Unless I mis-read something, Vizard seamed impressed with the Nology wires,
and included over two pages in the revised 3rd edition "Tuning the A-Series
Engine". His test results shown on page 447 indicated a 2.3% power
increase. (insignificant in my limited opinion, but an improvement none the
less). The cars that I drove at Bondurant Performance Driving School were
equipped with the Nology wires. I didn't experience any of the Formula
Fords conking out due to wire or ignition system failure.
David Riker
74 Midget
78 Midget
63 Falcon
70 Torino
http://personalweb.sunset.net/~davidr
----- Original Message -----
From <Ajhsys at aol.com>
To: <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, June 05, 2000 7:56 AM
Subject: Re: Ultimate Plug Wires (Very long and boring)
> In a message dated 6/3/00 10:55:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time, jkk@adams.net
> writes:
>
> << Just put a set of Nology wires and Beru plugs on my HD with a dual coil
> single fire ignition. They have a capacitor built in the wire that
ampifies
> voltage by some massive amount. Of course at $95 a set [2 wires] they'll
get
> you drummed out of the "We Tight Club". [I like the Bumblebee wires on my
> LBCs, work great, look really cool, use Accel plug boots and terminals to
> eliminate that loose problem] >>
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
> Here is what Magnecor has to say about capacitive discharge wires.
>
> ""CAPACITOR" EFFECT WIRES with grounded metal braiding over jacket
> The most notable of exaggerated claims for ignition wires are made by
Nology,
> a recent manufacturer of ignition wires promoted as "the only spark plug
> wires with built-in capacitor." Nology's "HotWires" (called "Plasma Leads"
in
> the UK) consist of unsuppressed solid metal or spiral conductor ignition
> wires over which braided metal sleeves are partially fitted. The braided
> metal sleeves are grounded via straps formed from part of the braiding.
> Insulating covers are fitted over the braided metal sleeves. These wires
are
> well constructed. For whatever reason, Nology specifies that non-resistor
> spark plugs need to be used with their "HotWires." In a demonstration, the
> use of resistor plugs nullifies the visual effect of the brighter spark.
>
> Ignition wires with grounded braided metal sleeves over the cable have
come
> and gone all over the world for (at least) the last 30 years, and similar
> wires were used over 20 years ago by a few car makers to solve
cross-firing
> problems on early fuel injected engines and RFI problems on fiberglass
bodied
> cars â?" only to find other problems were created. The recent Circle Track
> Magazine (USA, May, 1996 issue) test showed Nology "HotWires" produced no
> additional horsepower (the test actually showed a 10 horsepower decrease
when
> compared to stock carbon conductor wires).
>
> The perceived effect a brighter spark, conducted by an ignition wire,
encased
> or partially encased in a braided metal sleeve (shield) grounded to the
> engine, jumping across a huge free-air gap (which bears no relationship to
> the spark needed to fire the variable air/fuel mixture under pressure in a
> combustion chamber) is continually being re-discovered and cleverly
> demonstrated by marketers who convince themselves there's monetary value
in
> such a bright spark, and all sorts of wild, completely un-provable claims
are
> made for this phenomena.
>
> Like many in the past, Nology cleverly demonstrates a brighter free-air
spark
> containing useless flash-over created by the crude "capacitor" (effect) of
> this style of wire. In reality, the bright spark has no more useful energy
to
> fire a variable compressed air/fuel mixture than the clean spark you would
> see in a similar demonstration using any good carbon conductor wire. What
is
> happening in such a demonstration is the coil output is being
unnecessarily
> boosted to additionally supply spark energy that is induced (and wasted)
into
> the grounded braided metal sleeve around the ignition wire's jacket. To
test
> the validity of this statement, ask the demonstrator to disconnect the
ground
> strap and observe just how much energy is sparking to ground.
>
> Claims by Nology of their "HotWires" creating sparks that are "300 times
more
> powerful," reaching temperatures of "100,000 to 150,000 degrees F" (more
than
> enough to melt spark plug electrodes), spark durations of "4 billionths of
a
> second" (spark duration is controlled by the ignition system itself) and
> currents of "1,000 amperes" magically evolving in "capacitors" allegedly
> "built-in" to the ignition wires are as ridiculous as the data and the
> depiction of sparks in photographs used in advertising material and the
price
> asked for these wires! Most stock ignition primaries are regulated to 6
> amperes and the most powerful race ignition to no more than 40 amperes at
> 12,000 RPM.
>
> It is common knowledge amongst automotive electrical engineers that it is
> unwise to use ignition wires fitted with grounded braided metal sleeves
> fitted over ignition cable jackets on an automobile engine. This type of
> ignition wires forces its cable jackets to become an unsuitable dielectric
> for a crude capacitor (effect) between the conductor and the braided metal
> sleeves. While the wires function normally when first fitted, the cable
> jackets soon break down as a dielectric, and progressively more spark
energy
> is induced from the conductors (though the cable jackets) into the
grounded
> metal sleeves, causing the ignition coil to unnecessarily output more
energy
> to fire both the spark plug gaps and the additional energy lost via the
> braided metal sleeves. Often this situation leads to ignition coil and
> control unit overload failures. It should be noted that it is dangerous to
> use these wires if not grounded to the engine, as the grounding straps
will
> be alive with thousands of volts wanting to ground-out to anything (or
body)
> nearby.
>
> Unless you are prepared to accept poorly suppressed ignition wires that
fail
> sooner than any other type of ignition wires and stretch your ignition
system
> to the limit, and have an engine with no electronic management system
and/or
> exhaust emission controls, it's best not to be influenced by the
exaggerated
> claims, and some vested-interest journalists', resellers' and installers'
> perception an engine has more power after Nology wires are fitted. Often,
> after replacing deteriorated wires, any new ignition wires make an engine
run
> better."
>
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