Technical > Spud Miller's Cave
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ricardo1967:
--- Quote from: slingshot383 on July 18, 2014, 03:37:23 AM ---Spud, I know I used the broad brush, but trying to get that through some peoples head that the mag will beat the electronic at High cylinder pressures just doesn't work any other way. Have a friend that 15 years ago had issues with his digger. It would fire and sound great in the pits, but wouldn't finish a burnout nor launch without dropping cylinders and sounding like it was on it's last leg. I asked him what his plug gap was, .030, I told him to tighten it up to .018, and his car cam alive. He was running a vertex internal coil mag.
--- End quote ---
There's where I get confused... if mag is so capable, why the instructions of using a mag usually includes "tighten the plug gap to ...". That tells me the mag produces lower voltage than conventional ignition. Would it be the case that, despite its lower voltage, it has higher amps (stronger/thicker spark)? For the same resistance, voltage and current are proportional, which makes hard for me to understand the previous question.
I don't have a dog in this fight. I currently run N/A methanol. I'm just trying to learn.
Spud Miller:
When the plug gaps get too big with a mag, the spark tries to go elsewhere. It jumps inside the cap, out of a plug wire, through a boot, etc. You'd have no problem running a big gap with a mag using all new cap, rotor, wires, etc. Electricity wants to jump from one sharp edge to another (rotor, cap terminals, etc.). While everything is sharp and wonderful it will work fine. Once the sharp edges on things wear off, it'll be finding an easier path. Keeping gaps at .018-.020 means things not wearing prematurely and knowing the spark is going to make it to the plug.
Spud
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