Why are spark plug wires so expensive these days?
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Propflux01
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Supply an demand. Most engines 20+ years ago had to change plugs every 30K, and wires a few more miles later. Nowadays, plugs last 100K, and most engines don't even have wires.
They should be more expensive - forces people to walk and use public transportation.
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
They should be more expensive - forces people to walk and use public transportation.
They should be more expensive - forces people to walk and use public transportation.
I was going to say that copper is at an all-time high, but I think most wires are made of aluminum.
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
They should be more expensive - forces people to walk and use public transportation.
They should be more expensive - forces people to walk and use public transportation.
Originally Posted By: Tim H.
Supply an demand. Most engines 20+ years ago had to change plugs every 30K, and wires a few more miles later. Nowadays, plugs last 100K, and most engines don't even have wires.
^^ This (especially the last part).
Supply an demand. Most engines 20+ years ago had to change plugs every 30K, and wires a few more miles later. Nowadays, plugs last 100K, and most engines don't even have wires.
^^ This (especially the last part).
Kestas
Staff member
Most wires are made of carbon core conductors.
Inflation? How much did a car, a half gallon of milk, and a pound of coffee cost in 1970?
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
They should be more expensive - forces people to walk and use public transportation.
Nothing personal,but....
They should be more expensive - forces people to walk and use public transportation.
Nothing personal,but....
I think the Bosch wires I just purchased were silicone insulation, which remains flexible even though it will go though thousands of hot and cold cycles.
Under the silicone are strands of some kind of conductor, copper, maybe a carbon conductor? But those strands are wrapped around another insulator (kevlar) that helps promote performance while minimising electronic interference and increasing strength of the conductor.
(I read the side of the box and thought it was neat, although I threw it away once I was done installing them.)
There is more there than a coat hanger wrapped in electrical tape.
I also think supply and demand has a lot to do with it. Most people don't keep a car long enough for the plugs and wires to go bad.
My advice would be to buy the best quality you can so that you can keep them as long as possible.
Finally, they charge that much because they know people will pay for them regardless.
Under the silicone are strands of some kind of conductor, copper, maybe a carbon conductor? But those strands are wrapped around another insulator (kevlar) that helps promote performance while minimising electronic interference and increasing strength of the conductor.
(I read the side of the box and thought it was neat, although I threw it away once I was done installing them.)
There is more there than a coat hanger wrapped in electrical tape.
I also think supply and demand has a lot to do with it. Most people don't keep a car long enough for the plugs and wires to go bad.
My advice would be to buy the best quality you can so that you can keep them as long as possible.
Finally, they charge that much because they know people will pay for them regardless.
I live 13 miles from town. There's no public transportation. No bike paths. Just interstate.
A hybrid makes zero sense for the type of driving my neighbors and I do. I don't do a mile of urban driving a day.
I'd love to own a diesel car, but I don't want a VW. My government is dead set on keeping as many diesel cars off U.S. roads as possible. They make emissions laws almost impossible to justify the price. Diesel should be almost $1.00 a gallon cheaper than gasoline, it's much cheaper to make. But they throw so much tax on it, it's almost 50 cents a gallon higher here.
If you saw the third world countries where all our used batteries go, see the children playing, washing, and drinking water with battery acid leaking in it, you probably wouldn't want to see a hybrid either.
A hybrid makes zero sense for the type of driving my neighbors and I do. I don't do a mile of urban driving a day.
I'd love to own a diesel car, but I don't want a VW. My government is dead set on keeping as many diesel cars off U.S. roads as possible. They make emissions laws almost impossible to justify the price. Diesel should be almost $1.00 a gallon cheaper than gasoline, it's much cheaper to make. But they throw so much tax on it, it's almost 50 cents a gallon higher here.
If you saw the third world countries where all our used batteries go, see the children playing, washing, and drinking water with battery acid leaking in it, you probably wouldn't want to see a hybrid either.
My Acura Integra's wires were $48 for all four at the dealer....that's pretty cheap in my opinion.
You should also shop around. I was able to get a set of Bosch wires for my uncles 2000 Toyota Camry at partsgeek.com for $28.00 dollars. I was pretty amazed at that price!
Aside from supply/demand, ignition system design based on ODB-II cars with direct HT coils on top of the spark plugs has gradually taken place over the traditional HT wires (e.g. spark plug wires) configuration.
This has more to do with the ability for more delibrate/precise control over the HT firing part and ignitiopn timing control by ECUs. With technical advancements to control the ignition time at all times (from cold starts, idling, fuel management and octane control, ignition advancement/retardations, etc.), the only way to achieve this is to go with most practiced common configuration which is running LT wires to the ignition coils over the spark plug's top to control the firing.
Spark plug wires will be part of the history in about a decade or 2.
Q.
This has more to do with the ability for more delibrate/precise control over the HT firing part and ignitiopn timing control by ECUs. With technical advancements to control the ignition time at all times (from cold starts, idling, fuel management and octane control, ignition advancement/retardations, etc.), the only way to achieve this is to go with most practiced common configuration which is running LT wires to the ignition coils over the spark plug's top to control the firing.
Spark plug wires will be part of the history in about a decade or 2.
Q.
higher voltages have changed ignition wire designs also.
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Well my guess on this is that most newer cars don't use spark plug wires. Most newer cars have an individual coil pack for each cylinder now. So like the above post, just not a demand for them.
My car has 2 wires only and new Denso Wire Set runs $30. They are generally good for about 100K miles. Cheap sets need to be changed more often.
NGK makes great wire sets too for a great price. Denso and NGK are OEM for many makes and models. So check out their websites and see if you can pick them up cheaper than the Dealer.
My car has 2 wires only and new Denso Wire Set runs $30. They are generally good for about 100K miles. Cheap sets need to be changed more often.
NGK makes great wire sets too for a great price. Denso and NGK are OEM for many makes and models. So check out their websites and see if you can pick them up cheaper than the Dealer.
Is this on the '99 Corolla? I think the plug-end connectors are special, and add extra cost. It's still not too bad--$37 list price for AC Delco at RockAuto; $19 for the same set on clearance.
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