Myth about Plug Cables

[donCityZ]

GUYS...
JUST DID A LOT OF READING. My conclusion is:
Dont waste money on changing to those low resistance
plug cables. Plug cables are servicable parts.. mean u must
change regularly also. Maybe every 50k~80k.. not sure.

Most plug cable say they increase hp la what la..
actually tests hv been done, they DO NOT increase
ANY HP AT ALL. But u can feel it right? Why?

It is bcos ur prev cable oledi deteriorate. So u merely
restore the lost power. U can get same effect if u
change standard plug cable into brand new one.
Same like when u just svc.. new oil.. feel power right?

Normal spark at plugs will burn fuel+air mixture
the same way as a bigger spark. there will be
NO residue fuel+air mixture after sparking!
U can try this.. put ur cooking gas in equally
sized plastic bags, one u burn it with matches,
another u burn it with cigarrettes. The fire is
same size right?

The only hp u can gain is by increasing fuel+air mixture.
example:
Increase air flow. (chg to those high flow air filter) or Super/Turbocharge it.
Increase fuel intake (or course) (chg bigger cc fuel injector).
Piping.. etc..
Digress..

When u chg low resistance cable, sure spark is
bigger... but it will cause interference to ur
electronics.. and ECU! and will cause misfiring
and eventually Lost Power.

If you want to change cable, I recommend the
stock cable. Brand new.

My friend and I also experience by testing a few plug
cables. For me, I bought Taiwan 9.5mm plug cable
put to my prev wira 1.3. I felt power increase..
but then when ON the radio, I heard noises.
I used it for 1 year plus... then I wanted to sell
the car. So I took the cable out and I bought
ori Wira plug cables and to my surprise, it felt
MORE POWER than the 9.5mm one!!!.... My friend
even bought NGK Power Cables.. cost RM300++.. after he use
for half year.. then he tried chg to his old stock cable
again.... NO DIFFERENCE!...

My advice is if u want to chg cable, and dowan
the stock one, better find a cable that can
LAST LONGER and keep its quality to conduct
the sparking for long time...

What U THINK?

 

[zamnov]

I read an article on this in the Asia Temple of VTEC website by Uncle Wong. They even did tests and compared stock cables with NGK cables and other so called high performance cables. The Dyno results showed that there were no differences in terms of HP gain.

Interesting topic we have here.

 

[shiroitenshi]

The performance cable market exists for a certain reason.. it's not totally hype like the majority of 'fuel savers' out there.

Thing is, we're comparing the cables on a stock engine.
Let's see what happenes when we put it in a high performance engine, where the injectors are not teeny sized (below 300cc) and the engine is no longer it's original displacement. (from 1.6/1.8 to 2litres or bigger)

Then, of course, we'd need bigger ignition coils, colder plugs, etc. since there's more fuel to burn, and there's a need for a more consistent spark, or the engine will bog with the drastic changes in fuelling across the rev range.

In which case, the stock cables would no longer be enough, and start to be a bottleneck in the ignition system.

Then, and only then, performance cables start to come into play.

I wonder myself how people running totally stock engines come to believe plug cables can increase performance. Plug wires deteriorate with time, hence a replacement is always a routine activity (unless you change your car every three years). Like you said, simply replacing with NEW stock cables can make a difference already.

But can't blame the people who bought the plug cable hype, since there is a very active market in 'fuel saving devices'.... apparently there are more idiots than there are misers.

 

[Hikaru]

Interesting and informative.

 

[V8_nutter]

The performance cable market exists for a certain reason.. it's not totally hype like the majority of 'fuel savers' out there.

Thing is, we're comparing the cables on a stock engine.
Let's see what happenes when we put it in a high performance engine, where the injectors are not teeny sized (below 300cc) and the engine is no longer it's original displacement. (from 1.6/1.8 to 2litres or bigger)

Then, of course, we'd need bigger ignition coils, colder plugs, etc. since there's more fuel to burn, and there's a need for a more consistent spark, or the engine will bog with the drastic changes in fuelling across the rev range.

In which case, the stock cables would no longer be enough, and start to be a bottleneck in the ignition system.

Then, and only then, performance cables start to come into play.

I wonder myself how people running totally stock engines come to believe plug cables can increase performance. Plug wires deteriorate with time, hence a replacement is always a routine activity (unless you change your car every three years). Like you said, simply replacing with NEW stock cables can make a difference already.

But can't blame the people who bought the plug cable hype, since there is a very active market in 'fuel saving devices'.... apparently there are more idiots than there are misers.

Well said,,,u understand the principles there. But dont explain too much,,,coz something is better to kept on the closed doors.:regular_smile:

 

[amdfaisal]

i think it's better to share details... at least we know why where what etc

 

[shiroitenshi]

Well said,,,u understand the principles there. But dont explain too much,,,coz something is better to kept on the closed doors.:regular_smile:

Actually this should be common knowledgelah.. but tuning... err.. that one should stay behind closed doors, yeah?

 

[hattech-v]

everything should stay behind open door... hehehehhe

 

[shiroitenshi]

everything should stay behind open door... hehehehhe

Even those late night adventures ah?? ROFL!

 

[donCityZ]

hey.. thx 4 the opinion guyz..

just 4 me who really looking 4 ACTUAL performance increase
in a cheap car and by spending less as possible (since im
not rich).. so i try to get as many info about the thing
b4 buying it.. and even do research on it...

i do not agree that "something is better to kept on the closed doors"...
not when it involves ppl's knowledge and money anyhow..

haha...
I did not mean to kacau the plug cable market la...
u know, there are some good ones (last longer)...
and if u have extra $$$$, y not? it looks colourful
at ur engine bay... heheheh..

 

[shiroitenshi]

hey.. thx 4 the opinion guyz..

just 4 me who really looking 4 ACTUAL performance increase
in a cheap car and by spending less as possible (since im
not rich).. so i try to get as many info about the thing
b4 buying it.. and even do research on it...

i do not agree that "something is better to kept on the closed doors"...
not when it involves ppl's knowledge and money anyhow..

haha...
I did not mean to kacau the plug cable market la...
u know, there are some good ones (last longer)...
and if u have extra $$$$, y not? it looks colourful
at ur engine bay... heheheh..

Actual performance increase? Cheap? IHE mods (Intake, headers, exhaust mods)
You can find cap ayam brands cheap, but watch out for ugly welds...

 

[donCityZ]

shiro.. u own honda EK 94? vtec?

 

[shiroitenshi]

shiro.. u own honda EK 94? vtec?

EG, B16A.. see sig. EK 94? I thought EKs came out in 96?

Yes, the discs/knuckles are from EK9.. but mounted on EG.. hehe.

 

[donCityZ]

shiro.. yah.. i oways confuse these alphabet and numbers la..
can u enlighten me about it.. i dono..
EG, EK EJ7 la.. EJ8 la.. what the heck are those numbers?

i see ur signature pic is EK right? EK is old one isnt it?

 

[amdfaisal]

EK newer than EG la bro... jgn la kata EK older hehe

 

[akuma]

shiro,
i sokong ur statement.... =)

 

[shiroitenshi]

shiro.. yah.. i oways confuse these alphabet and numbers la..
can u enlighten me about it.. i dono..
EG, EK EJ7 la.. EJ8 la.. what the heck are those numbers?

i see ur signature pic is EK right? EK is old one isnt it?

EGlah! I already said EG.. how come you change to EK pulak!! (slaps own forehead)

EG is the 5th generation civic. Local versions (CKDlah tu!) have chassis beginning with EH. Production runs are from 92-95

EK is the 6th gen civic, Local version are EJs. Production runs are from 96-2000 (some say 99 only.. so not really sure) I think it's 2000, because new civic came out later than that, so the production run got extended, with no changes in that particular model. (not sure about when the EK production run ended, so don't take this as the truth)

The numbers (EG6/EG9/EK4/EK9) at the end are different depending on the engine capacity, the earlier/later batches, and also if it's a sedan or a hatchback.

Strange that they would name the top of the line 6th gen civic similar sounding to 'ike-nai'.. meaning 'cannot go' in Japanese.. ROFL!!

JDM versions means 'Japanese Domestic Market', which means it's not exported by the car company (it's only exported by third parties. that's why you can buy them in malaysia.. It's not 'new' naturally!) <-- usually people call them 'recon' cars, I think..

EG6/EG9/EK9 are JDM specific models, and hard to get, so most people convert by buying halfcuts.

Don't be confused by the JDM term.. thanks to magazines, and JDM-maniacs, the JDM term is now used to describe any parts that are made in Japan.. EVEN if it's officially exported.

Imagine an online shop selling Japanese bearings which are officially exported by the manufacturer.. And they call it JDM? Haha.. the term is now screwed up already.

 

[Enthusiast]

Hey guys.....so after discussing bout spark plug cables........lets discuss bout spark plugs now.....shiro can u explain plz? would like to know more......

And i've heard some pretty insane comments on the plugs that omniman used......autolite plugs (or have i mistaken it?).........and recently i saw them advertised on hypertune under one of those shops....forgot which one.....they were retailing for rm25 per set only??!!

something so good for such a cheap price??

 

[shiroitenshi]

Hey guys.....so after discussing bout spark plug cables........lets discuss bout spark plugs now.....shiro can u explain plz? would like to know more......

And i've heard some pretty insane comments on the plugs that omniman used......autolite plugs (or have i mistaken it?).........and recently i saw them advertised on hypertune under one of those shops....forgot which one.....they were retailing for rm25 per set only??!!

something so good for such a cheap price??

Dunno much about plugs.. if your engine is healthy/working properly, the plug should always be light brownish/gray... any other colour could mean varieties of things. I do not really know what the colours means.. but here's a random site I googled up.
http://www.verrill.com/moto/sellingguide/sparkplugs/plugcolorchart.htm

I only know that if my plugs are of different colour, there's something wrong with the engine. .. so it's time to open it up and check.

I know turbocharged and high compression engines need colder plugs to prevent pre-ignition.. (the plug head grows so hot, it ignites the charge before it's fully compressed.).. bye bye engine!

For stock engines, I think it's only important to remember the gray/brown ash on the tip as being normal, and any other colour to be a cause for worry (because you wouldn't be using different rated plugs, would you?)

I just use iridium plugs... with the same rating as the stock ones in the B16A.

Never heard of autolite plugs.. haven't seen it too. RM25 per set??.. knowing the currency of the USD.. It's more likely.. RM25 for one plug... ROFL!

 

[J101]

i'll go straight to the point.

i myself a fanatic of ultra(red) cables. but after so long of using them, again and again, now i use the ngk(blue) cables. to be honest there is no bl00dy difference. marketing hype is good. but then again blue goes with yellow valve cover, ha ha.

ultra is 450
ngk is 350

100 difference, and ngk comes with sticker. ha ha.

there are better plugs cables that is if you are willing to spend more than RM700 brand new which serves the purpose of extreme modification.

same thing goes, the stock black b-series plug cables has to be changed from time to time.