355 and resistor plugs/ignition leads

I am having a bit of trouble understanding why the 355 uses resistor plugs (PMR7-8s) as well as 5K resistor wires..

I would think one or the other, but not both?

Can anyone shed some light on this?

What would be the effect of using non-resistor plugs with 5k wires or alternatively non-resistor wires and resistor plugs ??

Also curious on the normal service life of the OEM wires? I have 30K on my set and suspect them going bad, as they display a lovely light show in the dark. Mind you, once I wiped them clean with acetone they were 100% better, but still suspect they are weak and time to swap them out.


Jan

 

I found this little tid-bit on ignition leads..

Silicones have a resistivity of 10^9 to 10^11 ohms per meter (between 1 and 100M ohms per mm). Given a core diameter of 2mm and insulation diameter of 7mm that's only 2.5mm of insulation from the core to the outside world and most wires actually leak a considerable amount of energy to their outer shell.

If the surface of the wires becomes contaminated, it can bleed a significant amount of power out of the wire to ground at any point it touches metal or a grounded surface. One way to check for this is to view the engine compartment in total darkness. Corona discharges will be seen at any larger bleed off points. No visible coronas are not a guarantee of no leakage however. If possible, it is best to keep the wires from touching any metal or coolant hoses (coolant is highly conductive with respect to air or silicone).

..might explain why, once I cleaned my my wires in acetone, the corona disappeared. Still not sure if the wires are 100% sound though.. anyone know a good test before burning more than $600 on a new set?