When comparing high performance vs. standard replacement parts, it is of extreme importance to weigh performance and durability against value and cost. Long term costs of replacing OEM items with low-priced “budget” items or after-market replacement parts can, in many cases lead to higher consumer long-term costs. It can also lead to irreversible damage to primary and connected related systems. Obviously, if a replacement part is of lower quality and of shorter durability, it will need to be replaced more often. There are costs associated with the labor to replace these parts more often, as well as time lost for actually doing the work of replacing an automotive component. There are other “hidden” costs as well associated with this practice. They may not be costs in cold, hard cash out of pocket, but they are costly, nonetheless.
A good example of this is simply shopping around for spark plug wires for my old Buick. I got in the habit of replacing the wires at least once a year, sometimes more if a problem arose. I go to the Internet and find several varieties of options online and I read the descriptions of what my choices are. They look like this:
Description: Taylor Cable 69.95
8mm Street, Ignition Wire Set, Custom Fit, SST, Blue, Tin Coated Copper Braid, Non RFI, Blue Double Spring Locking Spark Plug Boots, High Temperature Rated To 550 Degrees, Competition Looks, GROUND SHIPPING ONLY
Description: OEM 37.41
Premium Wire Set, Spark Plug Wire Set, OEM Fit And Quality 37.41
Description: Taylor Cable 29.95
8mm High Energy, Ignition Wire Set, Custom Fit, Blue, High Temperature, Oil Resistant, RFI Suppression, 100% Silicone Boot Ends, Double Spring Locks At Plugs, GROUND SHIPPING ONLY
The first thing I notice is the huge difference in price, and like any good spendthrift, I am drawn to the cheapest spark plug wires available. Ignoring the statements about temperature ratings and RFI, I immediately think to myself, without any further research, I may want to buy the bargain set of wires. But then I think I want good wires, and the OEM brand is only eight dollars more. These are the spark plug wires that came with my vehicle, so they must be what I need. I buy them online for $37.41, have them shipped to my house and install them on my vehicle.
I take my old car for a ride, to see how much better it is going to run with the new wires on it. I notice it doesn’t run any better, as a matter of fact, it now has a slight miss in the engine. So I turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle and make sure everything is connected properly. The miss isn’t there anymore when I start the vehicle back up, so I am happy. I turn the radio on to listen to some tunes on the way back to the house, and I can hear the sound of my engine “running” on the radio, like a whining sound, drowning out a portion of the music.
I get back to the house and look at the old wires I took off in favor of the new “original equipment” wires. They don’t look the same. The old ones look heavier and bigger. The next day, I start the car up and the “miss” is back, and the engine “whine” is still on the radio. Frustrated, I put the old wires back on the car and the problems go away. So I go back to my computer and look at custom and high performance plug wires for my old Buick, and here’s what I see:
Spark Plug Wires
Brand: Taylor Cable $108.95
8mm Street, Ignition Wire Set, Custom Fit, Full Metal Jacket, Black, RFI Suppression, Braided Stainless Covering To Polished Aluminum Covers Over Silicone Plug Boots, High Performance, Custom Appearance
Spark Plug Wires
Brand: Taylor Cable $25.95
8mm High Energy, Ignition Wire Set, Custom Fit, Blue, High Temperature, Oil Resistant, RFI Suppression, 100% Silicone Boot Ends, Double Spring Locks At Plugs
Spark Plug Wires
Brand: Accel $99.57
Custom Fit 300 Race, Stainless Spark Plug Terminals, Complete EMI/RFI Suppression, 600F Temperature Resistance, More Spark Energy, More Power, Spark Plug Wire Set, 8.8mm, Wires Routed Over Valve Cover, Black
This time, I do a little research to find out what I do not understand about the sales descriptions offered. Here is what I find out about the difference in spark plug wires:
OEM wires generally rely on carbon conduction and are also used in the majority of stock replacement wires. This form of ignition wire is cheap to manufacture and generally provides adequate initial suppression for both RFI (radio frequency interference) and EMI (electromagnetic interference). The conduction portion is generally made of fiberglass or kevlar over which resistance conductive latex or sometimes silicone is layered over top. This reduces spark current to provide suppression. This works well while the conductor lasts, but it has a limited life. This type of conductor quickly fails if a high-powered ignition system is used. Temperature resistance is generally in the 550 degree F range.
I also find out that EMI from OEM spark plug wires can cause incorrect signals to be sent to engine management systems and on-board electronic devices. This is why suppression is so important. It works the same way that RFI can cause unwanted signals to be heard on my radio receiver. Engine running problems like intermittent misses to a major loss in power loss can be the result. I also find out that the problem can get worse with age due to corrosion of the sensors and connectors. Also, high performance wires can protect in temperatures as high as 1000 degrees F.
I went back to my Buick and looked at the ignition system. It had not been replaced by a high-powered ignition system. I ordered the Taylor custom 8.8-mm wires with RFI suppression for $25.57.
$11.84 less than I paid for the OEM ignition wires. I installed them a few days later when they arrived and have had no problems at all. In fact, my gas mileage has increased and my responsive acceleration increased. I have had them on my Buick for two years now and they still perform as well as the day I put them on.
Replacing with high performance automotive parts are generally considered upgrades and higher costs are associated with better quality and higher performance. As this exercise taught me, this is not always the case. Higher performance means value-added in the long-term. This relates to better customer satisfaction, better performance and durability, sometimes even less expense, but always a better value and a lot less hassle.
Posts Tagged ‘High’
High Performance Doesn’t Mean High Price
Thursday, March 24th, 2011High Tech Developments Worthy of Making Automotive Industry News
Wednesday, January 26th, 2011Everyone knows the current state of the economy; it appears in news reels every day. However, it is very common that bad news distracts the public from the good. The motor sector was hit hard in the past few years, but there is plenty of automotive industry news to be very excited about.
Public awareness has been consistently growing about issues such as global warming and man-made greenhouse gases. With this constant global environmental education comes a common urge to help the situation. Choices are being made with the earth’s wellbeing in mind and as such much stock is being put on improved efficiency and reduced emissions when people buy cars.
As indicated by the multiple new models released (and soon to be released), electric vehicle (EV) models have been grabbing a lot of attention. Already doing well in the USA, Japan and parts of Europe, EV designs seem to be the way forward. It fulfils all the green aspirations consumers have for their automobiles. There are a few issues though, namely the large cost of the lithium ion batteries core to most designs, and also the absence of sound EV infrastructure.
The bridge between fossil fuels and pure electric has been around for quite a while: the hybrid car. Since many can’t afford the extra initial capital costs of an EV, a hybrid seems like a suitable compromise. It has similar benefits to electric cars, but at a fraction of the price, and with less performance loss. It is no wonder then that hybrid sales have been so high in recent years – it is the logical choice, and the public know this.
Other imaginative innovations have been popping up. For example, in safety, many new models have radar and sensor technology allowing you better cruise control and collision detection. Things that were already impressive, such as airbags and anti-lock braking, are now being reshaped and improved.
Many cars now come equipped with airbags that take into account details to allow it to operate better, like weight and size. The latest in anti-lock braking applies brakes faster and harder, and controls out of control situations that lead to crashes. A common new feature is tire pressure sensors, letting you know when your tires need to be filled, much the same way as your oil and gas monitors work.
Don’t forget all those little extras that make an automobile that much more desirable. The latest gadgets are pushing the driving experience into the future. One clever little key design allows you to limit the top speed of the car, ensuring speed-hungry teens don’t crash the family vehicle. Another high tech addition is night vision, allowing a clear view of the road when headlights can’t help. Perfecting existing designs, new GPS systems provide constant instructions, as well as updated traffic reports.
Realize that this automotive industry repair news is the tip of the iceberg. New designs, technology and improvements appear in automotive industry news daily, and it is definitely worth keeping up to date. Hopefully the industry will continue to raise the bar, keeping us, the customers, happy.
Why you Should be Using High Quality Automotive Light Bulbs in your Automobile
Friday, August 20th, 2010Automotive Light Bulbs are needed by everyone. The automotive light bulbs are special type of bulbs that are generally used in automobiles. The light produced by these bulbs is a small light that can be seen at the time of turning the signal in your car on.
Automotive light bulbs are very useful to be placed in your automobile. They light up the dashboard in your automobile. This helps you to keep a track of the amount of gas you have, your speed as well as the RPM levels. The automotive lighting bulb was developed a long time back in the 1960′s. These bulbs immediately also became a part of the digital watches, calculators and many such types of equipment that are used for testing. The new inventions in technology added many new colors to these bulbs and thus its use extended to pedestrian signs, auto industries and traffic lighting.
Generally, the automotive light bulbs are avoided in use the headlights for the automobiles. Xenon bulbs are the standard light bulbs that are used worldwide in headlights of an automobile. The xenon bulb uses the xenon gas and an unfluctuating arc of electricity for the production of a bright light.
The automotive light bulbs are always superior to the halogen lights. This is because:
* The production of light by an automotive light bulb is always double than the regular halogen bulb.
* Better visibility is provided especially at night and when the weather conditions are not good.
* The level of concentration that has to be used by the driver for focusing on the road ahead is decreased by using these light bulbs. Thus, it also lays a major role to decrease the feelings of tiredness and stress that arises because of increased concentration.
* Only about 60% of the energy is burnt as halogens.
The automotive light bulbs are very easy to find out. The newly available automobile in the market consist of bulbs that can be replaced easily and can be purchased either in replacement kits or separately. These replacement bulbs have 2 filaments for preventing the escape of light in the wrong direction. For high beam lights, the cars light is directed straight ahead by the filament; whereas for the low beam lights the filament is placed in such a way that headlight of the automobile face downwards towards the road.
Now, onwards whenever you drive your vehicle at night, just have a look at the lighting system of your automobile. You will get a first hand experience of viewing how these automotive light bulbs function to help you.
Everyone wants an automotive light bulb for their vehicle headlights that will last for a long time. These bulbs are available in different size and style to fit in your motorcycles, cars, trucks and SUV’s. It is advisable to carry replacement bulbs always in your vehicles that may be useful during an emergency. Driving with a burned out automotive light bulbs is very risky and dangerous especially at night. It is always better to use high quality automotive light bulbs in your automobile. This is so because your safety to some extent depends on it.
Automotive Light Bulbs- did you check yours today?