Alright folks, so this morning I decided it was finally time to swap out my Harley’s spark plug wires. Been putting it off, honestly. The old ones were lookin’ pretty sorry – cracked, kinda brittle, and probably robbin’ me of some decent spark. We all know how much that sucks for performance.
Started my usual diggin’ online, lookin’ at Screamin’ Eagle kits – because, well, it’s Harley, right? Figured brand stuff should be decent. But holy choices! There were three different sets starring back at me from the screen. Super Street, Touring, Pro Street or somethin’ like that? Confusion city. Prices weren’t exactly peanuts either, so picking wrong? Yeah, not appealing.
Diving Down The Rabbit Hole
Clicked on a couple of reviews. Man, some forums get heated! Some guys swear the cheapest set is pure trash, others say it’s fine for cruisin’. The expensive ones? Folks argued they were overkill unless you’re track day racin’. Felt stuck in the middle.
Finally found a decent comparison article buried deep – wish I’d found that first! The key points they hammered on made sense:
- Heat Rating: Higher heat resistance? Crucial for Harleys with their engines cookin’ near your legs. The base set barely mentioned it. The middle one claimed “high temp.” Top dog screamed “extreme heat,” whatever that means.
- Shielding: That fancy interference suppression stuff. Middle set had “moderate,” top tier had “maximum.” Wasn’t sure how much I really needed, but crackly radio doesn’t sound fun.
- Material Feel: Kept seein’ “silicone rubber.” Supposedly higher grade lasts longer, stays flexible. Cheap ones get hard, crack faster.
The Moment of Truth at the Dealer
Took my lazy self down to the local Harley shop. Figured maybe someone could eyeball the difference. Pulled all three kits off the shelf. Felt ’em.
- The “Super Street” (bottom price tier) wires felt… thin. Rough texture. Like cheap garden hose kinda vibes.
- The “Street Performance” (middle) ones were noticeably thicker, smoother rubber. Felt way more substantial.
- The “Pro Street” (most expensive)? Honestly? Felt pretty much the same as the middle ones, maybe a tad beefier at the ends. Hard to tell $40 worth of difference just by feel.
Asked the counter guy his take. He shrugged, “Honestly? Unless you got a built motor pushin’ serious power, the Performance ones right here? Solid bet. Good heat, good noise block, decent price. That cheap set? We see ’em come back cracked pretty quick.” That ticked me off – why even sell junk? Anyways, heard enough. Bought the middle ones on the spot.
Getting My Hands Dirty
Back home, wrenches out. Pulling the old wires off was a gritty reminder of their age. Crumbled connector boots, stiff as a board. Installing the new Screamin’ Eagle Performance wires was mostly straightforward since they’re pre-cut, pre-terminated. Biggest hassle?
- Routing: Seriously, who designed this spaghetti path around the heads? Took longer wrestling the wires into their clips cleanly than the actual plug connection part. Patience! Use a flathead screwdriver gently to pry those clips open, saves snapping ’em.
- Boots: A tiny smear of dielectric grease inside the new boots – makes them slide on and off later much smoother. Don’t skip it!
- Tightness: Snugged the plugs down good. Not hulk smash, but solid. Wiggled everything after to make sure it clicked in proper.
Fire It Up!
Moment of truth. Turned the key, hit the button… cranked a hair longer than usual. For a second, I panicked! Then it roared to life. Instantly noticeable: smoother idle. Like, way smoother. Took it out for a quick blast.
Acceleration felt a bit crisper. Couldn’t swear on a dyno sheet or anything, but the throttle response felt more eager off the line. Maybe stronger spark, maybe placebo? Either way, I’ll take it. Radio? Still fine, no new crackles.
Bottom Line? Don’t cheap out. That base Screamin’ Eagle set felt flimsy – save yourself the headache. The super expensive ones? Probably fantastic, but maybe only if you truly need max-everything. For your average weekend ripper or even daily rider, grab that middle “Performance” set. Decent price jump from the junk tier, but the difference in build quality felt real under the fingers. Runs smoother, hopefully lasts longer. Job done.
