Originally posted by PontiacJoe1995: Accel's are nice.
Accels are junk as well.. i had two different pair of accels both with a few thousand miles on them.. most of the metal contacts broke off and two rubber boots pulled off the wires..
and one accel ignition coil prematurely fail
Ive had taylor wires and MSD wires and both have lasted me a long time with no issues upon removing them and re applying them..
[This message has been edited by gmctyphoon1992 (edited 08-08-2012).]
I've had good luck with AC Delco's as well. Duralast are junk, and Bosch only last a couple years. NGK makes awesome plug wires, but I don't think they make them for the Fiero. MSD are WAY too expensive, especially since you have to put them together, and they don't fit in the stock plastic dividers.
they are 50 ohms per foot, and no radio noise. and you get a chioce of colors. I run Jacobs myself, but since Jacobs is no longer these are the next best thing.
IMO the fancy spiral core wires aren't needed (or beneficial) to a stock motor. YMMV. Here is a quote from Magnecor's website, a manufacturer of spiral wires:
quote
Consumers are easily led into believing that if a spiral conductor's resistance is almost zero, its performance must be similar to that of a solid metal conductor all race cars once used. HOWEVER, NOTHING IS FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH!
In effect, (when new) a coated "low-resistance" spiral conductor's true performance is identical to that of a high-resistance carbon conductor.
Do they really have advantages over standard wires? Economy, power etc.? Do they make them for the duke?
No and no... GM's earlier version of electronic engine controls had its limits and the ECM makes decisions on fuel and timing based some “known” specs not the least of which is fuel burn and duration which is heavily affected by ignition parts (the plugs have the biggest impact). When you put “non factory” plugs and wires on the car you get a different burn duration and heat (usually faster and hotter). On carbureted cars this is a good thing, on early 80’s to early 90’s GM’s it’s a bad thing. I spent a lot of time (in the mid to late 80’s) fixing “it just doesn’t seem to run right” complaints by replacing aftermarket plugs with stock AC Delco ones. Save your money and headaches, put in stock plugs and wires.
My vote goes to the Taylor 74224 - they are great ignition wires.
I cannot recommend Magnecor, and personally would advise others not to buy those wires. I spent ~$130 for a set of their 8.5mm ignition wires for my V6 Fiero several years ago. If you read through the Magencore website they claim that their wires "are the last set of wires you will need to buy" But in less than 300 miles of usage the Magnecors failed.
Steer far clear of Magnecor. I've made my own sets of MSD wires that were far better than any set I would ever buy from Magnecor.
Stock AC delco SPARK PLUGS, are the best for GM cars. I agree 100% But I do say wires do make a difference. The ONLY reason spark plug wires are so high resistance is to suppress radio noise and EMI. New technologies have made it possible to have low resistance wires and NO radio noise. Stock wires may work on a stock car, but start adding mods and they break down fast. (and stock wires have radio noise, I used to be into audio competitions)
I have tried new Accel carbon core wires and new Jacobs wires side by side on my old Fiero and the Jacobs performed better, smoother reving to higher RPMs etc... And not all spiral core wires are the same either.
Here is a quote from the old Jacobselectronics website, pulled from archive.org
While there are many fine high-performance plug wires out there, we can not say succinctly how they will work when substantially higher voltages are pushed through them.
The two most common measurements of wires, resistance and thickness, only tell part of the story - so comparing different manufacturers wires on that basis alone can lead to trouble. Our wires are very low resistance with spiral wound metal cores. They can easily handle the higher voltages our system produces without breaking down, arcing, or "leaking" voltage.
We have seen some wires with lower resistance and thicker jackets that functions well with OEM ignitions or moderate voltages from aftermarket ignitions that rapidly break down under substantially higher voltages that our systems can produce. Indeed, stock "carbon core" wires can be wiped out in a surprisingly short time!
Just for a moment, think of a "regular" spark plug wire as a garden hose, maybe a few years old with some kinks, thin spots, and maybe some pinholes. At normal pressures the hose woks well. But double or triple the pressure and it begins to stress, leak, and break very quickly. Even a decent new hose can suffer a pressure failure in short order if its design limits are regularly exceeded. It's the same with plug wires.
[This message has been edited by sardonyx247 (edited 08-10-2012).]
hmmm... I should have asked a few questions here... before I bought a set of STI wires, MSD cap, rotor and coil. They are still in the box. Think they should stay there? My '86 GT is 100% stock... maybe the plugs were changed but I can't remember.
I took a chance and bought the STI's from the FS. Routed them the way the factory did...they've been great, 2 years now. My new Delco set didnt last a year before causing the tach to act funky and also cause a surging at steady cruise speeds. 1st time that has happened to me with factory parts. I generally will only use Delco parts on my GM cars. I just dont like aftermarket stuff but i cant complain about the STI's.
I put Taylor Thundervolt 8.2mm red wires on my 2.8 a few months ago. They work well so far and I haven't had any radio problems with them. They've been removed and reinstalled only once so far, so it's not like I've mechanically stressed them very much yet. I don't like the yellow text, I think it's too flashy looking. I'd prefer the look of white text like the Spiro-pro use. The coil wire is also too long. That's a common problem with 2.8 wire sets, but it just seems sloppy to me. Taylor must have a shorter wire in their inventory that could be used in this kit - they just don't want to have a separate kit number for the Fiero vs other 2.8 vehicles. Surprisingly, the cheap wires I inherited with the car had a proper length coil wire.
I have no idea if there's really much difference between Thundervolt and Spiro-Pro wires. I was going to get the Spiro-pro before noticing the prices were nearly the same, and I got the impression around the internet that the Thundervolt were supposed to be "better". A Taylor rep also said something similar. If there's a real difference in availability or price I wouldn't bother.
Lesson learned: don't order backordered items from Summit, unless you really don't care when you get them. The estimated ship date is not reliable. At the time of my order, the wires were listed as "will be in stock tomorrow" or some such wording. Then they started pushing the date back, in the end it took about a month before they shipped. I also had trouble with the site sometimes not recognizing my order number, I was at times told my order didn't exist. Later it worked again (yes I made sure I typed it correctly). The estimated date was useless, even after I got a ship email the ETA was still being pushed back another week.
Originally posted by armos: The coil wire is also too long. That's a common problem with 2.8 wire sets, but it just seems sloppy to me. Taylor must have a shorter wire in their inventory that could be used in this kit - they just don't want to have a separate kit number for the Fiero vs other 2.8 vehicles.
I see that a lot. One I saw (in the junkyard) had the coil wire tied in a loose knot to keep it from hanging down too far.
Stock AC delco SPARK PLUGS, are the best for GM cars. I agree 100% But I do say wires do make a difference. The ONLY reason spark plug wires are so high resistance is to suppress radio noise and EMI. New technologies have made it possible to have low resistance wires and NO radio noise. Stock wires may work on a stock car, but start adding mods and they break down fast.
I don't dispute that high performance engines may need spiral wires, but from the OP it sounds like a fairly stock car - in which stock wires would serve him well.
I doubt the addition of spiral wires will gain him anything except lightening his wallet about twice as much. All it's going to do is put more stress on his ignition components. Remember those Pulstar plugs? If a hotter spark really made a difference, for a stock unmodified engine, these would produce a huge increase in power (they claim something outrageous, like 100x hotter spark) - and in reality, they make virtually no difference.
I don't dispute that high performance engines may need spiral wires, but from the OP it sounds like a fairly stock car - in which stock wires would serve him well.
I doubt the addition of spiral wires will gain him anything except lightening his wallet about twice as much. All it's going to do is put more stress on his ignition components. Remember those Pulstar plugs? If a hotter spark really made a difference, for a stock unmodified engine, these would produce a huge increase in power (they claim something outrageous, like 100x hotter spark) - and in reality, they make virtually no difference.
actually, you have it backwards, it will put LESS stress on his ignition componets(mainly the coil). As the resistance is lower. And from personal experience the stock coil performs better with low resistance wires in the upper RPMs. The stock coils fall on thier face in the upper RPMs, the low resistance wires help. When I added DIS it now pulls all the way to redline. Thus showing how bad the stock coils perform at high RPMs.
The Taylor wires are high quality and OEM in fit. I've been running them on my Formula for over 7 years and they're still holding up well. I highly recommend them. (Taylor Cable 74224)
Looking for a set of red spark plug wires to dress up the engine compartment a bit - aside from the negligible price difference, what is the difference between these two? Which would be preferable? Thanks in advance.
I put the red STI wires on my 84 Duke at least five years ago, and they are still working fine. I have an MSD GM Blaster coil and an MSD box along with these wires.
You may read some bad things about MSD 8.5MM silicone superconductor wires on the forum but I have had good results with them on many engines including my sons old car that was driven 190,00 miles. I always use the 8 cylinder Universal sets so that if they are needed, I have a couple of spare wires. I attribute most of the problems that you read about MSD wires to bad assembly. If the crimping of the coil terminals is not done precisely a bad connection results.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Powerlog manifold, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Flotech Afterburner Exhaust, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
Looking for a set of red spark plug wires to dress up the engine compartment a bit - aside from the negligible price difference, what is the difference between these two? Which would be preferable? Thanks in advance.
The difference is 0.2mm diameter of wire insulation, which has no impact on the performance of the cable. Between those two I would recommend the 74224. Don't forget to pick up a set of Taylor 42720 wire looms.
I've had the Taylor plug wires since I purchased my 86 GT ('07), and they show no signs of wear. I had to replace the Duralast wires in my Mazda MX 6 once a year, until I finally switched to Bosch. However, I'm sure that the other recommendations above are wise alternatives. bb
Originally posted by lateFormula: I cannot recommend Magnecor, and personally would advise others not to buy those wires. I spent ~$130 for a set of their 8.5mm ignition wires for my V6 Fiero several years ago. If you read through the Magencore website they claim that their wires "are the last set of wires you will need to buy" But in less than 300 miles of usage the Magnecors failed.
Did you contact them? I've run nothing but Magnecors on my turbo Saabs and turbo Fords and only had one problem, which they corrected immediately. The set on my '85 Saab I've had for almost 15 years and they work as well now as when they were new. They're unbelievable!
