When comparing high performance vs. standard replacement parts, it is of extreme importance to weigh performance and durability against value and cost. Long term costs of replacing OEM items with low-priced “budget” items or after-market replacement parts can, in many cases lead to higher consumer long-term costs. It can also lead to irreversible damage to primary and connected related systems. Obviously, if a replacement part is of lower quality and of shorter durability, it will need to be replaced more often. There are costs associated with the labor to replace these parts more often, as well as time lost for actually doing the work of replacing an automotive component. There are other "hidden" costs as well associated with this practice. They may not be costs in cold, hard cash out of pocket, but they are costly, nonetheless. A good example of this is simply shopping around for spark plug wires for my old Buick. I got in the habit of replacing the wires at least once a year, sometimes more if a problem arose. I go to the Internet and find several varieties of options online and I read the descriptions of what my choices are. They look like this:Description: Taylor Cable 69.95 8mm Street, Ignition Wire Set, Custom Fit, SST, Blue, Tin Coated Copper Braid, Non RFI, Blue Double Spring Locking Spark Plug Boots, High Temperature Rated To 550 Degrees, Competition Looks, GROUND SHIPPING ONLYDescription: OEM 37.41 Premium Wire Set, Spark Plug Wire Set, OEM Fit And Quality 37.41Description: Taylor Cable 29.95 8mm High Energy, Ignition Wire Set, Custom Fit, Blue, High Temperature, Oil Resistant, RFI Suppression, 100% Silicone Boot Ends, Double Spring Locks At Plugs, GROUND SHIPPING ONLYThe first thing I notice is the huge difference in price, and like any good spendthrift, I am drawn to the cheapest spark plug wires available. Ignoring the statements about temperature ratings and RFI, I immediately think to myself, without any further research, I may want to buy the bargain set of wires. But then I think I want good wires, and the OEM brand is only eight dollars more. These are the spark plug wires that came with my vehicle, so they must be what I need. I buy them online for $37.41, have them shipped to my house and install them on my vehicle. I take my old car for a ride, to see how much better it is going to run with the new wires on it. I notice it doesn’t run any better, as a matter of fact, it now has a slight miss in the engine. So I turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle and make sure everything is connected properly. The miss isn’t there anymore when I start the vehicle back up, so I am happy. I turn the radio on to listen to some tunes on the way back to the house, and I can hear the sound of my engine “running” on the radio, like a whining sound, drowning out a portion of the music.