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Performance ignition coil and wires?
- Thread starter Chas
- Start date
LOUDSHO92
CEG'er
We carry the wires and coils: SHO Source
We also offer the MSD coils as well. The Accel have been hit or miss with the SHO but the accel coil was designed for cars with less requirements as well. I am not sure how well it will do with the Contour.
The 8.2 Taylor wires are good wires. I run them on my SHO.
We also offer the MSD coils as well. The Accel have been hit or miss with the SHO but the accel coil was designed for cars with less requirements as well. I am not sure how well it will do with the Contour.
The 8.2 Taylor wires are good wires. I run them on my SHO.
no need for an upgraded coil. the taylor wires are nice, but a good set of stock wires work just fine too.
blu_fuz
New Member Classroom vulture
I have had my Accel wires for 7 years or so on my 2.5L and now on my 3L - no problems. Stock coils work very good. The aftermarket ones I have seen cracking issues in the epoxy that is around the wire connection towers.
I'm assuming the MSD has proven to be better?
I searched for Accel wires, but could find any on their site. Did you do the custom made sets? I like the Pro25.
blu_fuz
New Member Classroom vulture
Um, I honestly couldn't tell you. They were not custom made, they were listed under SVT Contour but I see they don't have them now for some reason.... :shrug:
crewchiefpro
Hard-core CEG'er
Just make sure the gap on the plugs doesn't go over .030 and the stock coils are fine.
striker2
Official CEG Vendor
damn, I run .035-.040 on my VR4 up to 14PSI (thats about all the stock turbos and fuel system is good for)
LOUDSHO92
CEG'er
The MSD are new to the market but the general consensus is that they should be better.
We have the MSD in stock ready to go but the Taylors tend to be special ordered.
crewchiefpro
Hard-core CEG'er
Gap is overrated. More important to get a spark, no more power comes from increased gap on my testing. All it does is put additional strain on the wires. Electricity always takes the path of least resistance.
striker2
Official CEG Vendor
sure, but going to small can be problematic in getting a proper burn started as well. ideally you want to go close to as large as possible without causing misfires or spark blow out in boosted cars. mostly just takes some trial and error for what works best in your particular vehicle. there is usually a pretty decent range that works well.
I just thought it was a little odd that you were running a smaller gap on your turbo 3L with less boost (although a larger turbo so more airflow than my 2 9Bs). you could probably open them up to .035 without any side effects, or just let them wear down to .035 and never notice a difference.
crewchiefpro
Hard-core CEG'er
I don't get any different performance from my 1100 horsepower dragster from .015 up to .055 gap.
Smaller gap is easier to fire in all conditions. My performance did not change from .030 to .054 in the Contour UNTIL it was foggy out or raining, then I would notice the motor slightly misfire under heavy loads with larger gaps. My son's turbo started running poorly and we replaced the wires for that exact reason. Gapped his much lower so the load on the wires wouldn't be a problem as quickly. All wires and plugs eventually fail or wear out, I am just trying to make sure I make them last as long as possible. No reason to waste money on parts. We do that enough already.
Anywhere from .054 to .025 will work just fine. I think the new spec is one millimeter from Ford.
Smaller gap is easier to fire in all conditions. My performance did not change from .030 to .054 in the Contour UNTIL it was foggy out or raining, then I would notice the motor slightly misfire under heavy loads with larger gaps. My son's turbo started running poorly and we replaced the wires for that exact reason. Gapped his much lower so the load on the wires wouldn't be a problem as quickly. All wires and plugs eventually fail or wear out, I am just trying to make sure I make them last as long as possible. No reason to waste money on parts. We do that enough already.
Anywhere from .054 to .025 will work just fine. I think the new spec is one millimeter from Ford.
Big Jim
Hard-core CEG'er
Don,
The reason for wider gaps on modern STOCK engines has to do with how lean the fuel mixture is, especially at idle. It is more difficult for the atmosphere between the plug electrodes to ionize to allow the plug to fire. The wider gap causes a hotter spark to aid this condition.
The sutomakers pretty much know what they are doing when they specify a gap for a STOCK engine. There may be a little room to play around, but not much. No more than maybe .005".
The coils and wires are made for the gap specified and will be very robust for the application until the plugs get worn or fouled.
MODIFIED engines may be a different matter, particularly boosted engines. On a boosted engine, the ignition system often is not strong enough to fire the plug at the stock gap and the gap needs to be closed. If the ignition system has been sufficiently modified, the need is not as much. Hotter cams and higher compression ratios may also contribute to the need for a smaller gap, but not nearly as much as boost.
I'm speaking from several years experience as a dealership tune-up technician (and tuner of modified engines). I was the "go to" guy in town for any make modified engine when the modifications had been completed and they could not get it to run right.
The stories I could tell about straightening up problem caused by misconceptions about plug gap are legion.
So for nearly stock and stock engines, I completely disagree with you.