer Look" at the fuel filters I thought I would take a "Closer Look" at the spark plug wires for the 8.1L engine. I did not buy X sets of wires due to cost. But, I did do some research on various brands such as Accel, MSD, Bosch, AC Delco, Taylor, Moroso and Magnecor. There are others but after looking at the specs and the like I found they are all pretty much the same.

Size - Diameter

7 mm is pretty much stock size.
8 mm to 8.5 mm is the next commonly available size.
9 mm is in the High Performance or Race type wires.
10 mm or 10.4 mm seems to be the largest available.

Construction

Some of the specs/terms used in the construction are:

Fiberglass braid
Kevlar inner core
Ferrite EMI/RFI
Copper/Nickel Conductor
Spiral Wound

Boot Material

Just about all OEM's specify Silicone and Stock style boots. If they don't use stock style boots you probably will not be able to use the metal boot covers that are on the stock wires.

Temperature Range

Just about all of the wires reviewed with stand temps to 600 degrees and some as high as 1000 degrees for a short duration. If you add protective boot covers this will increase the temp rating to 1200 degrees.

Wire Resistance

This number is usually measured by the foot. In the case of the 8.1L the wires are about 1 foot long. Most OEM's don't provide this info unless it is very low. The lowest I have seen is 40 ohms per foot. The theory here is the lower the resistance the better the spark.

Cost

I found stock style wire sets for as low as $45 to well over $200 for the 10.4 mm with boot protectors.

Boot Protectors

These boot covers offer addition heat protection up to 1200 degrees and are primarily for race applications. IE - High heat for a short duration. They are not intended to resolve poor cooling of the engine due to restricted air flow/circulation.

Most are made from some flame proof material such as heat treated fiberglass, Nomex, Kevlar or some combination of materials.

Most are 1" x 6" double layer. Some are as small as 3/4" x 6' or as large as 1" x 8".

The cost runs about $35 to $55 for a set of 8 and you can get them in various colors.

The Bottom Line

Are replacement wires even necessary? No, as long as you are not having any problems. But, if you are looking for that last ounce of performance and dependability then yes they are worth the cost. If you are going to try to justify the cost on increased HP/TQ or gas mileage then you are going to be very disappointed. The HP/TQ will only show up on a dyno and the mileage increase, if any, would be in the .1 or .2 mpg under the very best conditions.

Of all the wires and plugs I have installed I hear, "It runs smoother", "It sounds better", "It idles better", "It has better throttle response". Now are these perceived improvements or actual improvements. I don't know and trying to prove them wouldn't be worth it.

In my research I found a OEM (Magnecor) that offered a little bit different approach to selling their product. They seem to offer a plug wire very similar to Taylor Cable. But, their site has a very informative section that talks about plug wires and is worth reading. Link Here Maybe I can get Mike to run a dyno test on a set of stock wires, a set of Taylor's and a set of Magnecor's.

After digesting all this info I plan to stick with Taylor wires as the stock AC Delco's are only 7 mm and 1000 ohms per foot.Overall they provide a very good bang for the buck. There are 2 versions of their 10.4 mm wires that you may what to consider. Taylor TV 50's and 409's. The only difference is the TV 50's are of lower resistance than the 409's, 50 ohms per foot versus 300 ohms per foot. Of course the TV 50's are more expensive. Here are some photo's than show the difference in the stock AC Delco, the TV 50' and the 409's.

Taylor TV 50's/409's - Stock AC Delco

Close up Stock 7mm Wire


As many of you know Taylor also makes a set of "Extreme" wires. These are 409's with a protective heat treated fiberglass boot covers installed from the factory. While I was researching information for this write up I decided to get a set to install on my TV 50's, not that I needed them. I ordered 2 sets, one Silver and one Orange. I was some what surprised when I received them as they had the steel ring installed like the Extremes and made it impossible to install on a completed set of wires as the ring is smaller than the coil boot. But, I found a way around this and got them installed.

The covers a 1" x 6" dual layer heat treated fiberglass. I tested this with my acetylene torch and they didn't burn. I also found that the part of cover that fits over the plug boot is folded and sewn so you have almost 4 layers at the weakest point of the plug boot. It's a struggle to get the cover over that area as the stitching does not stretch very much. One last bit of info, the Orange color is nothing more than high temp paint sprayed on the unpainted Silver version. Here are some photo of the covers.

Taylor Boot Protectors



Installed

[TandW]

I like your socks. But shouldn't their be a reflective type of shield on the wires to protect against radiant heat. Personally, I used fiberglass wrap on my exhaust pipes to great advantage. Wrapped 'em from the manifolds to converters and converters to mufflers.

[oemtech]

The stock metal plug shields are on you just can't see them. I worked the boot covers over the end of the rubber boot so there are right next the metal shields.

[DonavonP]

Super write up Dale, Thank you!!

[03HRVacationer]

Dale,

Once again you enforce the reason why I sit and read through this board. If I could get my wife to understand I'd be golden.

Nice work and thanks.

Al

[Petro]

Dale;

I really appreciate your research & write up on issues. You provide a valuable service for many of us. Keep up the good work.

Don

[CoastieSCPO]

Dale;
I appreciate the information as it is totally relevant and needed. After plugs burned twice on my Allegro W-20, I purchased the Taylor wires and boot protectors but they would not have done any good if the air flow into the engine was not improved. We fixed the airflow problem and so far, it has worked.

Bob

[Bob (WA0MQE)]

Dale, what is the actual Taylor part #'s for the 50's and the 409's you have listed? I can't seem to find them by TV 50, of TV 409 on their web site.

[oemtech]

The TV 50's are 98086 and the 409's are <span class="ev_code_RED">79286</span> and <span class="ev_code_blue">79686</span>


Check Here and down load the PDF file for Custom TV 50 and 409.

[LeeSoCal]

Thanks for the great research. I see you do not mention any tv/radio supression incorporated into the construction of the cables. Do these engines do not need it?

[oemtech]

Unless you have an all out race engine you will have a carbon core, ferrite core or some other low EMI/RFI product. Wire core plug wires are a thing of the pass per si.

[RattlenRam]

Dale: Great post, thank you. I wish I had the know how to post pictures like that.

[oemtech]

I posted the procedure over in the Website Tech forum a long time ago. The key is to have a photo no larger than 800x600 and about 100k or less in resolution. Look Here

But, I use Photobucket now as I can upload almost anything I want and don't have to wait for approval. I still upload most of my photos to IRV2 that are RV related. Once you upload to Photobucket you can just click on the URL data and copy the info and the paste it to the URL icon when you post. Click on the RV Tips in my signature and you will see how I have set things up.