Lloyd Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 I have been looking at some bulk plug wire, braided 7mm. Planning on making my own with the ever-dry kits from Andy Berbaum. Came across a web site where he stated you have to use "Low Resistance" plug wires because the older cars use about 20000 volts as opposed to the newer cars which use upwards 30000 volts. Using the newer wires on an older car with the higher resistance wires can reduce the spark at the plug. Problem is the guy with the bulk braided plug wire does not know what resistance it is. Heres the link: http://www.classicpreservation.com/sparkplugwiresets.html Thought Id ask you guys if anyone knows anything about high resistance and low resistance plug wires.. On my 39 Plymouth 6 volt system do I need to make sure I am using low resistance plug wires? Where can I get some nice looking bulk braided plug wire material? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 (edited) Resistance wires were introduced to decrease or eliminate induction static in automotive radio speakers. No radio, no problem. The. Second bold line on the website says low resistance metalic core. Then his credibility goes down the tubes when he mentions H E I requiring high resistance wires. H E I is short for hall effect induction, which is a non mechanical system to triggering the coil to fire. I don't think the coil cares whether the wires can carry 20 k or 30k volts. But if the vendor can not provide the information you think you need to make an informed decision it might be time to select another supplier. I am using a 20 $ set of universal wires from tractor supply, no radio' no complaints. Edited March 16, 2015 by greg g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TodFitch Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 The same places that sell you reproductions of vintage wiring harnesses like YnZ's or Harnesses Unlimited or Rhode Island Wiring generally also carry copper cored braided spark plug wire by the spool. For what it is worth, if you are going for original look, in the 1930s Plymouth used a braid covered spark plug wire but the color was black. The multicolored braided spark plug wire looks neat but is only authentic for vehicles older than the 1930s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayfarer Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Low resistance has little to do with advertised voltage in a system. Resistance is measured in ohms. Modern wire on new cars is in the range of 4000-6000ohms per ft of wire. Premium wire used by the likes of the NASCAR folks will be in the 400-500 range. Big difference. Solid wire core should be near zero but the electrical interference also kicks in. I have never measured the resistance of stock replacement wires but if they keep some guys forklift running it should work in a car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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