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 ‘Performance’
High Performance Doesn’t Mean High Price
Thursday, March 24th, 2011Guaranteed Effectiveness Without The Pocket Hole – RJ Performance Injection Pumps
Monday, January 24th, 2011With great power comes greater responsibility. With the tremendous power your truck is packing every mile of use, it also bears a responsibility for maintenance and utmost care. Like any thing that is mechanical, your truck will eventually wear-out some parts due to usage. When it comes to diesel trucks, one of the most crucial and expensive to replace is injection pump.
An Injection pump is tasked to pump the proper amount of fuel in the tank through the injectors, where fuel injection takes place. Correct pressure and perfect timing must take place for the efficient fuel transfer. After reaching the combustion chamber, the fuel undergoes process of combustion, which creates the energy needed by the piston to enable your truck’s movement.
Unfortunately, your injection pimp will need replacement overtime. In choosing the best pump, you need to consider several factors:
In order for your truck to run in power and beauty, proper maintenance should be religiously followed. When changing complicated parts like injection pump, let an expert mechanic do the job.
To know more about automotive parts and their replacements, please visit http://www.rj-performance.com.
Crate engines, automotive engines add power, performance
Sunday, October 24th, 2010TV’s “Tool Man” had the word, and the word was “power.” That’s what owners of vintage muscle cars want in their classic machines, and that’s what they can get with crate engines and automotive engines from Auto Parts Fair.
For the uninitiated, a crate engine has been constructed by a performance shop or company using mix-and-match parts. These parts are tooled to a vehicle’s original manufacturer tolerances or better, especially when it’s a muscle car. The mission behind this method is the Holy Grail of automotive engines: Performance.
Auto Parts Fair welcomes customers seeking crate engines, both for their performance capabilities and for their competitive value in comparison to the cost of a new automotive engine direct from automobile makers. Crate engines are put together by experts from all the best parts with extreme attention to detail. Engines arrive assembled or ready to assemble. Such automotive engines won’t be as cheap as if the customer went searching through the junkyard himself for the parts, but it won’t be as messy, either.
Still, it can be as frustrating as a trip through the automobile boneyard to find reliable crate engines, or even good automotive engines. Here’s where Auto Parts Fair can help.
Auto Parts Fair operates in cooperation with a national network of auto parts suppliers. That means that its online store has access to some 4 million auto parts. In this way Auto Parts Fair takes the hassle out of finding automotive engines for Hyundai or Honda, Saab or Subaru, Nissan or Toyota through its comprehensive online catalogs. Customers can save both money and time by using Auto Parts Fair’s online store, which is built with the customers’ priorities in mind.
Buyers go quickly through a simple step-by-step process as they search for the right engine, whether it’s Audi automotive engines or Corvette crate engines. Auto Parts Fair’s home page features some of the recent most popular purchases in a picture directory, so if the right automotive engine shows up there a purchase can be practically point and click.
There’s still no problem if a more detailed search is needed. With the superior organization of Auto Parts Fair’s online store, customers can click through the online store’s menus in seconds to find what they’re seeking. If what the customer wants happens to be quality used automotive engines, Auto Parts Fair has an entire section devoted to good used parts.
Auto Parts Fair’s warehouse pricing on automotive engines and crate engines – sometimes as much as 70 percent off recommended list prices – is backed by a 100 percent customer satisfaction guarantee. Warranties on auto parts range from 12 months to a lifetime depending on the part. Buyers won’t ever lose money on quality crate engines and automotive engines when purchasing from Auto Parts Fair.
Furthermore, every transaction is safe and secure at Auto Parts Fair, which uses McAfee computer security software to guard against cyber thieves. Privacy and security in online purchases are assured at Auto Parts Fair’s online store. Friendly and reliable customer service representatives who can answer questions are available also by telephone or email daily.
Yes, the word is power, backed by price and performance. Auto Parts Fair gives its customers all three advantages when it comes to shopping online for the best in automotive engines and crate engines.