How does insulation break down when it seems to be perfect?
I have a silicone rubber spark plug boot, 4mm thick, that emitted a
0.5" arc to ground, yet it didn't seem to have any tears, cuts, voids, or carbon tracks (arc occurred 0.75" from end). According to:the boot should have been able to take roughly 48,000V, and the minimum voltage for a 0.5" arc through air isn't that much outside this range.
I've never had a boot arc through before without visible damage or carbon tracking. The brand of plug wire is Prestolite, 56,000 miles.