Spark equals power. This is common knowledge in the automotive world. If you’ve ever dealt with defective spark plug wires, you understand the issues associated with them. The last thing you want to do is chase those gremlins down while trying to get your build running right. Quality spark plug wires should be high on your list of things to invest in, as a proper connection is critical.
Performance Distributors’ LiveWires to the rescue, especially for those needing a custom set (more on this later). These wires are built with space age, heat-resistant sleeving, keeping them from being scorched by your headers or manifolds (and the freezing cold as well). Performance Distributors says protection is granted from -76 degrees to an insane 1,400+ degrees Fahrenheit — that’s pretty impressive.
The Components
The sleeve protecting the plug wires from those extreme temperatures is produced from non-flammable heat-treated glass braid, and also protects against moisture and chemicals.
Inside that sleeve is an 8mm spiral core, consisting of stainless steel wire with a magnetic core, which offers resistance value of 300-350 Ohms per foot — a very low resistance value. This allows for optimum spark energy! The combination is wrapped in durable silicone.
The low-resistance wires are available as a custom fit to your engine and application, so there’s no assembly required, and the ends of each wire are numbered so there’s no confusion during installation. Each wire is ½-inch in diameter, and features spiral winding which prevents electronic interference. This might be something we don’t consider when choosing wires, but the spiral core wire’s radio suppression means they won’t interfere with delay boxes or stutter boxes. Performance Distributors designed the wires with heat shrink between the boot and the sleeving in order to keep dirt and moisture away from the wire terminals.
Personalized Fitment
LiveWires are designed to work as a custom fit set. That means no cutting, splicing, or crimping is required! When your set arrives, it will include a tube of dielectric grease. You’ll apply that grease to the plug boots, which will help to prevent voltage leakage, as well as keeping the boots and terminals from sticking to the plug.
The LiveWires are available in red, silver, blue, black, yellow, purple, green, and most recently, orange. They come with a one-year warranty from the date of purchase, and are manufactured right here in the USA.
Performance Distributors designs each LiveWire set as a custom-fit to a variety of applications. If you have a unique application, you can contact the company to have a custom set made using your exact specifications — and they’ll do it for just $20 over the cost of the regular sets. That’s a pretty good deal for customization (and you won’t have to take matters into your own hands).
We spoke with Steve Davis at Performance Distributors and he explained how you can go about having a custom set made. “When a customer needs a custom set of LiveWires, he must provide us with the length of each wire by cylinder (so that we can number them accordingly), and the angle of the boot.” It’s a pretty straightforward process, really.
Have you installed LiveWires in your build? Let us know what color you chose in the comments!