What Are The Best Spark Plug Wire Boot Protectors?
Almost anyone with headers on their car, truck or racecar has experienced burned spark plug wires, or has melted through a spark plug boot or two. This article will help you pick the best spark plug wire boot protectors, so you can be sure of your protection options and make the choice that is both cost-effective and right for you.
Types of Spark Plug Damage and Why Spark Plug Wire Heat Protectors Work
Before figuring out the best spark plug boot protectors and spark plug wire protectors for your street or race car, let’s look at the types of potential damage and associated costs when hot exhaust and spark plug wires share close quarters. First, you have the cost of replacing the wires, which in race applications could easily cost more than $100. Second, when a spark plug boot melts, it can create an ignition misfire/no-fire problem. This could cause you to lose a race or end up stuck on the side of the road -- not to mention the not so small fact that it could also potentially cause engine detonation or backfire situation due to a buildup of unburnt fuel in various cylinders and intake runners. This uncontrolled detonation can lead to serious engine damage and even underhood fire.
Complete burn-through is not the only problem to consider when looking at spark plug wire boot covers and heat shields. Whenever a wire that conducts electrical energy is exposed to high heat, the resistance of that wire increases. That means it takes more time for the energy to travel through the wire, and a certain amount of the energy is restricted and never actually reaches the spark plug.
The benefit of a thermal-barrier spark plug wire shield is that heat-induced electrical resistance will be reduced significantly, meaning your ignition system won’t have to work as hard, and the full spark energy will be delivered to the spark plugs. Heatshield Products offers several automotive heat shields, spark plug wire heat protectors, and other products designed to protect wires and spark plug boots from heat damage. Knowing which one to use in your application will depend on the type of engine you have, how much heat is produced, and what type of damage you need protection from.
Insul-Boots™ spark plug wire boot protectors are made from a conventional thermal-barrier material that helps reflect heat. To keep the boots in place, we designed an innovative Heatshield Products’ ring that goes between the cylinder head and the tip of the boot. Without it, the boots will walk up the wire over time, exposing the spark plug to the heat you’re trying to protect them from. Insul-Boots™ spark plug wire boot protectors can withstand temperatures of 1,200-degree Fahrenheit constant and 2,000-degree intermittent, and they are available in a variety of colors.
Lava Boot Shields™ have a dual-wall design similar to the Insul-Boots™ spark plug protectors, but these spark plug wire heat protectors are made from a unique high-temp basalt material, giving them incredible flexibility. The materials in our Lava Boot Shields™ expand and stretch, making it easy to install over straight, 90-degree, or 135-degree boots. Lava Boot Shields™ also include the same innovative Heatshield Products’ rings found in our Insul-Boots™ to hold spark plug boots in place. These spark plug wire heat shields can withstand temperatures of 1,200-degree Fahrenheit constant and 2,000-degree intermittent.
HP Boots™ spark plug wire boot protectors combine 304 stainless steel and ceramic insulation to reflect heat and provide a heat barrier for extreme conditions. They are not very flexible, so we make pre-formed straight, 90-degree, and 135-degree configurations. HP Boots™ can withstand constant 1,800-degree temps and up to 2,200-degree intermittent temps. HP Boots™ spark plug protectors will not slide up the spark plug meaning no ring is needed to keep them in place.
A typical street engine with headers will normally maintain underhood temperatures between 300 and 500 degrees at the header tube closest to the spark plugs. Under a heavy load or increased work, this temperature can double -- our Lava™ Boot spark plug wire heat shield sleeves can still manage the heat. However, for higher horsepower engines or supercharged/turbocharged applications, the normal exhaust temp can be much higher, making HP Boots™ spark plug wire protectors the better choice.
We also know that you don’t normally need protection on every spark plug boot. That’s why our Insul-Boots™ and Lava Boot Shields™ are available in sets of 2 or 8, and our HP Boots™ spark plug protectors are available individually. Looking for other automotive heat solutions or answers to questions like how to install spark plug boot protectors? Check out our collection of auto heat shields and other spark plug heat shields to get the performance you’ve been craving today!
