Err..cable and wires have resistance because they just have it. No cable is free of resistance yet. It's not because they want to.
Sometimes you feel something is so simple but cost so much is because humans will take things for granted. Now that you know how a VS consists of and how it works, it makes no sense to you why it costs so much. Yes the actual cost is low, I agree. But if you are to make one that can perform like a Mega Raizin, are you able to do so? With time, I believe you can but not many people will actually committed to actually do it right. For example, a DVD is only made of plastic, but it did so much wonders to our world. How much does the plastic actually costs?
Reliability and durability on FS, unfortunately only time could tell as there is no test from the maker and they doesn't provide any written first hand information directly at all. The marketing is done by all the dealers n distributors. Since we can't do much bout that, we would like to see how well it works to I prove one's ride. That is why the pages we have created.
One more thing is that I do not understand why did you say that VS doesn't work. Maybe you could elaborate what did you expect from the VS? Coz as far as my noob knowledge goes, a VS is a voltage regulator...just to regulate voltage. You give too much voltage to some certain electronics, burn...the capacitors are not to pump up the voltage...it's to make sure the output voltage is constant by absorbing fluctuating voltage and then discharge constant voltage. The bigger the cap, the more current and voltage it can stores just like a battery.
Spark plug cables are specially constructed to cut down RFI and EMI generated. The same for spark plugs. This is why they have high resistance.
If you measure a spark plug cable compared to a normal cable, you will find that spark plug cables have much higher resistance. Spark plugs for street use have a 5K ohm resistor as well. This does weaken the spark generated but more importantly reduce RFI and EMI so it does not cause problems to your car's electronics.
I am sure you are also aware of this brand called Nology. They are quite popular for their silver plugs and so-called capacitor cables that improve performance. Unfortunately, their products also caused problems in some cars. This is because their silver plugs do no have a resistor built-in (in order to produce more powerful spark). Then the cables are of shoddy quality as well.
I use Nology before. It works very well right after I installed it. Powerful spark, good acceleration. But after 1+yr, problems appear. I get engine check light at times, car won't start at times. Idling problem. Turns out its the cables, I replace i with the aerospeed cables and problems go away.
After that, I take apart the Nology cable to reveal its construction. Its of rather shoddy quality. A piece of metal braid cover over a ~8mm plug wire to act as capacitor. Thats all. The cables cost me ~RM1K..... Ridiculous money for such cables.
---------- Post added at 10:11 AM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 09:53 AM ----------
For VS, I started out not knowing anything. Bought things to try and play, open them up to see the internal construction. You bet I spend alot on VS stuff.
Yes, VS are voltage regulators, they reduce voltage fluctuations (since alternator voltage varies wildly and there is alot of noise). But bigger caps need not be better. You need a mix of big and small caps. Big caps are better suited for low frequency fluctuations, small ones for high frequency. But its very difficult to design one that is suited for car as I do not have proper equipment (need oscilloscope to capture the ripples).
As for why they don't work, well I expect some difference from my butt dyno, but there is nothing. I tried Raizin (the blue one), then hot Inazma MR, Violence VSD. All nothing at all.
Big issue for VS is reliability. You don't know what capacitors they are using inside. Yes, you see the capacitors inside clear plastic. But what capacitors are they using? Engine bay temp is easily 80C, how long can the capacitors operate under the condition? Those caps look awfully like electrolytic capacitors. What I don't like about the caps is they some are rated at 80C only. There are those 105C ones. But problem is they have finite lifespan as electrolyte evaporates over time.
Tantalum caps will work very well under such situations but they are expensive.
Btw, I do have the raizin ignition VS (the red colour one). It has been in my car for 3yrs, so far so good. The Inazma MR is still connected to my batt (though it does nothing other than show me blinking lights). Inazma still ok as I relocate my batt to trunk so temp is not an issue.
Lastly, I am someone who always love to try out new stuff. All these VS, ignition booster stuff interest me greatly. Right now, although I am skeptical about this firestorm, but I am actually itching to try out.