Hi,

 

Just purchased new plug wires because service engine light and 126k mi. w/worse than normal 19-21 mpg hwy gas mileage. I'm second owner and the ones on it are labeled "Yazaki 1997 R-16-AIPS" and are red w/black boots. I'm second owner, so these may be aftermarket.(?)

 

The new in box are "7mm Hight Performance Silicon Suppression SOA430Q122 and same w/Q121 suffix" for '97 and '98 Leg OBacks. These are BLACK wires w/ red boots. I read somewhere that they should be RED wires if they are the good components. Does anyone know if there is a difference in SOA plug wires, good, bad, or ugly?

 

Thanks,

 

eq

I still have factory wires on my Legacy but I was recently considering replacing them so I did some investigation on the USMB and found this....Some people like aftermaket plugs, but many many many more feel strongly to only replace with OEM. If you search the threads on here you will get some good info and in the end see that most people sugguest OEM plugs.

OEM wires are far superior to anything i've found in the aftermarket

 

they are made for the car, and FIT

 

key word... FIT

 

most aftermarket wires do not have a good connection

and have even been known to pop off (magnecores, sparko)

 

not fun

 

SOA430Q122 = DOHC

 

SOA430Q119 = SOHC

 

Check pricing for the sets here:

https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/oe_parts_cat.html

 

that's my recommendation

and that's all i use, on both the street car, the race car and the 360!

 

 

Jamie Thomas

Jamie at chaplins.com

***************************

http://www.subiegal.com

my subie guys told me to get the one that are red, the dealer only had the one in the box, and they are black with red boots. how hard are they to install, for a rookie owner?

Uh, you pull the old ones off and pop the new ones on.

 

The color of the insulation doesn't have anything to do whatsoever with the quality or performance of the wires. I have no problems with the oem wires I got from Jamie.

Uh, you pull the old ones off and pop the new ones on.

 

The color of the insulation doesn't have anything to do whatsoever with the quality or performance of the wires. I have no problems with the oem wires I got from Jamie.

And I have no problem with the ones I bought at Autozone for $20.

the plug that goes to the bottom isnt hard to reach, on the 97 outback, there doesnt seem to have much room to reach down in there, but sounds easy enough.

I like the NGK's, which from what I can tell, they are the OEM plug wires, and seem to last forever...

on my firebird i would just get taylor spiro pro wire by the foot which is about a $1.00 and put the ends on my self. the taylors had real low resistance alot better than the oem fibrglass shielded wires.i dont know if you could do the same thing with the subaru wires since they look to be about 5mm and taylors are 7 or 8 mm.

on my firebird i would just get taylor spiro pro wire by the foot which is about a $1.00 and put the ends on my self. the taylors had real low resistance alot better than the oem fibrglass shielded wires.i dont know if you could do the same thing with the subaru wires since they look to be about 5mm and taylors are 7 or 8 mm.

There are some other issues to consider before using bulk (by-the-foot) ignition wire. You have to be able to obtain the correct terminals and boots, and the plug-end boots on a Subaru aren't typical. If anyone is considering reusing the old boots, it isn't a good idea -- often the reason for needing replacement is leakage due to deterioration of the old boot.

 

Just because the resistance of an ignition cable is lower than the factory wire doesn't mean it's better. Resistance is used mainly to suppress RFI/EMI so the operation of electronics in a vehicle won't be affected. Spiro-Pro (and some other) wire has a low-resistance spirally-wound conductor, using induction rather than resistance for RF and EM suppression. Depending on how closely the windings are placed to each other, there may or may not be sufficient suppression. The other thing resistance does is slightly lengthen the rise time of the spark voltage; in some cases this can help in getting a better mixture burn. Inductive wires also affect rise time, but depending on number of wire turns, etc., may make it longer or shorter than factory design spec. (Incidentally, a properly-designed factory ignition system has plent of voltage available to fire the plugs, taking into account losses in secondary wire and/or plug specified resistance. If low-resistance wire is ever needed for plugs to fire correctly in vehicle that came with resistance wires, other parts of the ignition system should be inspected for problems first.)

 

Considering that Subaru OEM wires seem to last around 100K miles, their cost over some aftermarket ones wouldn't seem to be a big issue, and being able to install a set without concern over how they'll fit and perform makes them a good choice (of course, IMO ).

You might also want to get the code(s) read for your CEL/MIL. Some parts stores will read them for free. Are you replacing the plugs too or just the wires? The plugs can be a little tricky on that vehicle, though I hear there are holes in the fenders to allow easier access.

Also very important... use the little pack of lubricant that comes with the wires on the spark plug end. If you dont the wires may be neerly impossible top remove from the plugs.

 

nipper

Hi,

 

Just purchased new plug wires because service engine light and 126k mi. w/worse than normal 19-21 mpg hwy gas mileage. I'm second owner and the ones on it are labeled "Yazaki 1997 R-16-AIPS" and are red w/black boots. I'm second owner, so these may be aftermarket.(?)

 

The new in box are "7mm Hight Performance Silicon Suppression SOA430Q122 and same w/Q121 suffix" for '97 and '98 Leg OBacks. These are BLACK wires w/ red boots. I read somewhere that they should be RED wires if they are the good components. Does anyone know if there is a difference in SOA plug wires, good, bad, or ugly?

 

Thanks,

 

eq

 

 

I dont know if there's a difference in wire grades, but typically this wouldnt be the cause of your poor mileage unless you have a bad connection. The resistance of the wire usually doesnt degrade till far beyond your miles. With a cel and bad mileage, start with the free ODB reader at autozone, find out the culprit. Willing to bet its your O2 sensors.

 

Obviously, new wires wont do anything if you have worn plugs, might want to check those too.

I live in Papua New Guinea and I have a 1998 Subaru Forester ..... VIN No : SF5-053160 ..... and I need a new set of spark plug high tension leads that show a Part No of Yazaki 1998 R16-AIPS (red with black connectors).

 

Where can I but them and how can I have them sent to my address in Australia next week ?

 

Thanks