Resistor VS non Resistor spark plugs
The rfi noise is not limited to your own electrical system, it will also effect other cars and radios in the area. I'm not commenting on the performance issue, but if you are not on the track, shouldn't you practice a little respect for others? Considering this thread I guess that's a lost cause.
I can remember as a kid in the late 50's and early 60's cars going by the house and causing the TV to go all snowy. The interferance with TV and radio broadcasts got to be enough of a problem that the FCC instituted rules that limit the magnitude of RFI that electronic equipment can emitt. So in essenace it's more than a "little repect", you could be breaking the law. So if you are driving around your neighborhood screwing up everyone's TV reception (yea I know most folks have cable) and you pissed off a couple of folks enough to drop a dime to the FCC they can and do come looking for you.
Flip your laptop over or look at the back of your PC and you will see a stylized FCC logo which signifies the product has been tested and complies with the rules. These rules apply to car systems too, Plus the automotive industry has there own requirements for systems within the car.
This issue about resistors verse no resistors in spark plugs is more complicated than Ohms law.
The 0.035" gap in the plug is essentially an infinate resistance basically the 5K in the plug is trivial in comparison at this point. As the voltage builds up in the secondary windings of the coil after the points open or the ecu switches off no current is flowing in the secondaries. At some level of voltage, it varies depending on the conditions (in a lab at standard atmospheric conditions 2800 volts to 20k or more volts in a running engine) the voltage will ionize the air in the gap creating plasma and the resistance across the gap essentially goes to zero and current flows (the voltage goes no higher at this point) resulting in the plasma being heated to a point that it can ignite the mixture and be visible to the eye.
Reducing the resistance will allow more current to flow making for a "bigger" spark but at the cost of the voltage droping below the point that the ioization can be maintained faster. So the question is, besides the RFI implications, do you want a "bigger" spark for a shorter period of time or a "smaller" spark for a longer period of time.
From a performance stand point there will be experts out there that can argue compellingly on both sides. I think anyone would be hard pressed to be able to show any kind of objective evidence that one is better than the other.
