Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
. . . The day that the manufacturers stop listing a resistance spec for plug wires, I'll stop checking them to see if they match spec.
Not trying to bust your chomps, but many modern ignition systems are designed around higher resistance secondaries.
4-7k ohms/ft is perfectly normal and by design for secondary cables in a modern GM HE ignition system.
If you go too low on the cable resistance, besides defeating their RF suppression, you can damage some ignition coils.
Again, on a HE distributorless system, with secondary wires under a foot, whether it's measuring 5kohms or 9kohms makes no meaningful difference.
I'd reserve the very low resistance ignition cables for coils designed for them.
1. Nobody I ever heard of is making low resistance plug wires for street cars that have caused any of the problems that you just described. Taylor wires are at 50 ohms per foot, no problems. GMS wires are at less than 5 ohms per foot, no problems.
2. Designed for them or not, dyno testing by manufacturers, mags, and personal users have shown low resistance wires create more horsepower and better drivability. Doesn't make a million horsepower more, but the difference is there. And yes, this has been proven on modern LS based V8 engines.
Now let's go through the checklist:
Easier starting: Check
Better fuel economy: Check
More power: Check
Theories are all well and good, but real world results trump them every time. Wire wound conductors are nothing new to the modern world of ignition systems, and they do the job well.