Changing spark plugs and spark plug wires.

[Corvsinis]

hello, we have found that the reason why my 2002 Corvette was jerks when driving, it was because the spark plug wires and spark plugs are in disrepair. I've been watching some plug wires sold in some websites and I'm not sure which one to buy. I've seen some for high performance and others not. there a difference? if I install a spark plug wires for high performance I can have engine problems due to the high temperature that can support or generate? you give me any advice on any particular brand? True, some cables may give 10 hp more engine? thank you very much as always!

 

[dadaroo]

Don't believe anyone that tells you "racing" wires will give your base C5 more HP. Some wires are designed for header applications where heat is higher so they have better material and more insulation. Others are signed for higher output coils. Some do both.

There is nothing wrong with "stock" wires unless you are running headers or a highly modified motor. Same goes for plugs.


Mr. Sam

 

[catbert]

Don't believe anyone that tells you "racing" wires will give your base C5 more HP. Some wires are designed for header applications where heat is higher so they have better material and more insulation. Others are signed for higher output coils. Some do both.

There is nothing wrong with "stock" wires unless you are running headers or a highly modified motor. Same goes for plugs.


Mr. Sam

True, but if the stock wires are old and leaking through brittle insulation, replacing them will greatly improve driveability. I.E racing wires won't make a difference over new stock wires, but might improve performance over old stock wires. Wires over ten years old sure have a chance of being over the hill.

I remember opening the hood of my first C4 at night when it was less than two years old - it looked like the 4th of July with all the leaking and arcing. I didn't realize how the performance was affected until I replaced the wires, and felt the difference.

 

[Corvsinis]

Thank you very much for your responses. It is that I see so many different prices wondering if buying the most expensive have some improvement in my Corvette. I understand I can buy that I feel like, right? no worse or better. my Corvette has no reform in the engine is standard.

 

[catbert]

Thank you very much for your responses. It is that I see so many different prices wondering if buying the most expensive have some improvement in my Corvette. I understand I can buy that I feel like, right? no worse or better. my Corvette has no reform in the engine is standard.

I always used GM heavy duty wires on my C5. They worked well, and frequently could be bought with a good discount from suppliers on the net.

 

[Hib Halverson]

If the engine is misfiring due to spark plugs or plug wires in poor condition, depending on how severe the misfire problem is, installing new plugs and new wires can result in a performance increase, however, that increase will only be from ending the misfire.

A stock or near stock engine is going to gain no significant performance just from a change to aftermarket spark plugs and plug wires.

That said, there can be good reason to change to aftemarket plugs and wires and one might be that certain aftermarket brands perform and last as good as OE parts but cost somewhat less.

Also, some aftermarket plugs and wires can be better than OE parts for certain types of use. For example, most stock spark plugs are a very warm heat range for high-performance use. This is because car companies have to make plug selections to meet all kinds of duty cycles including starts without warm-ups, short trips and low-performance driving. I don't subject my Corvettes to any of those duty cycles so I use a colder spark plug which can decrease the engines tendancy to detonate when driven hard.

Some aftermarket spark plug wire designs are more durable in a high-performance duty cycle and/or for frequent use in very hot weather.

Take a look at Rockauto.com for good choices in OE or OE-replacement plugs and plug wires.

 

[Corvsinis]

ok, looketh on the web rockauto.com to see that meeting. thank you very much for your advice!

 

[Hib Halverson]

thank you very much for your advice!

You are welcome.
Glad to be of service.

 

[patriotpa]

If the engine is misfiring due to spark plugs or plug wires in poor condition, depending on how severe the misfire problem is, installing new plugs and new wires can result in a performance increase, however, that increase will only be from ending the misfire.

A stock or near stock engine is going to gain no significant performance just from a change to aftermarket spark plugs and plug wires.

That said, there can be good reason to change to aftemarket plugs and wires and one might be that certain aftermarket brands perform and last as good as OE parts but cost somewhat less.

Also, some aftermarket plugs and wires can be better than OE parts for certain types of use. For example, most stock spark plugs are a very warm heat range for high-performance use. This is because car companies have to make plug selections to meet all kinds of duty cycles including starts without warm-ups, short trips and low-performance driving. I don't subject my Corvettes to any of those duty cycles so I use a colder spark plug which can decrease the engines tendancy to detonate when driven hard.

Some aftermarket spark plug wire designs are more durable in a high-performance duty cycle and/or for frequent use in very hot weather.

Take a look at Rockauto.com for good choices in OE or OE-replacement plugs and plug wires.

Great explanation, Hib. "magic wires" gain you nothing.

 

[kpic]

Magic wires aren't magic; some are engineered to out perform the OE wires and others are a bunch bull stinky advertising hype for a high price. An educated consumer is their own best protection.

Here is a good read on the subject:
Understanding Spark Plug Wires

It isn't a plug for wires I don't use. What it is, in spots, it is an explanation of how electricity works.

Here is a good read on spark plugs:
NGK Spark Plugs USA

Too cold a plug fouls and too hot a plug overheats.

Unless you've modified the engine; most likely the best plugs and wires are the ones which came on it. The only free cheese is in a mouse trap and usually only for the second mouse.

I use an aftermarket wire and as it is a blower engine I use NGK V-Power TR-6 plugs.

 

[Corvsinis]

Great explanation and interesting links that I have translated and read integers. Thank you kpic!

 

[patriotpa]

Another great resource:

Truth About Ignition Wire Conductors

 

[kpic]

Great explanation and interesting links that I have translated and read integers. Thank you kpic!

Anytime, to help others is why most of us are here.

 

[Corvsinis]

Interesting contribution Patriotpa!

 

[Corvsinis]

thank you kpic!

 

[RedHot85Vette]

Spark Plug / Wires Insanity

There is nothing wrong with "stock" wires unless you are running headers or a highly modified motor. Same goes for plugs. Mr. Sam

Spark Plug wires & Plugs, the options can make one insane. I can get Stock Plugs, ACDELCO R43TS Professional; Conventional (Rebate/Promotion Available!) for $1.45 at Rock Auto, or DENSO 5331 {#ITF20} Iridium Power, Performance Upgrade with World's Smallest Center Electrode (0.4 mm Dia.) & Tapered Tip Patented U-Groove Design & Patented Ir Alloy (90% Ir), $5.58 ea.

Is there really going to be a Performance Upgrade with the Denso's? If so, how much? Are they worth the Extra Bucks?

There are a million Spark Plug Wire Choices. Are any of the choices worth the extra dollars over Stock, and will there be a Performance Upgrade like the plugs. Example: Accel has some really cool wires with stainless steel braiding on them for $100 or so dollars on eBay. Are they just decoration upgrades? Or are there any super duper expensive wires that will give my car a performance upgrade over stock. Are the super duper's just engine eye candy on a Stock Motor?

I'm also thinking that maybe the engineers, who put a lot of time and thought and math into their design and choices, chose the stock plugs and wires for reasons we don't know about. Maybe it's like, change one thing, then it changes another, and another, and another, and maybe not in such good ways. Unless you have a "highly modified motor" like Mr. Sam says, where you're the engineer.

john

 

[dougelam]

OK, I'll bite
After many years with return customers along with friends vehicles as well as my own I noticed some things related to this post.
Me and my fellow techs have repaired lots, and I mean lots or driveability problems by replacing the spark plugs. What we noticed is that engines that had NON-OEM plugs put in them the plugs didn't last very long. The trend that I noticed was whatever Champion lists for the interchange part for GM engines was to cold of a heat range.

GMs run poorly with Champions and autolites
Chryslers run poorly with ACDelco and autolites
Fords seem to run OK with most for a short time
Foreign cars couldn't tell you

Back in the early 90's I swapped a 2.8L V-6 from a Citation X-11 HO into my 84 T-10 Blazer 4-speed.
When ACDelco released rapid fire spark plugs I immediately installed them, holy cow ☺
It went from shifting to second at 25mph up to 29mph, my buddy could not pass me with his Fiero GT
By the time I had 20k on the plugs it was back to 25mph

My take is from day one just about all new plugs work fine but the incorrect ones degrade at a quicker rate.
I'll stick with iridiums for the consistent performance through their life

Any technicians working in an emissions testing state could tell us quite a bit about this I'm sure



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[RedHot85Vette]

OK, I'll bite

First of All... I really dig your car. The other day, I saw it on a post and I thought about sending you an off topic message like "Hey man! I just had to tell you, that's one Nice f'n Car!!!". I think a really nice car is one that you want to drive 24/7 and be seen in by everybody and their ancestors.

Ya Know! I had a Pontiac Sunbird Convertible with a 3.1 V6. I used the stock plugs in them. When it came round for a tune-up, I'd pull them plugs and every one of them looked beautiful, with just a little wear, and the car ran beautifully. The timing chain crapped out and it's an incredible expensive job to replace it. I didn't have the money at the time and I needed a car for a new job I just got, so it had to go... She was a Beauty too.

So I just bought this '85 RED Corvette. It's Beautiful. Everything is stock GM. Owned by a couple of Senior guys and the guy I bought it from, the third owner was also a fanatic about keeping things right with the car and even had done some renovation work. 2 years ago he had it professionally painted. There's not a single mark on it. I just LOVE It!!! Smiled All the Way driving it home from his house. God! WhaddaRide!!!

Well, that's the last time I drove it. I have spine issues. In about 8 months, I had 6 operations. 3 of them were very emergent. Then I had broken hardware... Days after I parked that car in my car shelter, ambulance ride to the hospital for surgery #6. I'm fusing 14 fusions as I right this. I'm not allowed outside because I'm a Fall Risk. But that doesn't keep me from doing research about My Vette, and Vettes in General. Have you ever seen "Corvette Nation". It's a series, on Netflix. Fantastic! I seen a lot of YouTubes and have magazines, and dealer materials and so on.

So I'm thinking about my car and I want to give it a tune up since I don't know when it had one last. Forgot to ask that question. So I Love this car and want to do right by it. I'm a bit paranoid (Ha!) about what I should do about Tune-Up Components, Spark Plugs, Wires, Distributor Cap & Rotor... I thought about the ignition coil. Sometimes people would say, oh, don't use the original, it sux, the best one to use is blahblahblah. I've looked at, listened to, read the forum posts as best I could find them, but I'm still not sure what to do, what to choose. My feeling was that I was going to get from the guys who really know: "Use Stock". But then when you look at the list of plugs at Rock Auto, Jeeze! It's Incredible. Standard Plugs for $1.45 or less up to $6 bux or so, with all sorts of fancy design work, and Ad material that shows how their plugs burn gas better than anything else in the world. But then I think, but what if it burns the hell out of my engine! I want my car to have the Best, to be healthy and happy, whatever that is. I want to take care of it as per it's previous owners. In fact the guy I bought it from gave me a brand new GM drivers sided Muffler because there was this tiny hole in the one that was on the car.

You said you use Iridium. So would you say I should use sort of a Stock Plug but with better quality than stock. Oh, I did read something like this for the '86... one of the changes is that they changed to a copper core centrally located spark plug. In words about like that. See! I got by that statement that they, the engineers, specified a different specific plug for their modifications and applications (Aluminum Heads). It made me think, that here's these guys who engineered the thing, specified some specific plug for my engine as well, and that maybe I should go with that. Although it's very tempting to use one of them forever lasting fancy shmancy super duper plugs.

Thanks for your very informative and intelligent response.

John

 

[dougelam]

First off, sorry to hear about your spine condition. Wife had L4-5 worked on.

Thanks for the compliment, my first vette and yes 5 drive it to work every nice day


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[dougelam]

First off, sorry to hear about your spine condition. Wife had L4-5 worked on.

Thanks for the compliment, my first vette and yes I drive it to work every nice day


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