any noticable difference in performance/mileage/smoothness?

After three years I recently made my first performance mods with a MyMini touring exhaust and an ITG drop-in foam filter. The Moss-Mini catalog I was recently looking at had a Screaming Demon coil and low resistance spark plug wires.

They claim, "up to" a one second improvement in 0-60 time.

Anyone give me the real story on what these items can do?

 

At least in the terms of the wires, this has been reviewed several times. Go read the FAQs for Kingsbourne or any of the wire manufacturers.

NO wire will make HP. Its as simple as that. What they can do is "free up" HP you may be losing that you alread had because of old wires. hence "up to" depending upon the existing condition of your wires.

 

Honestly no.

Having a high output coil doesn't do anything unless you done something to your motor to actually require a higher voltage output.

The coilpack will only put out the voltage required to spark. You will have the same spark voltage as the stock coil. Now increase the resistance in the electrode gap (higher temp, higher boost etc), and you will need more voltage to cross the gap.

As for the spark plug wires...eh. I'm very wary of ignition modifications as there aren't really noticeable gains. I've seen alot of dyno sheets w/ the mods, but even those "gains" have been in the margin of error.

Now spark plug themselves, that's another story. That actually will make a difference. But again depends on what other mods you have.

Some say it makes a difference, I say it doesn't (well at least not really for the wires). Take everything w/ a grain of salt and decide for yourself.

 

here ya go

Professional installers do not use Kingsborne wire sets to increase engine horsepower; they use them to maintain maximum engine horsepower. Despite claims made by some wire set manufacturers; no wire set made will increase or add additional horsepower to your engine. Many people have told us that engine performance has increased after they fitted a Kingsborne wire set…. however, in reality, performance only increased because the engine’s potential power was previously restricted by faulty, warn out or inefficient ignition wires.

http://www.kingsborne.com/

 

So if the only "problem" your spark plug wires have is being OEM, it ain't gonna help to replace them. Same with the coil I suppose.

 

It isnt just being "oem". Rather, they have to be worn, old, not moving the juice, etc. They can be OEM and fine.

I think most ppl put them on because it looks "cool" in the engine bay, some bling. Besides, everyone knows the red ones are "faster"

Bottom line, go for the bling if you got the $$$, otherwise, just don't hold your breath in actually seeing any more power!

 

Your right about that. When I saw the red wires in the Moss catalog I could feel my resistance dropping.

 

All;

Not to say plugs / wires / coil mods do or don't improve performance.....just remember that auto mfrs. try to engineer / use components that deliver a minimal level of performance with the least amount of cost....so you can say, for example, that the Kingsborne wires ARE better than stock...

For more insight into this debate, go to Grassroots Racing's Website...they race Class H MC's competitively....the rules allow very few mods....most racers spend the time / money to upgrade the wires / coils / plugs....if these mods didn't give them an edge, I'd think they wouldn't install them...just my $0.02..

 

it will definitely make a difference in your checking account balance

 

I am interested to upgrade:

Pilo coil pack (Is this the same as the Screamin Deamon)
Magnecor 8.5mm Plug Wires.
Denso Iridium Spark plugs (ik20)

I have a Cooper (non S) with:
MTH manifold
K&N typhoon
Playmini exhaust
MTH chipped

My question is:

I read the torque to use for the spark plug is 27NM, 20lb ft. I also read something about plug gaps need to be opened up to .065 inch.
What do they mean bij "open the gap to"? Is this the same as "using torque setting"?

Whats the best torque setting for the plug with this setup?

 

My Bentley MINI manual says the torque setting for plugs should be 27Nm (20 ft-lb).

The manual only mentions NGK BKR 6 EQUP plugs which it says do not have an adjustable gap.

The spark plugs you mention probably come with a smaller gap setting than .065 and need to be "opened up" to .065 by prying them open slightly and checking the gap with a gage.

How do you like the Playmini exhaust. Is it the one with the round, "TT" exhaust tip?

 

giving hp, hardly... at least not on paper....

i do feel a slight increase in throttle response after installing it (maybe placebo effect)... also seems to have cured the stumble on my car a bit....

 

Thanks resmini

I am happy with my playmini exhaust. I have the slash cut. I love the look of it and it sounds great. Still need to burn it in. Fitted it last week.

One more question about the iridium plugs. The Denso comes pregapped at .044"
Should all plugs (of the same type) have the same (.044) gap? A quote what I have read in a topic Is this normal? If I buy a set of Irridium spark plug. Can I say all the plugs is gapped at 0.044 out of the box? I dont have any tools to check it.

 

Go to your local auto supply and buy a spark plug gap tool..they are only a coupla bucks and last forever. -g

 

I'd put the money elsewhere. I had the iridium and did not notice the difference. Opened 'em up to .065, too. Nothing. Same throttle response. My SA told be that they are pretty much useless unless you are running an S with lots of mods. Same with the coil...I tried it, saw no difference, and took it off. I think the gains with mods like throttle bodies are better documented. Just MHO!

 

The book is old, but the principles are still the same, plus they had today's ignitions available as aftermarket back then(1980's). To give you an idea of what a scientist of electronics can do, he had an '81 Camaro (3600lbs.) with a 5.7 liter v8 and a three-speed automatic transmission. According to his book, the car ran mid 13's in the 1/4mile, yet got 25mpg on the road! The book he wrote explained how and why he got the improvements. I had stolen some of his ideas on my Datsun 240Z and got easier starting (it is cammed up), better fuel economy and more power. By the way, I measured resistance of new original spark plug wires and some aftermarket ones and the resistance of the aftermarket ones was half! I opened the spark plug gap slightly, thought I felt an improvement and get 35mpg on the highway with a CVT transmission. If you can find someone with a doctorate in electronics, ask him... Maybe he knows something about ignition. -Jeffy.

 

I installed some 8.5mm racing wires and iridium plugs in my MC. It did not effect power at all, although I did notice better throttle response, although it was a slight difference. But the yellow ones are definitely faster than the red ones. Not to mention that the box of spark plugs had pictures of flames on them. That must mean more power. I think if you are going to do a high output coil, it will not make much difference unless you have a lot of mods on your car. If your stock coil is producing enough power to fully ignite the fuel mixture, than there is no improvement to be made. That is my understanding at least.