Quick give me your reason why you went to a MSD box + your results

Why?

What changed if anything?

Does it reall do more then look cool tht you can really tell,feel,see,hear???

I need to get talked into or out of picking up a hardley used MSD6al and an addon on dash MSD timing retart box for $200 shipped for my V8 car.

They cost $387 + shipping new.

Dear Snipers: Don't bother looking on ebay, its not there

 

i would do it.. if you plan to run nitrous then keep the retard box.. if not, sell that.. i went to one because it does look cool and supposedly one of the best on the market at the time.. i just like the fact that it holds the spark longer than stock, which means more complete combustion.. hasn't failed me yet..

that is a deal and i would get it if i was in the market for an ignition box.. might i add that you will need a non HEI distributor..

 

2-step (Digital 6). Better RT's, fewer red lights.

 

What do you mean by holds the spark?

 

pic of the parts

 

i went mallory 685 but MSD has a similar model i forget what it is. But its a better ignition system than stock for higher compression fairly modded motors

Plus it has built in timing retard, startup retard, boost retard capability, 2-step, main rev limiter, AND window switch. PERFECT for those nitrous guys. And the price is RIGHT too

 

bone stock 86 camaro with a 2.8 v6, was looking to get better mileage, full tune up with MSD coil, no real difference, installed a 6A, gained 2-3 MPG

 

He means that the duration of the spark is longer, in terms of crankshaft degrees. Some boxes claim longer spark, more coil saturation (an ignition module will do this too), and multiple sparks. Basicly you're getting a better chance at burning the air/fuel mixture completly.

 

The spark of a capacitive discharge ignition isn't longer than an inductive discharge system, though. That's all marketing hype.

 

Are the MSD boxes "plug and play" for our cars. Or do you have to wire it...etc

 

There's harnesses available for most applications to make it pretty close to plug and play.

 

I use my HVC setup for RPM reasons.

 

Went with a 6AL box and dizzy because I kept blowing the stock ignition module. Noticed the engine pulled better above 6000 and haven't had any problems that left me stranded on the side of the road since.

 

I'm using the crane cams box, and it was good for .2 in the 1/4 over an already upgraded HEI coil and modual.

 

SO far your not WOW'in me on this purchase over just the looks of a MSD on the firewall

$200 can get new tires which I need more then a few thenths Ill never notice since I don't race for real at a track often. Some more MPG would be good as I only get a whooping 10MPG though thats cause Im on it all the time and probably wouldn't notice and gains there. Hmmmmm might have to pass as I guess I don't really need it ehy???


Already got a performance HEI built by a pro, ex GM tech engineere who designed the ign systems for our GM cars, worked side by side with Doug Roe who designed the Qjet. Though I got lucky since I know him he did my large cap HEI though doesn't like to.
http://www.davessmallbodyheis.com/

 

Unless you're running high RPMs or high cylinder pressures, you won't see a difference from the box.

 

Allen's '89 GTA gained 2 rwhp from the box, according to the dyno. We removed the box and went back to stock, and it lost the 2 horsepower. We hooked the box back up, and it gained the 2 horsepower back.

 

Allens car is pretty wild combo with heads/cam compression etc. On a stock or bolt on car i doubt you'd see the gains if any at all.

 

That was back when he was making 330 horsepower to the wheels. Not his current combo.

 

Still, 330 is fairly stout compared to a bolt on car. I'm wondering if any gains would show up on a bolt on car if you only seen a few ponies on a 330whp car.

 

Gumby, some of the other benefits of the MSD boxes are that they make multiple sparks below 3,000 rpms, which is what MSD means: Multiple Spark Discharge. Over 3,000 rpms there just simply is not enough time to fire more than one spark, so it makes one powerful spark. All this extra energy that the system makes allows you to run a larger plug gap setting, even when used with boost or nitrous, which leads to a more efficient combustion process. However, if your just running a stockish engine all this really won't help you much, other than maybe giving you a minimal gain in fuel economy below 3,000 rpm due to the multiple sparks.

 

They run multiple sparks at low RPM because the spark duration in a capacitive system is extremely short, and they need more than one spark to match the long duration of an inductive system.

 

I both agree and disagree with this statement. CD ignitions do have a shorter spark duration than a stock system, but at the same time you can make up for it with the increased power output of the CD box. I've seen plenty of systems that are CD and only spark once. The main advantage the CD systems have over inductive systems is that their output voltage does not fall off as rpm increases. I don't know for sure, but I do not think the stock systems' are capable of firing for 20* of crank rotation like the MSD or similar systems are. Just some food for thought.

 

Awesome, somebody else! I have run 12:1 compression at 6500 rpms with a stock hei! MSD boxes are nice for their features, start retard, rev limiter, boost timing,etc., but if you have a mild combo than they are not money well spent in my opinion, for the same 200 bucks you can get more bang for the buck.