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Last Updated: 4/17/2010
Resources
Plug Wires
Taylor Cable Products, Inc.
Address: 301 Highgrove Road,
Grandview, MO 64030
Phone: (816) 765-5011
Email: info@taylorvertex.com
Click here to visit their website.
Summit Racing Equipment
Address: P.O. Box 909
Akron, OH 44398-6177
Phone: 800-230-3030
Fax: 330-630-5333
The Order Line is open 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week.
Click here to visit their website.
Vision Motorworks
Phone: 305-231-3388
Hours : Monday - Saturday
9:00 AM To 7:00 PM
Click here to visit their website.
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| The fabrication, modifications and designs you see on this web site are completed by myself. If you duplicate these modifications you do so at your own risk. I do not endorse or make any claims to their safety, performance, On-road or off-road worthiness. Any "Product Reviews" are my sole and personal opinion. These reviews are on items purchased from or provided by reputable aftermarket suppliers. All registered trademarks belong to their respective owners. |
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Most spark plug wires are pretty durable. They aren't a moving part but they have an insulation which can crack. The insulation (the rubber or silicone on the outside of the wire) keeps the electricity where it needs to be so it sparks on the inside of the engine, not someplace else before it gets there. If the insulation is cracked, the spark will jump off the wire, or arc, onto the closest metal under the hood.
The Dodge Tech manual states clearly to replace the OEM wires at the 60k maintance point. My blue colored Summit Racing 8mm spark plug wires have less then 8000 Miles on them and even after a careful inspection I couldn't find any problems and there is actually no need to replace them.
However, I decided to replace them anyway with a new ThunderVolt50 10.4mm diameter racing spark plug wire set from Taylor. I ordered the Taylor Cable 98082 - Taylor ThunderVolt 50 Spark Plug Wire Set here for 123 bucks from Summit Racing Equipment.
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I really like the looks of those beefy ThunderVolts50, they also have the right color which will match the rest of my engine bay perfectly.
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Taylor Cable’s Corporate Office and Manufacturing Facility is located in Grandview, Missouri
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Some people have stated on web sites I have been browsing a small horsepower gain (2-7hp) from these Taylor ThunderVolt50 spark plug wires, but I am not sold on that just yet. To this date no independent dynamometer test I know of has shown any increase in horsepower over stock wires that were correctly installed and working properly.
In my opinion, a stronger spark does not always equal more HP. If the stock ignition is reliably lighting the mixture, you can add as much spark energy as you want, but it won't make any more horsepower.
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What I do believe though is that you need a quality set of ignition wires that can carry the full output of racing ignition systems while providing superior EMI suppression for electronically managed engines and superior heat resistance.
The Taylor ThunderVolt50's will have no problems doing just that for my Magnum in the Durango! |
Manufacturers Description:
Nothing delivers the sparking power like these ThunderVolt ignition wires. The 10.5mm wires use a ferrite spiral-wound core made with an exclusive copper/nickel alloy bonded by a conductive acrylic latex cover. The result is just 50 ohms/foot of resistance. Plus, they can withstand heat up to 600 degrees F and have 102,000 V dielectric strength. Other features include a heat-treated fiberglass braid, a triple-silicone outer layer, and silicone boots.
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* THUNDERVOLT®50 is the ABSOLUTE best .409 inch, 10.4mm diameter high tech, high performance ignition wire available. IROC DYNO-Tested and Track Proven, achieving 5 HP and 7 lbs. torque better than the competition.
* 50 Ohm Ferrite Spiral-Wound coated core blend of exclusive copper/nickel alloy bonded by a conductive acrylic cover. Our Ferrite Spiral-Wound low resistance core provides optimum RFI and EMI suppression and is compatible with use on most electronic ignition systems and components.
* Features a tightly woven heat treated fiberglass braid eliminating the need for additional sleeving.
* Exclusive three layer 100% ZIMPLEX® silicone outer jacket provides additional heat and abrasion protection up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit and 102,000 volts dielectric strength, a must for the extreme conditions of open wheel racing and under hood temperatures.
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Spark Plug Wires, ThunderVolt 50, Spiro-Wound, 10.4mm, Black, 180 Degree Boots for Dodge, Truck, 5.2/5.9L
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* Available in Black with Gold lettering with color coordinated low profile 100% silicone PROBOOTS® featuring vibration proof double spring locking spark plug terminals.
Spark Plug Wire Separators
I always use spark plug wire separators when installing spark plug wires. The problem is, that most of these clamp style plastic separators, which are often supplied free with or within a spark plug wire kits, are not securely enough grip the plug wires.
During time the result is often the loss of a separator or two and gone with them is the preventing of plug wires from contacting hot engine components like the headers. I did have a plug wire melting to my header at one time and it is not a pretty picture.
 Vision Motorworks Wire Separators in
Retail Package |
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I found the solution to this problem by purchasing Vision Motorworks billet wire separators. These separators have bolts which when tightened clamp the spark plug wires in place.
I have used them with the 8mm wires before but they feel a bit loose and I had to use a bit of electric tape to enlarge the diameter of the wires to secure them properly. This was not a problem with the new ThunderVolt50's, these seem to be a perfect fit, look great, and perform flawless |
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 Vision Motorworks Billet Wire Separators
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I had no luck on contacting Vision Motorworks directly but I did found them on ebay (ebay Seller: autodinamics) for the cool price of 7 bucks for a kit. I purchased 3 kits and I am very happy with them.
Installation
The basic procedure of this project is to remove the old spark plug wires by disconnecting them from the distributer cap and from the spark plugs and replace them with this new ThunderVolt50 racing wire set from Taylor.
The new ThunderVolt50 Spark Plug Wire Kit! |
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1. Before I can install the new spark plug wires, I have to take off the billet separators and remove the old Summit wires.
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2. I have removed all old wires and began installing the new ones.
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3. I am doing this one wire at the time, this way I don't have to worry about the cylinder's firing order.
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4. The last step of this project is to re-install the billet wire separators and wrap the coil wire with loom. Everything looks great!
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Some of the spark plug wire boots have been very difficult to push onto the plugs despite the fact that I have used plenty of Loctite Dielectric grease to aid in the install and to protect the connections.
Of course, the lack of available space around and above the spark plug heat shields didn't make this easier. All things considered, this project was simple to do and was done with in less than an hour on a Saturday afternoon!
Everything looks super especially with the Vision Motorworks billet wire separators. |
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Loctite Dielectric Tune-Up Grease 37534 provides a moisture-proof barrier that lubricates and protects the electrical connections from salt, dirt, and corrosion.
| Dielectric grease prevents voltage leaks around electrical connectors, and is required on modern high-energy ignition systems. |
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 I purchased this at Summit Racing Equipment
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I really love those beefy new spark plug wires from Taylor!
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