Why do we choose MSD wires & why change plugs to improve lost tenths @ the track?
11-10-2008, 03:32 PM
#4
I know exactly what they do. What I don't understand is why people buy low resistance plug wires when the plug itself is the greatest resistance in the circuit. Guys all over this site swear that MSD wires are better because of the low resistance they provide. Racers change plugs after losing tenths due to added resistance in the plug after some use. These are facts.
Yet, these same people call BS when a plug company adds more spark to the combustion chamber in an effort to improve the combustion. So, why does an improved spark or a more powerfull spark have to be BS in reference to improved combustion when so many try to achieve the same thing through their actions?
A lot of members swear by NGK because of performance. There are other in-expensive plugs to be bought, but, NGK is most popular. NGK just happens to be the plug that offers the least resistance compared to many other alternatives. Although, NGK plugs offer 5,000 to 10,000 Ohms resistance.
So, how is a better more powerfull spark BS when so many try to acheive the same thing?
11-10-2008, 03:55 PM
#5
I know exactly what they do. What I don't understand is why people buy low resistance plug wires when the plug itself is the greatest resistance in the circuit. Guys all over this site swear that MSD wires are better because of the low resistance they provide. Racers change plugs after losing tenths due to added resistance in the plug after some use. These are facts.
Yet, these same people call BS when a plug company adds more spark to the combustion chamber in an effort to improve the combustion. So, why does an improved spark or a more powerfull spark have to be BS in reference to improved combustion when so many try to achieve the same thing through their actions?
A lot of members swear by NGK because of performance. There are other in-expensive plugs to be bought, but, NGK is most popular. NGK just happens to be the plug that offers the least resistance compared to many other alternatives. Although, NGK plugs offer 5,000 to 10,000 Ohms resistance.
So, how is a better more powerfull spark BS when so many try to acheive the same thing?
Yet, these same people call BS when a plug company adds more spark to the combustion chamber in an effort to improve the combustion. So, why does an improved spark or a more powerfull spark have to be BS in reference to improved combustion when so many try to achieve the same thing through their actions?
A lot of members swear by NGK because of performance. There are other in-expensive plugs to be bought, but, NGK is most popular. NGK just happens to be the plug that offers the least resistance compared to many other alternatives. Although, NGK plugs offer 5,000 to 10,000 Ohms resistance.
So, how is a better more powerfull spark BS when so many try to acheive the same thing?
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11-10-2008, 07:35 PM
#9
Tech Resident
The MSD wires also are very thick to prevent damage if it touches a header primary for awhile. I've also heard other wires like Taylors are only good for one use because they constantly break when you change the plugs. I never hear of this with MSD's. I like mine. I noticed no difference vs. stock but they're awesome for bending out of the way of the primaries.
11-10-2008, 08:03 PM
#12
TECH Senior Member
It not so much the low resistance as it is the tightly helically wound conductor has a much smaller loss of energy via electromagnetic induction to external conductors compared to the stock wires... when a current is induced in an external conductor, energy is lost to the external conductor...
less energy loss due to external induction == more available energy for spark
less energy loss due to external induction == more available energy for spark
11-10-2008, 10:49 PM
#15
Exactly save yourself the 50 bucks, Ive taken mine out a couple times and they havent come apart like you guys are talking about and a couple lay right on the primaries and not even a singe...only positive would be the appearance part of having the red wires
11-10-2008, 11:06 PM
#16
They do have almost zero ohms of resistance, as for the 15WHP gain though, very doubtful.
11-11-2008, 09:36 AM
#17
Every car I work on, I remove the MSD and they always fall apart. The extra thickness just makes them get closer to the header primaries. I used to like Taylors, but they also fall apart easily. I now use and recommend Kragen (or any other parts store) lifetime replacement wires. The LSx wires are so short, you do not need to worry about Ohms/ft resistance unlike SBC wires. And being lifetime I haven't purchased a set of wires for at least two years, and I replace mine after every 4th oil change (which is roughly every 8 months). Save your money.
11-11-2008, 11:22 AM
#18
The reason I started this thread was to confirm that when discussing combustion chamber spark, it is always the wire discussed & almost never the plug. Between the coil & the combution chamber there is a wire & a spark plug. The spark must travel through both prior to entering the combustion chamber. Further, to ask why so many try to reduce resistance to the combustion chamber & then claim that the power of the spark is not important while discussing spark plug options. Why?......What is being practiced doesn't equal what is being said.
In my first reply, noted was spark plug resistance & there has been no reply regarding spark plug resistance. The greatest resistance between the coil & the combustion chamber is the spark plug, not the wire. Further noted was that of the popular plugs used, NGK's offer the least amount of resistance.
Many drivers use low resistance MSD wires & connect them to plugs w/ 5 times the resistance of an NGK plug. This makes the wire a non-contributor to the resistance.
For years (longer than I've been alive....& I'm not young), racers & mechanics have dimpled the end of the spark plug electrode & then drilled the ground strap above it in order to modify the spark in the combustion chamber. So, if the spark is not important, then why has this been done by people trying to gain an advantage over others?
In my first reply, noted was spark plug resistance & there has been no reply regarding spark plug resistance. The greatest resistance between the coil & the combustion chamber is the spark plug, not the wire. Further noted was that of the popular plugs used, NGK's offer the least amount of resistance.
Many drivers use low resistance MSD wires & connect them to plugs w/ 5 times the resistance of an NGK plug. This makes the wire a non-contributor to the resistance.
For years (longer than I've been alive....& I'm not young), racers & mechanics have dimpled the end of the spark plug electrode & then drilled the ground strap above it in order to modify the spark in the combustion chamber. So, if the spark is not important, then why has this been done by people trying to gain an advantage over others?
11-11-2008, 08:36 PM
#20
Low resistance spark plug wires are almost universally spiral core, while most OEM and higher resistance plug wires are carbon core. While the carbon core do well in RFI suppression, they build heat. Heat builds resistance. On an ignition system that sees 5-10K ohms resistance in the plug, and nearly the same in the wire, heat builds the resistance level to the point that it causes misfire, and this only get worse with time and vibration. Spiral core wires have a relatively stable resistance with heat and thus are less prone to misfire problems.
Low resistance wires don't make additional horsepower. They do operate more efficiently however with less spark energy drop off and less variance between cylinders. Funny how most never think to measure spark plug resistance as they can vary hundreds sometimes thousands of ohms between 2 plugs from the same box!
The LS1 MSD wires are a fairly inexpensive replacement that looks good, works just as well if not better than stock, and offers far superior header primary clearance.
Finally, electrode and ground strap placement/design has more to do with how the spark plug works than resistance. Cutting back the ground strap (keeping same gap) on the plug to unshroud the electrode is good for DOCUMENTED 5-7hp on a mild SBC. The only downside is that the plug life span is cut very short.
Low resistance wires don't make additional horsepower. They do operate more efficiently however with less spark energy drop off and less variance between cylinders. Funny how most never think to measure spark plug resistance as they can vary hundreds sometimes thousands of ohms between 2 plugs from the same box!
The LS1 MSD wires are a fairly inexpensive replacement that looks good, works just as well if not better than stock, and offers far superior header primary clearance.
Finally, electrode and ground strap placement/design has more to do with how the spark plug works than resistance. Cutting back the ground strap (keeping same gap) on the plug to unshroud the electrode is good for DOCUMENTED 5-7hp on a mild SBC. The only downside is that the plug life span is cut very short.