For our application, we decided to use
ICT Billet‘s coil mounts instead of the factory stamped black brackets. These units look much better than the OEM parts and clean up the engine bay nicely. The brackets included all of the necessary hardware and were a perfect fit. We simply removed the old coils, and the new ITC Billit units bolted into place. The SOS coils use the factory wiring harness, making this installation a simple plug-in-play.
Another area that we needed to address for our newly added voltage was the spark plugs. Performance Distributors recommends increasing the gap from the factory gap to .065-inches. This larger gap causes the spark to travel a longer distance allowing for more coverage while igniting more fuel in the cylinder. After we had the plugs back in place, it was time to put on the LiveWires.
According to Performance Distributors, “LiveWires are a high quality, low resistance set of spark plug wires designed to deliver all of the spark energy from the coil to the plugs.” This product uses a high-temperature sleeve that protects the plug wire from the intense temperatures in an engine compartment. In fact, the non-flammable sleeving provides up to 1,400-plus degrees of heat shielding and is resistant to chemicals as well as moister. Inside this durable shielding is an 8mm spiral core with an enduring silicone jacket. The spiral core design uses a stainless steel wire wrapped around a magnetic core offering a resistance value of 300-350 Ohms per foot. While the LiveWires offer maximum spark travel, the spiral core wire is also a radio suppressant meaning; they will not interfere with electronics such as a radio or delay boxes. LiveWires are available in a variety of colors, applications, and come preassembled with a tube of dielectric grease.
We loved the fact that the wires are preassembled, and we didn’t have to fumble around and build them like some of the universal kits on the market. We applied the included dielectric grease and slid on the plug wires. While our factory spark plugs cleared the Doug Thorley headers, we didn’t have much leeway. We were delighted to see that the LiveWires had 45-degree boots on both ends of the plug wires. These boots allow for ample room next to the header tubes.
With Performance Distributors products installed, we hit the ignition switch, and the engine immediately fired up. We noticed that the 5.3 did seem to start quicker than usual. We really couldn’t tell if the mill ran any smoother due to the large
Comp Cams camshaft that was thumping away, but it sounds healthy. After driving the Suburban around seemed to be running better than ever in stop and go traffic. The best part is all of the old ignition components are gone, and we won’t have to worry about replacing a coil here and there as they break down.
Now if someone could just keep their right foot out of that pedal to see how much the gas mileage increase.
Article Sources
Performance Distributors
https://performancedistributors.com
(901) 396-5782
ICT Billet
https://www.ictbillet.com
(316) 300-0833More Sources
COMP Performance Group
https://www.compcams.com/
(901) 795-2400