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Spark, the sequel |
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Posted by GOrilla on Mon Oct 12 20:01:56 1998: In reply to: Re: Replacing Spark Plugs?? posted by The Man In Black on Mon Oct 12 17:14:29 1998: Spark, the sequel. The purpose of the ignition wires is to conduct the maximum coil output energy to the spark plugs with a minimum amount of radiated electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI). On most street applications using digital computers for engine management control, excessive EMI and even RFI can interfere with ECUs and cause running problems. With the Valk EMI and RFI is not a problem unless your running radio, stereo or radar detector equipment. There are 3 basic types of conductors used in automotive applications: Carbon string, solid and spiral wound. Most production engines come equipped with carbon string or spiral wound. The solid core types are used exclusively for racing, mainly with carbureted engines because they offer no EMI or RFI suppression. They generally have a low resistance stainless steel conductor. These types are rapidly losing favor, even in racing circles. The carbon string type is the most common and work just fine in most stock type applications. The conductor is usually a carbon impregnated fiberglass multistrand. Suppression qualities are fine with resistances in the 5K to 10K ohms per foot. They are cheap and reliable for 2 to 5 years usually, then they may start to break down and should be replaced. High voltage racing ignitions will likely hasten their demise. The spiral wound type is probably the best type for any application. The better brands offer excellent suppression, relatively low resistance and don't really wear out. Construction quality and choice of material vary widely between brands. Some amount of resistance is required along with proper construction to achieve high suppression levels. Resistance is also important to avoid damaging some types of coils and amplifiers due to flyback (high voltage transformer) and coil harmonics. Beware of wires claiming to have very low resistance. These CANNOT have good suppression qualities. Beware of any wires claiming to increase hp. Ignition wires CANNOT increase hp. As long as the wires that you have are allowing the spark to jump the gap properly, installing a set of $400 wires is strictly a waste of money. Lately, some truly "magic" wires have come onto the market claiming to not only increase power but also to shorten the spark duration from milliseconds to nanoseconds. Spark duration is determined primarily by coil inductance and coil resistance so these wires CANNOT shorten the spark duration by the amount claimed. The wire resistance has a minimal effect on discharge time because of the high voltage involved. A very short duration of spark is in fact detrimental to ignition because of lower probability. Yes, every fire is a crap shoot, you try to install the right products to increase your chances of consistant firing and spark. These same wires claim to increase flame front propagation rates and the ability to ignite over- rich mixtures for more power. In my experience and readings I have seen that once ignited, the mixture undergoes the flagregation process and that the progression rate of the flame front is totally independent of the spark. Also, I have learned above that most gasolines will not ignite nor burn at air fuel ratios richer than 11 to 1, period, and that maximum power is actually achieved at around 12 to 1 AFR. Wires that use a braided metal shield over the main conductor which is grounded to the chassis offers poor suppression because it does not cover the entire conductor. Any energy leaking out of the main conductor by induction is actually wasted to ground and will not make it to the spark plug. These wires also have very low resistance which can have a detrimental effect on coils and ignition amplifiers due to severe flyback effects which are normally damped by circuit resistance. Other claims for these wires include current flows of up to 1000 amps. The current flow in the ignition circuit is determined by the coil construction and drive circuits, not by the ignition wires. Most ignition systems are current limited to between 5 and 15 amps. The most powerful race systems rarely exceed 30 amps. To flow current at 1000 amps, you would require #0 welding cable for the ignition system! GO figure :) GOrilla |
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