Ceramic HT leads?
Discussion
After a PH thread a few years ago I opted to ditch the plug extenders and go for socks. I also used the dizzy cap extenders.
Recently my car failed to start at a very inconvenient time, costing me over £200 to remedy. Dizzy cap extenders now ditched as they were the cause (well one at least) of the non start. Apparently the socks aren't doing a great job either, even with my manifolds wrapped.
Anyway, ceramic leads have been suggested.
My question is; are they any good?
Thanks in advance
Cad
Recently my car failed to start at a very inconvenient time, costing me over £200 to remedy. Dizzy cap extenders now ditched as they were the cause (well one at least) of the non start. Apparently the socks aren't doing a great job either, even with my manifolds wrapped.
Anyway, ceramic leads have been suggested.
My question is; are they any good?
Thanks in advance
Cad
There are pros & cons. I would love to have some but you need to be aware that the caps are fragile and are known to stick firmly onto the plugs. To remove the caps you should find a way to slip something under them so that the force is at the bottom, effectively pushing them off. If you attempt to pull them from the top there are two issues, firstly the angle causes the cap to twist on the plug with obvious fracture issues, secondly ceramic is not strong when tensile force (pulling) is applied. I believe the caps are designed for a different design of plug and this is why they lock on too firmly. If you break one you'll need to buy a full set again as suppliers don't sell singles
QBee said:
I have had ceramic leads on for three years now and they have been great.
But I have Jeeves to valet end service my car, and he hasn't made any comments about issues.
Do be aware that they are over £100 a set.
Agree - expensive but fit and forget, 4 years now and like new, DIY service and repairs and had no issues, no need for special tools to remove just use a decent pair of thin work gloves with good grip and pull direct off the plug.But I have Jeeves to valet end service my car, and he hasn't made any comments about issues.
Do be aware that they are over £100 a set.
You say your using socks and apparently they are not working!
Why?
They work fine and keep the majority of heat away from your caps if the leads are installed properly and have been doing so on cars for years including my own.
Have you any photos of your socks so we can work out what’s actually wrong here.
Has a sock burnt through so melting a cap?
What exactly is wrong with your socks please so I can keep an eye on my own
Why?
They work fine and keep the majority of heat away from your caps if the leads are installed properly and have been doing so on cars for years including my own.
Have you any photos of your socks so we can work out what’s actually wrong here.
Has a sock burnt through so melting a cap?
What exactly is wrong with your socks please so I can keep an eye on my own
I fitted the ceramic leads 4 years ago and have had no issues.
If you fit them straight out of the box, then yes they can be difficult to remove at a later date, as has been said, smear some dielectric grease on them when fitting and they will be fine, I’ve pulled mine off a few times and never had an issue.
The socks should be ok though, personally I don’t like them as they look a bit scruffy and discolour over time
If you fit them straight out of the box, then yes they can be difficult to remove at a later date, as has been said, smear some dielectric grease on them when fitting and they will be fine, I’ve pulled mine off a few times and never had an issue.
The socks should be ok though, personally I don’t like them as they look a bit scruffy and discolour over time
If you can afford the ceramics go for it.
Agreed socks discolour but they deflect most of the heat if applied properly. I’m pretty sure my leads are silicone as they are the ones Powers put on when MBE went in but not sure if the caps are but they have taken a trip to South France and another 13,000 miles no sweat. I’m a bit of a bigger for checking plug colour, it’s become a good habit when doing monthly checks during heavy use in summer, I think I’d be so weary of cracking the ceramic ones, they must be better- look great but to expensive for me if they break.
Can you buy single ones as direct replacements in the Uk. If so I’d have them.
Agreed socks discolour but they deflect most of the heat if applied properly. I’m pretty sure my leads are silicone as they are the ones Powers put on when MBE went in but not sure if the caps are but they have taken a trip to South France and another 13,000 miles no sweat. I’m a bit of a bigger for checking plug colour, it’s become a good habit when doing monthly checks during heavy use in summer, I think I’d be so weary of cracking the ceramic ones, they must be better- look great but to expensive for me if they break.
Can you buy single ones as direct replacements in the Uk. If so I’d have them.
It only seems to be me who thinks these are the work of the devil then .. yet again I have another car in right now with ceramic leads on where one spark plug end has pulled off. It's not common but happens too often .. and it's not like I don't know to be careful taking them off either. Whenever I see a car come in with these leads on I expect to have trouble rather than expect plain sailing ..
Normal leads and socks is the way I prefer to go.
Normal leads and socks is the way I prefer to go.
spitfire4v8 said:
It only seems to be me who thinks these are the work of the devil then .. ..........
No you are not alone.Last time this subject came up I said then how much I hated them. One chip or crack in the cap and it's a whole new set + the car would have to stay until they arrived + the whole value of the job wasted.
AAArgh
Steve
I really want to buy some as they look so fabulous but I also like to work on my car in comfort so I’ll happily stick with socks and a few carefully placed tiny cable ties to suspend them. I’d assume even with Ceramic you have to suspend the leads or the caps might spin and touch manifolds anyway which is nearly always the problem.
Classic Chim said:
You say your using socks and apparently they are not working!
Why?
They work fine and keep the majority of heat away from your caps if the leads are installed properly and have been doing so on cars for years including my own.
Have you any photos of your socks so we can work out what’s actually wrong here.
Has a sock burnt through so melting a cap?
What exactly is wrong with your socks please so I can keep an eye on my own
Will do, when i get the car back Why?
They work fine and keep the majority of heat away from your caps if the leads are installed properly and have been doing so on cars for years including my own.
Have you any photos of your socks so we can work out what’s actually wrong here.
Has a sock burnt through so melting a cap?
What exactly is wrong with your socks please so I can keep an eye on my own
The main issue was one of the plug extenders, dizzy end, that has burnt out/corroded. But the mech said the socks were no good either. Will need to investigate when I get it back.Thanks for the replies chaps.
Reading through, there does seem to be a split in opinion and I can understand why. The prospect of having one of the ceramic jobbies being cemented onto the lead does fill me with read. Especially given the room we have to work with on our Chims in that area. Maybe you have to remove the tops every now and then to re lube them with the Dielectric grease . I don't know. I just want something with acceptable performance and most of all, durability and integrity.
I possibly went for the average priced socks when I bought them...I'll have to check.
For the moment, I might look into breaking out the Mig and fabricating some 'sock/lead stays' to bolt on to the manifold. Give me something to do after xmas dinner
Reading through, there does seem to be a split in opinion and I can understand why. The prospect of having one of the ceramic jobbies being cemented onto the lead does fill me with read. Especially given the room we have to work with on our Chims in that area. Maybe you have to remove the tops every now and then to re lube them with the Dielectric grease . I don't know. I just want something with acceptable performance and most of all, durability and integrity.
I possibly went for the average priced socks when I bought them...I'll have to check.
For the moment, I might look into breaking out the Mig and fabricating some 'sock/lead stays' to bolt on to the manifold. Give me something to do after xmas dinner
+ Socks, No Ceramic for me, used since 2017.
Proven for me back in 2018 in France, outside temps 35c, some lengthy traffic jams. Under bonnet temps must be high. No issues with HT leads, these are standard 8mm Silicon leads.
I think the key thing is routing of HT leads, don't let the HT leads and socks sit on the manifolds.
Proven for me back in 2018 in France, outside temps 35c, some lengthy traffic jams. Under bonnet temps must be high. No issues with HT leads, these are standard 8mm Silicon leads.
I think the key thing is routing of HT leads, don't let the HT leads and socks sit on the manifolds.
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