New spark plug wires

[Tranquilized]

Just wandering if anyone had any experience with the cheap Ebay spark plug wires? Normally I would sway away from this sort of thing, but how bad can spark plug wires really be?

I was looking at something like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_Car-Truck-Parts-Accessories__PROTEGE-99-00-01-02-10-2MM-RACING-SPARK-PLUG-WIRE-BLUE_W0QQitemZ290251180432QQadnZCarQ20Q26Q20TruckQ 20PartsQ20Q26Q20AccessoriesQQadiZ2865QQcmdZViewIte m?hash=item290251180432&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A1&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245.l1318


The picture here can't be the actual product though, right? Don't the Pro's only need 2 (very short) wires from the coils? If these are no good, I'll probably just end up going the OEM route for replacements.

[JC-MP5]

I wouldnt buy plug wires from eBay....

[kansei]

That isn't any cheaper than going to the dealership and buying OEM (once you factor in shipping) or going online and buying NGK (same as OEM).

Major risk, no possible gains at all.

[Super Matty P]

NGK or FAIL

[Tranquilized]

OK, so never mind the cheap-o wires. OEM replacements ordered today.

So is I right that there should be only 2 wires, not 4?

[ForceFed]

Yes..2 wires.....The other two are boots that hook directly into the Coils on the bottom.

[Raider]

that ebay auction is pretty funny. 5-8 HP gains! Nice. Oh, those are for off road use only, too.

Get some good ones, Not everything on ebay is good. That auction stopped just shy of labeling them Type R JDM.

[SpooledupRacing]

wow I would never buy wires from ebay..

NGK or Karlyn ONLY

if u need coils let me know I stock them 50.00 each with the boot on them
I stock the wires to but I see u already ordered them :)

[Tranquilized]

I would not expect any power gains from spark plug wires... just looking for a cheap replacement. I figured wires are wires, but the dealership gave me a good enough price on OEM that I don't have to worry about it.

And I totally didn't even think to ask you Dave, next part I need you're my man :thumb:

[Raider]

I would snag the coils for $50 each then. Back in my day, that was unheard of!

[kansei]

I would snag the coils for $50 each then. Back in my day, that was unheard of!

Yeah they were ..what like $180 each from the dealer? I can't even remember now. I just know that I put USED coils on my car because that was the only way to get them for a reasonable price.

My originals were rusted and the magnets were bulging pretty badly by 76k miles

[KrayzieFox]

OEM coils from NAPA are like $35 I think..

As for wires, don't get anything that's now OEM or NGK. Even Nology wires that are $200 are garbage. OEM is the way to go..

[TheMAN]

That isn't any cheaper than going to the dealership and buying OEM (once you factor in shipping) or going online and buying NGK (same as OEM).

Major risk, no possible gains at all.
the NGKs are NOT the same as the OEM shit mazda put on the car.... the OEM shit is just SHIT and breaks easily... the NGKs are a whole different level better

[TheMAN]

OEM coils from NAPA are like $35 I think..

As for wires, don't get anything that's now OEM or NGK. Even Nology wires that are $200 are garbage. OEM is the way to go..
napa doesn't sell OEM parts!


I'm tired of seeing people misuse/misunderstand what "OEM" means
OEM stands for ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER, and when it's something you get at the parts store and not the dealer, it's called either "OE replacement" or "aftermarket replacement" because it's NOT the same shit as what came on the car! in otherwords, NOT "original"! I'm tired of people thinking that "aftermarket" means "performance" (something that car enthusiast forums seem to convey but not as much on car *support* forums)... there's many kinds of aftermarket and the aftermarket replacement business is MUCH larger than the aftermarket performance business

misuse of such an important term like this misleads/confuses people, as well as dilutes the actual proper brand of products (in this case, mazda)... it hurts mazda's reputation in that people will think that mazda parts are shit when in fact what was put on was some aftermarket piece of shit... when this reputation is hurt, people also automatically think mazda cars are shit and won't buy them and that also means we get less people/new enthusiasts here, and that in turn makes it bad where there's no aftermarket performance support

[kansei]

the NGKs are NOT the same as the OEM shit mazda put on the car.... the OEM shit is just SHIT and breaks easily... the NGKs are a whole different level better

*sigh* sorry I wasn't specific enough your majesty.

I meant:
- same performance
- same price

[TheMAN]

I'm sorry I wasn't being specific... they DON'T offer the same performance as the NGK wires... sure they work the same as new, but what lasts longer? the NGKs... the NGKs have a better built/thicker core as well as better insulators and a better boot design where it won't fall apart after several times of changing spark plugs

so in otherwords, even if they're the same price, you get better value out of the NGK wires whereas the stock shit is just a waste of money

this is the reason why I paid $85 for magnecor "racing" wires 4 years ago *before* the NGK wires came out instead of just settling for OEM wires... they're more reliable and still work great and I'm sure will last another couple of years

[JC-MP5]

Aren't the stockers and NGK's exactly the same????

[kansei]

Aren't the stockers and NGK's exactly the same????

if I was in Rochester I could take the pictures to show but.. alas, I'm not. I have the NGKs on my car (for a couple years now, still like new), and a new set of OEM on the shelf.

The designs are all 99% the same. The OEM ones are black, don't say "NGK" on them, etc. I'm not going to cut the wires to see if the conductor is the same size, it doesn't really matter to me because as has been proven time and time again, bigger "race" wires have no gains.

There's another reason someone might want to opt for OEM --convenience. NGKs you have to order and wait for, OEM in stock or very quick if not.

[KrayzieFox]

napa doesn't sell OEM parts!

My sincerest apologies your royal Mazda highness. I meant to say, "You can get 'replacement' coils from NAPA for pretty cheap". I hope that's better..

You make a valid point, but who honestly gives a flying shit besides you?! Most people just want parts that are capable of replacing the OEM ones at a lower price..

[TheMAN]

Aren't the stockers and NGK's exactly the same????
no

[TheMAN]

if I was in Rochester I could take the pictures to show but.. alas, I'm not. I have the NGKs on my car (for a couple years now, still like new), and a new set of OEM on the shelf.

The designs are all 99% the same. The OEM ones are black, don't say "NGK" on them, etc. I'm not going to cut the wires to see if the conductor is the same size, it doesn't really matter to me because as has been proven time and time again, bigger "race" wires have no gains.

There's another reason someone might want to opt for OEM --convenience. NGKs you have to order and wait for, OEM in stock or very quick if not.
the OEM ones are sumitomos.... I have them sitting out in the garage if you want to continue wasting everyone's time by having me take pics of them

it doesn't matter if the bigger wires have no gains, what matters is that they withstand abuse better and don't wear out as fast

good job for blindly just dismissing better built plug wires as just a waste of money due to lack of performance gain... I agree with you on that point, but I also disagree with you in that properly built thicker wires (such as NGKs and magnecors) last longer than standard ones... that in itself is better money spent.... and yes, I did say "properly built"... sparkcos, nologys, etc are all crap

[TheMAN]

My sincerest apologies your royal Mazda highness. I meant to say, "You can get 'replacement' coils from NAPA for pretty cheap". I hope that's better..

You make a valid point, but who honestly gives a flying shit besides you?! Most people just want parts that are capable of replacing the OEM ones at a lower price..
then they come back and whine about how much a piece of shit their car and mazdas are when the cause of their problems is either stupidity, negligence, or putting cheap (aftermarket) shit on their cars

[Red5_02]

no

You sure, they're black wires that carry current to a spark. Sounds the same to me. I think you might be wrong on this one.

[Tranquilized]

I have a NA 130hp engine... I don't need anything better than stock. I looked at the Magnecor wires, but double the price of OEM isn't worth it to me. One of my wires (the longer of the 2) has a little crack/break in the wire, which I just shrink wrapped for now. Don't know how it happened, since the wires really don't feel brittle.

If I have to spend $30-$40 replacing spark plug wires every 5 years, its really not a big deal.

How do you know if coils need replaced? The car has about 70k on the odometer, mostly highway miles I have put on it. I bought the car in 2003 new with 86 miles on it, and I have always babied it. Just got a couple of bolt ons (intake/exhaust/header), but no major engine work done.

[Red5_02]

Replacing coils usually happens with a CE code or if you see it bulging. I'm at 102k miles and mine are stock, same for the wires.

[TheMAN]

You sure, they're black wires that carry current to a spark. Sounds the same to me. I think you might be wrong on this one.
are you sure you can read? :rolleyes:

[Tranquilized]

Replacing coils usually happens with a CE code or if you see it bulging. I'm at 102k miles and mine are stock, same for the wires.

Like actually bulging? It/they would visibly be swollen or have a bubble? I would never have even thought they could do that. Sometimes I REALLY miss my small block...

[Tranquilized]

then they come back and whine about how much a piece of shit their car and mazdas are when the cause of their problems is either stupidity, negligence, or putting cheap (aftermarket) shit on their cars

I still like my Mazda...

[Red5_02]

are you sure you can read? :rolleyes:

I might not be able to, I mean I managed to decipher the post pubescent angst in every knowledgeable but unwelcome post you've ever made but that whole reading thing just escapes me.

[kansei]

the OEM ones are sumitomos.... I have them sitting out in the garage if you want to continue wasting everyone's time by having me take pics of them

it doesn't matter if the bigger wires have no gains, what matters is that they withstand abuse better and don't wear out as fast

good job for blindly just dismissing better built plug wires as just a waste of money due to lack of performance gain... I agree with you on that point, but I also disagree with you in that properly built thicker wires (such as NGKs and magnecors) last longer than standard ones... that in itself is better money spent.... and yes, I did say "properly built"... sparkcos, nologys, etc are all crap

The NGK wires.. aren't thicker. That's what I'm trying to say. Heck I'm using all the oem clips to hold them in place and everything. If they're thicker, they have less insulation around them. My OEM ones started developing their first cracks in the casing around 40k miles.. I've only had the NGKs in for 25-30k so I can't really comment on the longevity of them.

The time between those was spent with the horror that is sparkco wires.

Like actually bulging? It/they would visibly be swollen or have a bubble? I would never have even thought they could do that. Sometimes I REALLY miss my small block...

yeah actually bulging.. not sure I have any pics of it though. I wasn't having any trouble with them, they were just starting to look really gross. May have just been because they were rusting pretty badly :P

I might not be able to, I mean I managed to decipher the post pubescent angst in every knowledgeable but unwelcome post you've ever made but that whole reading thing just escapes me.

Yeah edwin seriously stop being so bitter. There's a forum for people like that :P

[TheMAN]

perhaps not, but I'm sure of the fact that the insulators at the very least are thicker... it's very easy to compare right now... my beater work car has NGKs on them and they were harder to put into the clips and the ones that came off were also sumitomos which had about the same thickness/diameter as the stock protege wires

in the years I've worked with NGK wires for different applications, I haven't seen them fail due to the insulation falling apart like OEM sumitomos do

[kansei]

Yeah I've seen NGK wires on the KL that are way thicker than the ones for the Protege --not that it would make them any better in the Protege application.

Good to know about the NGK longevity --I'm glad they'll last longer than the whole chassis of the car :P

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3100/2656935732_e7aca6f5bb_b.jpg

there's the NGKs. --fitting in the oem clips just fine

[Red5_02]

Yeah I've seen NGK wires on the KL that are way thicker than the ones for the Protege --not that it would make them any better in the Protege application.

Good to know about the NGK longevity --I'm glad they'll last longer than the whole chassis of the car :P

You have been living somewhere where the roads are made of salt in the winter.

[kansei]

You have been living somewhere where the roads are made of salt in the winter.

It doesn't totally excuse mazda. Even with yearly rustproofing it goes to hell.

[Tranquilized]

I came from SW Kansas, and now live in NE Kansas. Its amazing what a difference 300 miles makes.
Back home, the city uses mostly sand instead of salt in the winter whenever possible, presumably because it is much cheaper (there are like 6 sand pits around town, versus shipping salt in from either one of the biggest salt mines in the World in central-ish Kansas or NW Oklahoma). Here in NE Kansas, they go crazy with the salt on the main roads and interstates. I have seen potholes and gutters damn near full of road salt in the winters up here. 4.5 of the 5 years I have been driving my car daily has been in NE KS. Its incredible to see the difference in the undercarriage of my parents' vehicles back home against my car here - My dad's beater 97 Tacoma almost looks new compared to my car, which I am freakishly paranoid about washing during the winter (usually try to spray it off about twice a week when very salty outside). Can't image how bad it must be any further North of here.

Those poor, poor cars.

[sandspeed]

on sparkplugs.com the sell the NGK for 31 bucks, seems like a good deal.

[kansei]

on sparkplugs.com the sell the NGK for 31 bucks, seems like a good deal.

yeah I've had great experiences with sparkplugs.com. I don't usually order plugs there because it's just as cheap and way more convenient to just go to the auto parts store to get the same thing, but for the wires they're nice and cheap.

[i12drivemyMP5]

Yeah I've seen NGK wires on the KL that are way thicker than the ones for the Protege --not that it would make them any better in the Protege application.

Good to know about the NGK longevity --I'm glad they'll last longer than the whole chassis of the car :P

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3100/2656935732_e7aca6f5bb_b.jpg

there's the NGKs. --fitting in the oem clips just fine On a different threadjacking note, why do you have different camber setting on your front struts? I see the pink dot in correct place on drivers side but different on passenger side. Is this compensating for something? Sorry, just noticed that in the pic. Now back to the postpubescent angst.......

[sandspeed]

I just got off the phone with an advance auto parts employee who said they have the NGK spark plug wires, but they cost $78. "What?"

[kansei]

ouch @ $78

sparkplugs.com yo!

oh and here's stock (black) vs NGK
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2808972038_e0f94a3de5_b.jpg

[sandspeed]

nice pic kansei!
well, i've got some new ignition coils on the way thanks to spooledupracing. Also got my hands on NGK wires and ZFRF7-11.:)

[Shasta]

I priced the NGK wires at CanadianTire,,,freakin $128, ripoff.