You can't bitch about distributors till you change an OPTISPARK!
Somebody slap me
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 7,708
Likes: 266
From: indy indiana
Somebody slap me
#7 somebody slap me
If I EVER start to change my Dist. cap again, someone please slap me and bring me back to my senses. Changed to an Acell coil and mod and "while I am at it,might as well replace", grrr, ,lol. Ok, Wild wensday at the Indy track tonight at 5, tryng to get it ready for a few timing runs. Gotta see if my new headers drop my 86 with new headers drop me into the 13s. Going to take my new helmet in case I do, rules say if faster than 13:99, you have to have one. Have to try a new off line start to I think. just burns to much rubber and going to drop the spare which might make it worse still. Wish me luck, will post times If I get to run. Lots of folks showing up tonight so might only get to run 2 or 3 times. That's not very many for the new price of admin. Its now 25 bucks to run, 10 to watch. Love running at the Indy track. Almost makes me think I am a real drag racer,lol. I am 1/3 blind on my left side, so that's the side you need to slap. wont see it coming. lol Wish me luck.
If I EVER start to change my Dist. cap again, someone please slap me and bring me back to my senses. Changed to an Acell coil and mod and "while I am at it,might as well replace", grrr, ,lol. Ok, Wild wensday at the Indy track tonight at 5, tryng to get it ready for a few timing runs. Gotta see if my new headers drop my 86 with new headers drop me into the 13s. Going to take my new helmet in case I do, rules say if faster than 13:99, you have to have one. Have to try a new off line start to I think. just burns to much rubber and going to drop the spare which might make it worse still. Wish me luck, will post times If I get to run. Lots of folks showing up tonight so might only get to run 2 or 3 times. That's not very many for the new price of admin. Its now 25 bucks to run, 10 to watch. Love running at the Indy track. Almost makes me think I am a real drag racer,lol. I am 1/3 blind on my left side, so that's the side you need to slap. wont see it coming. lol Wish me luck.
Last edited by ghoastrider1; Apr 12, 2017 at 12:03 PM.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 7,708
Likes: 266
From: indy indiana
well crap and double crap. Finished the install, took a test about 2 miles, runs great BUT, BUT, Acell high volt coil is too tall, cant close the hood. Cant go racing with a hood that sticks up about an inch or so. grrr, gotta hurt to get the old set up back on. crap.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 7,708
Likes: 266
From: indy indiana
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 7,708
Likes: 266
From: indy indiana
very disappointed, Best times were (only did three runs)RT @ .03, best speed @ 97.05 and best ET @ 14.o73. I did the install of the Acell coil b4 going. DO NOT BUY THIS COIL!!!. I COULDNT SHUT THE HOOD, CLEARANCE PROBLEMS, top of the coil was pressing hard against the firewall weather stripping and to tall for full hood closure. My car didn't like it, going to put old coil back in. The hunt saga for 13s @ over 100 mph continues. Was a great showing last night and for the first time since I been going on WW other Vettes raced tho they were C5s and c-6s.
I had the only C-4 and the oldest vette there. Thinking T need new rear shocks, got wheel hop at the start of two runs. The car will not start this morn..thinking its the coil. After header install I was sure of breaking into the 13s, didn't happen.
I had the only C-4 and the oldest vette there. Thinking T need new rear shocks, got wheel hop at the start of two runs. The car will not start this morn..thinking its the coil. After header install I was sure of breaking into the 13s, didn't happen.
Last edited by ghoastrider1; Apr 13, 2017 at 01:37 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 23,237
Likes: 117
From: San Antonio Texas
I think the right choice of a good spark plug and good wires are more important than those "super voltage" coils. Some of those super coils are really hard on your cap and rotor. They cause excessive arching/erosion and metal transfer that eventually coats the inside of the cap and rotor tip that will produce a possible alternate conductive path to another plug terminal (possible backfire) or down to the distributor body(dead miss). Excess high voltage also creates ozone which is corrosive if you don't have good ventilation through the distributor. The sales pitch sounds great because "Wheelstand Mike" uses them at the drags, but those guys are changing plugs between rounds sometimes and redo the distributor before the next meet. Plus they don't drive their race car on the street every day either. Overkill DOES have its drawbacks. I like the iridium tipped plugs because they have that tiny center electrode that makes the spark jump at much lower voltages and they have a broader temperature range. I've had good results with the Denso Iridium plugs. Yes, they are expensive, but their results are long lasting.
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Race Director
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 13,348
Likes: 233
From: SCMR Rat Pack'r Charter Member..Great Bend KS
Voltage is determined by resistance in the spark plug circuit (plug gap, wires, connectors). A high-voltage coil won't produce any more voltage at the spark gap than a stock coil.
A coil builds voltage until said voltage reaches the point at which it will jump the gap on the plug. If it takes 18K volts to jump the gap, then that's all any coil will produce at that plug, whether it's a coil capable of 20K volts or 50K volts. Save your money; that extra 30K volts capability is usually wasted.
NOW, if you have a capacitive discharge ignition system, a high voltage coil can give you a higher-voltage spark...problem is, a spark is a spark and a little spark can ignite an intake charge just as readily as a big spark. Big sparks do not translate into more power unless you are running a very hard-to ignite mixture (i.e. you're getting a misfire with the stock system). Stock, or near-stock engines make just as much power on a fully-functioning stock ignition system as they do on a high-dollar go-fast aftermarket system.
Just an FYI.
A coil builds voltage until said voltage reaches the point at which it will jump the gap on the plug. If it takes 18K volts to jump the gap, then that's all any coil will produce at that plug, whether it's a coil capable of 20K volts or 50K volts. Save your money; that extra 30K volts capability is usually wasted.
NOW, if you have a capacitive discharge ignition system, a high voltage coil can give you a higher-voltage spark...problem is, a spark is a spark and a little spark can ignite an intake charge just as readily as a big spark. Big sparks do not translate into more power unless you are running a very hard-to ignite mixture (i.e. you're getting a misfire with the stock system). Stock, or near-stock engines make just as much power on a fully-functioning stock ignition system as they do on a high-dollar go-fast aftermarket system.
Just an FYI.
Last edited by rocco16; Apr 14, 2017 at 02:59 PM.