Street Class
1) UnderdogSDA 13.3 (Nitrous)
2) S.Bretz 13.35 (Turbo)
3) Poc301 13.50 (Nitrous)
4) BoostedSL2 13.56 (Turbo)
5) Yardbird 13.59 (Nitrous)

Unlimited Class
1) Nefarious 12.26 (Nitrous)
2) LowSC2 12.4 (Nitrous)
3) 92saturnSS 13.33 (Nitrous)

DOHC
1) UnderdogSDA 14.21
2) Green Monstah 14.5
3) DonBaker 14.71
4) Applebit 14.8
5)SaturnMotorsportsOfCary14.84

SOHC
1) ProjectPhase1 16.61
2) Sh1FT 16.90
3) Wraith 16.98
4) jhsl1 17.2
5) SL_Sled 17.96

Ion
1) JGreen 15.48
2) schzzo97sc2 15.60
3) Chris 15.79
4) rascon11 16.06
5) IonJon 16.27

Updated 1/05

For the most recent list of the fastest five cars click here.

Wireset Roundup

by: Titan

Wireset round up
Which spark plug wires are the best? Does price always dictate performance? Are aftermarket wire sets that much better? And are they worth the money? These are questions that I've set out to answer. With a limited budget in mind, I set out to show you some alternatives to the high dollar performance wire sets.

I have rounded up eight of the more common spark plug wire sets that you will encounter while shopping at your local D.I.Y. Automotive stores. I review 2 sets from Advanced auto parts, 3 sets from Autozone, 1 set from Genuine and 1 from Main auto parts, and finally 1 wireset from Pep boys. I'm limited in my testing procedures so I concentrate on the ohms of resistance within the wires. This review, well not definitive, will give you an idea of what your hard earned money is buying.

Tale of the tape
Every manufacturer touts there wires as the best and its easy to get lost in the sea of hype. So, I have composed a list of some of these "incredible" features here:

Ultra-tough jacketing prevents terminal pull-off

Resists heat, oil, chemicals and abrasions under the most demanding conditions

Fiberglass braid provides strength and flexibility

Snap lock terminals provide positive connection and resist corrosion

Heavy duty silicon boots

High energy suppresser delivers maximum voltage without radio interference

OE fit for easy installation

EPDM inner insulation to stop power-robbing voltage leaks

Kevlar reinforced core fore long life

Durable stainless steel alloy winding

Extra thick higtemp silicone jacket

and so on and so forth...

Basically, all of the printed features are the same. They are all just a rehash of what you read here. Now on to the tests!

Testing procedures
Each spark plug wire was probed three times with an ohm meter. Each time the testing electrodes were completely removed from the wire and then the wires were reprobed. The average reading (located in the table below) was taken by adding the wire's three test numbers and dividing by the number of times tested (3). Furthermore, the wires are listed from longest to shortest ie. #1 in the table would be the longest wire while #4 would be the shortest of the four wires.

Results

* Denotes a lifetime warranty

All wires tested were 7mm

As you can see there is a big difference in the resistance between the wires. Also, even though on average the Bosh wires had the least resistance of the eight the #3 wire tested bad. This observation brings up a good point about wiresets and that is upon purchasing a wireset you may want to check the resistance before installing them on your car to be sure that they are all within a similar range. The winner in the end is the Bosh wireset closly followed by the Borg Warner brand. The numbers are close enough to warrent a tie and between the two and I don't really see a difference since they are both quality wiresets. In the end it will come down to your preference between the two.

Conclusion
If you have read the Magnecor, or any, write up on spark plug wires you maybe saying to yourself "low resistance is not a complete test of a good spark plug wire" and I would agree with you. There are several other factors that come into play when choosing a wire set like EMI (electromagnetic interference) and RFI (radio frequency interference) suppression but unfortunately, there is no way for me to test for this type of interference. I don't believe that this is a big issue for Saturn cars in general since there are only four relatively short spark plug wires, leaving less area for electromagnetic interference to be produced. EMI and RFI would be a greater concern if you are running aftermarket engine management systems.

Marketers of performance wiresets often target consumers with high-powered aftermarket ignitions, which tend to burn the wires out faster. Since I believe that the Saturn's ignition system is adequate enough for even moderately boosted applications (5-10psi of boost) there is no need to upgrade to a performance ignition system unless you are planning to boost higher. In the end this will save you a lot of money considering ignition systems for Saturn's range in the 300-400 dollar range not including performance wires. An aftermarket ignition system will give you a few extra horsepower but the price to performance payoff, in my opinion, is not worth the investment.

Summing it all up
Expensive aftermarket wires on average, cost twice as much as off the shelf D.I.Y store brands and they don't carry a lifetime warranty but for around $30 I can easily purchase a wireset that in reality probably gives me 80-90% of the aftermarket performance. If you are concerned about your wires burning out quickly from high under-hood temperatures or your aggressive driving style you're covered. The lifetime warranty has its advantages

The turbosaturns.net forum has become one of the best resources for Saturn performance on the net. Our members are constantly pushing their cars to new performance levels. So, log in, share your ideas, and help push your car’s performance to the next level.

• Apexi Safc Install
• Turbo Tuning
• Cams 101
• Wastegate 101
• HP vs Torque
• Ian's Turbo F.A.Q.
• Oxygen Sensors
• DIY Fuel Regulator
• Taming Detonation
• Walbro Install
• Fuel Injectors
• Techedge Wideband
• OEM Fuel Pump Limits
• AVC-R Programming
• Dynosoft
• 220whp or Bust

Archived Articles

HERE

August 2005 TSN will be holding its first ever meet in Chardon, Ohio. Some of the fastest Saturns in the country will be attending. Activities will include drag racing, dyno, tech session, and BBQ. Look for the latest information in the forums.

Different Racing

Jeff and his team Different Racing have big plans on breaking into some really low quarter mile times this year. Last year he posted a 12.40 on a pretty healthy nitrous shot. This year he has a new turbo setup and some serious determination. Visit his website for the latest news and information. I expect we'll be seeing some low 12's from him by the end of the year.