How to Make More Horsepower - Part IV

Last month we talked about how to put more fuel in your engine. This month we will talk about making that fuel burn. I am talking about ignition systems. We will discuss the different options and way to make a bigger, hotter spark.

Your basic ignition system consists of a distributor, coil, spark plug wires and spark plugs. Some of the modern ignition systems have done away with the distributor. These distributorless ignition systems use coil packs that are timed by the computer or other points on the crank. This is more efficient since each may have its own coil.

The first item to upgrade is the coil. There are many aftermarket coils that allow for hotter sparks. Some of these will allow you to gap the spark plug more to allow for a bigger spark. Upgrading your coil is critical to adding other ignition components.

The next item to look at is your spark plug wires. The factory spark plug wires are cheap and not really the efficient. Replacing them with a set of 8mm or larger wires will allow the new coil to produce a full spark.

Now is a great time to replace those spark plugs. I am not going to tell you which plugs to get because everyone has their own opinion on which ones are good. I will tell you that a name brand plug is the way to go. There are many different options and one plug is not good for all engines. If you run nitrous, supercharger, or turbo, then you will want to use a colder plug to reduce predetonation.

The last item you may want to look at is a capacitive discharge (CD) box. A CD box has a capacitor inside that allows for faster coil recharging. A coil must charge before it releases a spark. If the coil has not had enough time to charge before it releases, you could have a weak spark. This happens a lot at higher RPMs. A CD box has a fast charging capacitor. The capacitor charges then sends that charge to coil. This gives the coil a much needed boost and a faster charge time. This allows you to have a more powerful spark at higher RPMs. Most CD boxes also have other features, such as, rev limiters, multiple sparks at lower RPMs, and tachometer hookups.

Remember that your spark will only be as good as the products you put in. Use only high quality items to get the most spark. Companies like MSD, Accel, and Mallory offer many high performance replacement ignition systems as well as complete replacement ignition systems. A good ignition system will help you make the most power out your other engine upgrades.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please send them to sales@kmwperformance.com. You can also check us out online at www.kmwperformance.com.

see ya next month!
Vincent Wright
sales@kmwperformance.com
http://www.kmwperformance.com