What Can I Do To Improve My Racing Program?

Balance & Blueprint the Ignition System!  

     This question has been asked more & more for the past 2 years and really has a simple answer. (Balance & Blueprint the Ignition) With the teams we deal with from day to day whether they are a Pro operation or a Sportsmen operation. The successful ones pay attention to this issue on any of the platforms that are built or raced period. All this means is you are putting the best possible parts together that will provide the best effort out of your racing. Now there are many levels that this can be taken to. From: Leave Nothing On the Table, to running an ignition setup that is Competitive and Within Budget.

     First place to start would be of course the budget so you can make sure the setup you install can also be used to compete. (Lack of Funds)  The weekend racer usually has a setup that they have been running for 3+ years. The first thing we like to find out from the start would be what is currently being run. The standard setup is usually a MSD 6al & a Blaster II coil; this would be a base setup. The box will usually benefit from being Upgraded with faster switching main amplifiers and replace the coil with an Autozone C-839 or Carquest FD-478. Typical cost usually runs around $140.00 total.

    Now if you’re looking to step things up and you’re running the above system you will want to take a look at the MSD 6631 or MSD 6632 box with a MSD 8250 coil. This box has the footprint of the MSD 6al and has the Soft Touch Rev Limiter on board. With the energy output of a MSD 7al2 or MSD 7al3 and it is Faster triggering than the MSD 6al. When this combo is installed you will want to back off the timing usually one to two degrees due to the faster triggering. Also you will want to watch the plugs; you may need to adjust the jetting. This setup once installed gives the racer additional tuning on the engine. Again you are accessing something the engine builder has already given you. The typical cost for new usually runs approximately $625.00 box & coil or you can pick up a used setup that we have checked out for $375.00 box & coil. The used equipment comes from the NASCAR kids and on average has less than 10 hours of use on them.

    As for the Sparkplug wires, nobody has the field covered here. If you have contingency then go that direction. Otherwise the common manufacturers out there have good 40 to 300 ohm per foot products available. When it comes to Ohms per foot, once you get in the range of 40 to 300 Ohms per foot in the end they operate equally. Now Yes I could show you on the bench the difference on the bench but the small improvements seen between some are lost in the line losses of the drivetrain.

     Next would be the MSD 7al2 / MSD 7al3 boxes. Simple statement here: If You Do Not Need The Electronic Toys of The Digital 7 / MSD Grid then stay with the MSD 7al series stuff. The two boxes have their place in racing and are not going anywhere anytime too soon. They both can be gone through and brought up to faster triggering speeds with better output energy. When these boxes are matched with a MSD 8251 coil you have a setup that will provide good service and allow you to compete with the best efforts out there. If you are still running a MSD 8201 Pro Power coil please if nothing else move up to the MSD 8251. It is a quick and inexpensive upgrade that will help out your program. The cost for the upgrade is $125.00
   
     The final piece of the puzzle is the power being fed to the ignition system itself. The right choice here would be provide a clean never drifting power source typically the ( Battery & Alternator) If you’re looking to be just an also ran type racer then stop reading right now the information below will not interest you in the least.

     The happiest you can make any ignition system is when it thinks its power source is sitting next to it and can provide all it could ever want. With this in mind your goal needs to be making sure ALL supply cables are of proper size. The battery is up to the task and does not have any cells that are compromised. And if you want to add some insurance to the racing platform consider adding an Alternator to the mix. The last thing to make sure of that your leave nothing on the table would be to move your 12 or 16 volt supply to the ignition box up to a 20 volt system. The voltage increase is not the whole advantage. You will be providing clean Power, both Voltage & Current working together. With making this change you are again accessing what the engine builder has already given you. With your current setup you do not have access to it or the further tuning opportunity it brings with it. A Clean Quiet power source is what the Aviation/Aerospace industries will spend a lot of time on since electronics will perform better and last longer when done properly. The cost typically runs $400 for the unit we build.

       For the group that needs the electronic toys on board you choice would be either an MSD Digital 7 or the MSD Grid. From what our customer base has been saying the biggest benefit would be if your building new consider the MSD Grid due to the Can Bus style connections. The two types have been tested locally for the past 18 months and we find neither has more power over the other during operation. If you’re looking for the best matching coil go with a MSD 8251 coil. It was built to run for long periods of time so you end up with the same output from start to finish. If you like Bling on the race platform then go with a MSD 8261 coil but you would be best served to save the cost difference for tires, fuel or entry fees.

If you have questions please feel free to contact me.

Pat Collins

704-995-4286