If I install a MSD 6a ignition module, what kind of gains should I expect. I want to improve performance on my 87 f-150 5.0efi

 

Your `Gains` may be nothing or remarkable...OK why spend the money? I think its a reliability thing in the long run. If your ignition system has been is dis repair and neglected it can seem like a great change if you up grade all at once. New Cars don`t come with MSD `Brand` anything afrermarket SO keep that in mind.... performance enhancements will work in the racing enviorment if other things go along with the package

First have the system you now have in TOP condition! Then test and then Up Grade!! How else will you really tell if the up grade is worth it...



__JOHN__ô¿õ
1972 F-250
ICQ# 6030753

 

Fordmuscle.com got a 1MPG gain from using the MSD system on the 5.0 Mustang. If you are planning on doing any of the following, the MSD upgrade may be worth it.

Forced induction
NOS
Rasing the compression ratio
Building a high revving engine
Having a setup with excessively rich or lean fuel mixture

 

I've got one, and a blaster coil in my 95 4.9L and i noticed a good difference. The 4.9 runs alil less smooth then a v-8 at high rpms, but it smoothed it out a little and gave me a better acceleration. The multiple spark feature doesn't work above 3000 rpm because there just isnt enough time for more then 1 spark. But at higher rpm, stock coils have trouble making a large amount of voltage to power the plugs so the MSD helps the coil making it run smoother at higher rpm. For 133 bucks i think it was well worth it.

 

A stock coil will only fire the plug once every 2nd or 3rd time above 3000 rpm while the MSD will fire just about everytime...

 

So your saying a stock coil will misfire all the time above 3,000 rpm?? Either I'm not understanding you or you're just plain wrong. If that were the case you would gain at least 75% more torque above 3 grand with the msd.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 14-Feb-02 AT 08:57 AM (EST)]Both coils will "misfire" above 3000 rpm, but the MSD will misfire a LOT less and it's actually more a function of the ignition box in conjunction with the coil, the coil has to be built to recover more quickly than the stock coil...you will actually burn out a stock coil quicker than a coil that is built to match the high output of the ignition box...and I'm not sure how that relates to torque gains, since there are a lot of other inefficiencies to be calculated other than the firing of the cylinder...but that is why you normally get a smoother and quicker throttle response...BTW, that's off the specs and info sheets sent out by MSD and from what I have been able to read and understand about other ignitions, I tend to agree with their statements and studies...

From what I can tell, all that means is that, everything else being equal, if you run a stock ignition and I run an MSD 6A, I should be able to go from 3000 rpm to 5000 rpm quicker than you provided I have the carb to support the extra air needed and the exhaust to dump the additional air, and the valves to handle the extra air and air pressure, and so on....

 

I put a MSD-6 box in my last truck, along with a blaster coil and Magnecore wires. I can honestly say that I saw ABSOLUTELY NO IMPROVEMENT WHATSOEVER. What I did get was an intermittant clicking noise out of my fron passenger side speaker and a good butt-chewing from the wife ($400 bucks down the tubes). I was so shocked that I didn't get any power gains that I did some more research and found several reputable sources that said I should expect nothing unless my ignition components are in ill repair (and it would still be cheaper to put in normal replacement parts) or if I had some sort of forced induction system.

Furthermore, I came across an article in one of the performance magazines (a Mustang magazine, I think) where they actually tested several ignition boxes against one another. If I recall, they tested Holley, MSD, Mallory, Jacobs, and Ford Stock equipment. The results with the aftermarket boxes were poor at best, and most of the boxes performed WORSE than the stock equipment all all dyno rpms. If I remember right, only one of the boxes showed a slight horsepower improvement at a narrow high RPM band, but the gain was something like 1-2 horsepower over stock in that RPM range. The rest of the horsepower curve was lower than stock. As I said before, the car was a mostly stock Mustang (I think), but I believe it had a chip, intake and performance muffler already.

The results were so blah with the boxes that the magazine did not even comment on them. They simply put up the horsepower curves and left the interpretation up to the readers. I suspect they didn't want to lose the full page ads placed by the ignition box manufacturers. I will not ever buy one of those again.

Jerm

P.S. Another thing to think about - what happens if you are four-wheeling somewhere and the box goes to hell?? I suppose you'd have to walk home.

 

Well, you will get some more pop in the radio and to each his own on performance...maybe it is just all in the mind, but I feel the reliability and throttle response were definite gains in going to the MSD setup...The entire race car industry uses the MSD boxes because of their gains and reliability...granted, you're not revving your beast to 9 or 10 grand, but it does say something about the quality and reliability of the boxes...as far as walking home? I had to do that at least 3 times when my Ford box went out (actually once with the ignition box and at least twice because of the Ford distributor)...but the Ford boxes (at least some of them) have some nice features like the ignition on retard to help start the engine easier...I think I'll keep my MSD setup!!

 

I run MSD EVERTHING on my 460 with stock ford as a Back-up.

Had to go up a jet size with the new system.

Saw a solid 5 Hp on the rollers.

ProBillet Dist.
MSD DIS 6
Blaster Coil

The ProMSD

 

I run msd on all of my old rigs too, and swear by it. I'd make the swap on anything that has points. You probably don't see much gains swapping in msd for the newer ignitions, but it sure improves the old set ups.