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I've always had good luck with Iridium and platinum spark plugs.
My main Q is, if I replace the factory coil with the stronger coil will it annoy any of the other components since I am upgrading the dizzy cap and rotor etc.? Oh and the truck is a 1989 Ford F350 7.5L EFI... All stock right now. As far as why would I need more volts the Iridium plugs perform better with higher voltage in my experience and provide better performance. I've done a similar setup on my Dodge truck but I don't know how the Ford will react to the different coil? If it will upset the EEC/ignition module?
In case anyone wonders about such large spark plug wires I always run at least 8.5MM on all of my trucks because they have always worked better for me...
I have no experience with any of the parts you listed specifically.
However, you're wasting your money on platinum plugs. These motors are designed to run with copper plugs and see no gains with platinums.
I don't know what the difference in price is between your O'Reilly's parts and decent aftermarket parts, but I put an MSD cap and Rotor, MSD coil, and Ford Racing 9mm wires with Motorcraft copper plugs in my truck.
I have a 351w in my truck, just replaced all these components a few months ago. I gapped my plugs to .055". Hasn't had a single hiccup since the upgrade, and the MSD coil is rated for a maximum of 48,000 volts.
What is the stock coil rated at. Reason I ask you can put 20th mm wires on a go Kart but if the coil isn't putting out more voltage the stock 4mm wire will perform the same. I worked with an ignition guy on this a couple years ago when I did a complete electronic dis (distributor less ignition system) on my buggy. It came with either 8 mm or 8.8mm wires either way I told him I was going to order a set of cut to fit 10mm Taylor wires and he laughed and said your wasting your money.
I don't know what the stock coil is rated at but it's strong enough to produce crossfiring between plug wires if they aren't routed correctly so it's not that bad. The only place where the stock coil shows any weakness is at idle on a motor with a more aggressive cam, my truck had a bit of a rough idle so I put an MSD Blaster on it and cleared it right up.. no other changes made... I already have the timing advanced. On a stock motor I don't see a high output coil being that noticable all on it's own.
I've always had good luck with Iridium and platinum spark plugs.
My main Q is, if I replace the factory coil with the stronger coil will it annoy any of the other components since I am upgrading the dizzy cap and rotor etc.? Oh and the truck is a 1989 Ford F350 7.5L EFI... All stock right now. As far as why would I need more volts the Iridium plugs perform better with higher voltage in my experience and provide better performance. I've done a similar setup on my Dodge truck but I don't know how the Ford will react to the different coil? If it will upset the EEC/ignition module?
In case anyone wonders about such large spark plug wires I always run at least 8.5MM on all of my trucks because they have always worked better for me...
Thanks in advance...
When I was in the racing business (NASCAR) we looked for low resistance in wires to minimize spark loss, silicone insulation to prevent voltage drops and limit crossfiring and stainless terminals. I run the 9MM Ford Racing wires and they do ok.
Upgraded coils deliver higher spark gap current (typically 2-4x), spark (2x-8x) and 20-40% voltage gains across rpms --- you'll idle better and notice better performance at higher rpms....here are the factory numbers and what you can get from a decent coil/module setup from the MSD, Hypertechs, etc of the world (factory numbers are first):
Coil Specs
Turns Ratio: less than 50:1 100:1
Primary resistance: 1 OHMS .68 OHMs
Secondary resistance: 8700-11000 OHMS 4.8K OHMs
Maximum voltage: 36,000 Volts 44,000-56,000 Volts
Peak current: upgrades are roughly double the uAmps over factory
