Corvette Shielded Spark Plug Wires
If you are tired of burnt spark plug wires due to your Corvette’s Headers? These Hi-Performance C5 & C6 Corvette Spark Plug Wires are built to Zip Corvette’s standards, which means they are built specifically for Corvettes and with the required heat protection for long tube headers.
Zip’s Corvette spark plug wire sets begin with a heat shielded Magnacor wire. Magnecor’s exclusive 2.5mm high capacity Metallic Inductance EMI Suppressed conductor consists of a stainless steel wire precisely wound at 200 turns per inch over a ferromagnetic core. The insulating jacket is made entirely of Magnecor’s exclusive TC-1500-HS high strength aerospace grade silicone rubber, and its single layer construction will prolong the jacket’s insulating ability by conducting extreme heat away from hot-spots that occur near over-the-limit heat sources.
The protection provided from the heat shield guarantees that this will be the last set of spark plug wires you will ever have to replace from header burn. The KV85 8.5mm jacket has a service heat resistance of 600 degrees F (320 degrees C) and up to 1,000 degrees F (540 degrees C) for a short burst of 3 minutes. The R-100 10mm jacket has a service heat resistance of 700 degrees F (380 degrees C) and up to 1,200 degrees F (650 degrees C) for a short burst of 3 minutes. Even if limits are exceeded, the silicone rubber will retain its insulating ability until wires are removed from engine.
Magnecor wires are primarily designed and constructed to be used in applications where it is essential to prevent the possibility of ignition wires compromising engine performance. Modern race engines, modified street engines and stock street engines which rely on electronic devices to control the function of either or both the Corvette ignition and fuel systems are prone to interference from all other spiral conductor ignition wires sold through performance parts outlets, none of which can provide proper suppression for EMI, particularly if a high-output ignition system is used.
Zip Corvette always recommends use of these performance spark plug wires on any stock or modified late model Corvette engine that is electronically managed however most other modified or street engines can also use our performance spark plug wires to improve ignition performance. Fits all 1997-2011 Corvettes with or without headers.
Both the red and blue sets of these Shielded Corvette Spark Plug Wires fit all C5 and C6 Corvettes. These wires are also a great ignition upgrade for your 2009-2011 C6 ZR1 Corvette.
Corvette Distributor Rotor
On occasion, your Corvette might misfire, crossfire or experience a poor start-up. These effects are often assumed to be a result of an ignition grounding problem, a bad set of spark plug wires or spark plugs. Though any of the mentioned Corvette Parts could be bad, one major reason a Corvette experiences the above side effects is a direct result of installing a generic or current GM distributor rotor with a short copper tip. The gap left when installing a distributor rotor with a short tip can very quickly lead to poor start ups and weak spark conditions.
Our 1957-1974 Corvette 1×4 Distributor Rotor are designed to replace the generic rotors often found in point style Corvette Distributors. The biggest performance difference in the generic or current GM rotor and the new reproduction rotor is the length of the small copper tip. The length increase will help eliminate poor starts, fouled spark plugs, or weakened coils that are often associated with 1957-1974 Corvettes.
C5 Corvette Spark Plug Wires
If you have noticed your C5 Corvette has lost a step it may be time to install a new set of C5 Corvette Spark Plug Wires. We offer a few different styles including AC Delco spark plug wires, MSD spark plug wires, our very own hi-performance shielded spark plug wires, and our high quality Delphi spark plug wires. You cannot go wrong with any of these choices but we would like to talk about the benefits of installing a new set of Delphi wires on your C5 Corvette.
The Delphi wires are designed to install directly on any 1997-2004 C5 (LS1) or C5 Z06 (LS6) Corvette. These factory style wires are the best reproduction wires available when it comes to authentic OEM looks, fit and performance. All C5 Corvette Delphi Spark Plug Wire Sets include factory style aluminum heat shields and springs.
If you are asking, “What are the best spark plug wires for my Corvette?” then you just need to know the difference of each style/brand…
Our Delphi Spark Plug Wires are highly recommended to those who would like to keep their Corvette as close to stock as possible. They will look and perform just as the spark plug wires did when the car left the factory. Our AC Delco Spark Plug Wires would be used for the same reason but do not include the aluminum heat shields. The trusted name of AC Delco is often enough for many Corvette enthusiasts to choose their brand. Another option would be to install a set of performance oriented MSD or our Hi-Performance shielded spark plug wires. MSD Spark Plug Wires are available in multiple colors and include several enhancements that a stock spark plug wire would not. These enhancements are designed to provide low resistance without allowing electronic interference. Our very own Shielded Spark Plug Wires are perfect for C5 Corvettes that have aftermarket headers installed. The added protection from the additional heat generated from Kooks Headers or another popular exhaust brand, plus the performance gains they provide make our hi-performance spark plug wires the way to go if heat protection and more performance is what you are looking to gain out of a new set of wires.
You may have read our post about Corvette Factory Spark Plug Wires for 1975-1982 Corvettes, well we also have factory style spark plug wires for 1957-1974 Corvettes available as well.
Corvette Spark Plug Wires
Our original equipment spark plug wires come from Packard Industries, who was the original manufacturer of factory spark plug wires used on 1957-1982 Corvettes. Packard Industries uses the original tooling to produce these spark plug wires and each set includes the correct Packard Delcore II wire, which uses a special Kevlar silicone wrapped construction to prevent breaks and cracks in the conductor. The boots of the 1957-1974 Corvette Spark Plug Wires are made of the correct material, to the original thickness, and include stainless steel terminals. These are not generic sets of spark plug wires; each set includes correct length wires for an easy, clean factory installation and is 100% Made in USA. There is no higher quality spark plug wire available for 1957-1982 Corvettes. Not only are they the best on the market but they can be purchased at a fraction of the cost of a new spark plug wire set from GM.
Corvette HEI Distributor
If you are thinking about converting your 1962-1974 Corvette’s points style distributor to a HEI (High Energy Ignition) style, we have the ideal solution that will last for years. Our new Corvette HEI Tachometer Drive Distributor allows you to maintain your working tachometer while gaining the reliability and performance of HEI. This high energy ignition distributor comes with a 65,000 high performance mega coil, an adjustable vacuum advance canister for better performance advance curve, high quality bronze bushing for reduced friction and extended life, a corrosion resistant shaft that reduces friction and provides concentric operation, a heavy duty gear that is ground to exact tolerances, a heavy duty coil to produce an increased spark to light the fuel mixture for high performance, high quality brass terminals for maximum high voltage transfer, precision advance weights and center plate that eliminate erratic timing, and a lifetime warranty.
Corvette HEI Pigtail
A couple things to consider when upgrading your Corvettes points to HEI are that you must remove your Corvette’s ignition shielding due to the distributor cap size and our Corvette HEI Coil Pigtail is a must have to complete installation. To install the new HEI distributor you must remove the ballast resistor (on equipped Corvettes) or white cloth covered wire which drops voltage to your original points style distributor. Voltage for HEI distributors should be 13.7 volts (approximately, when vehicle is running) to operate at peak efficiency. This HEI tachometer drive distributor will work on all 1962-1974 Corvettes except 340 horsepower applications.
Corvette Spark Plug Wires
We now have factory spark plug wires available for 1975-1982 Corvettes. The spark plug wires are fabricated by the original equipment manufacture, Packard Industries, who continues to produce correct looking spark plug wires for Corvettes. These 8mm wires are manufactured from the original tooling and include correct Packard Delcore II wire, which uses a special Kevlar silicone wrapped construction to prevent breaks and cracks in the conductor. The boots of the C3 Corvette Spark Plug Wires are made of the correct material, to the original thickness, with the knobs on the end for the distributor retainer; the terminals are stainless steel. These are not generic sets of spark plug wires; each set includes correct length wires for an easy, clean factory installation and is 100% Made in USA.
The ignition switch on C6 Corvettes is held in place by small plastic clips in the back of the dash. If the switch is pressed too hard it can be pushed out of the clips and fall behind the dash. If the clips are not broken you can easily re-install your Corvette Ignition Switch back in place. If the clips were damaged you may have to purchase a new dash gauge bezel, which comes with new clips.
C6 Corvette Painted Ignition Switch
If you have pushed your Corvette’s Ignition Switch through the retaining clips follow these steps to re-seat the switch.
- Lower your Corvette’s steering column to its lowest position.
- Pull outward on the lower edge of the trim panel in order to release the lower clips.
- Disconnect the electrical connections.
- Reach around and re-seat the ignition switch into the retaining clips if the clips are not damaged.
- Re-connect the electrical connections and re-install the trim panel.
While you have your Corvette’s trim panel off, now might be a good time to upgrade your Corvette Ignition Switch to a painted switch. The custom painted ignition switches are actual GM replacement switches that are painted to match your Corvette’s color and they install just like the stock switch. The new painted switches are available in all exterior Corvette colors plus factory interior colors including cobalt red and cashmere.
MSD Ignition designs, develops, tests and manufactures the entire line of MSD products including Ignition Controls, Coils, Timing Accessories and Spark Plug Wires and Accessories. MSD products are the finest ignition components you can install on any Corvette whether it’s a daily driver or a racecar. Zip Corvette Parts is a proud distributor of several MSD Ignition components for C4, C5, & C6 Corvettes. Here is a look at our MSD products for your Corvette:
94-96 Corvette MSD Spark Plug Wires
1992-1996 LT1 & LT4 Corvette: The MSD 8.5mm Super Conductor Wire is “the” performance wire for C4 Corvettes. Engineered from the inside out, the 8.5 offers everything you have ever wanted in a wire; incredibly low resistance without electronic interference! In a single 12 inch length of Super Conductor Wire there is only 40 – 50 ohms of resistance! That is the lowest resistance of any helically wound wire. To accomplish this, MSD uses a copper alloy conductor due to its great voltage carrying capabilities. The low resistance results in less loss in spark energy so more reaches the spark plug. The conductor is wound extremely tight around a special center core. So tight in fact, that there is over 40 feet of conductor wrapped into a single foot of plug wire. This winding procedure, combined with a ferro-magnetic impregnated center core, produces an extremely effective Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) “choke”. This choke, or suppression capability, keeps the EMI inside the wire where it cannot interfere with other electronics on your Corvette. The outer sleeve that surrounds the conductor assembly is just as impressive. A proprietary blend of silicone and synthetic material produce a sleeve that is highly resistant to high heat as well as abrasion and tears.
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At Zip we strive to satisfy our customers’ every needs when it comes to buying Corvette Parts & Accessories. One of our most important customer service goals is to be sure we have the most up to date inventory in the Corvette Parts market. By adding parts literally every day to our forever growing inventory, Zip is able to offer one of the largest selections of restoration and performance Corvette Parts in the world.
Corvette Opti-Spark Distributor Assembly
One of the most recent additions to Zip’s inventory includes new C4 Corvette Opti-Spark Distributor Assemblies. These distributor assemblies are for 1992-1996 LT1 & LT4 Corvettes, manufactured by an OEM supplier to the highest quality standards. Each distributor includes a pre-installed cap and rotor, which is factory assembled to eliminate any sealing issues. Also included with each assembly is an extended wiring harness to aid installation and further eliminate associated problems. Don’t be fooled in to thinking you will never need a new C4 Corvette distributor assembly because it is highly likely that every C4 Corvette will need a new opti-spark distributor at some point in time.
