Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 10:22:41 -0700
Reply-To: Ed Mellinger <meed@MBARI.ORG>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Ed Mellinger <meed@MBARI.ORG>
Organization: MBARI
Subject: Re: Turbo Muffler, Jacobs Ign, Snake Oil
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
___________________________________
So you're saying that any spark will do, voltage ** Plug Gap** and
duration
have no effect. Say what??? With the variables that we all see from
our
digifant FI, which is often providing a marginal mixture, you think
that a
bigger, hotter spark wouldn't fire some of those marginal charges that
might
otherwise misfire? Think about it.
_____________________________________
Well Gary... I would say... that ever since the start of the catalytic
converter era, engine designers have been FORCED to include high-energy,
solid-state ignition systems on everything from Honda Civics to Porsche
Turbos. Reason: unburned fuel from a misfiring cylinder will wipe out
the cat in about 30 seconds, and possibly start a fire to boot. Not to
mention the difficulty of getting past the EPA 50k-mile endurance test
with even an occasional misfie. The days of the feeble, yellow-spark,
point-and-coil factory ignition ended sometime in the late '70s.
Notwithstanding this, there are manufacturers like Crane, Alison,
Judson, and (yecchhh) Jacobs who got established in the point-and-coil
era selling upgrades to what were then pretty marginal factory ignition
systems. Most of these outfits still have a legitimate product and a
legitimate market, i.e. race engine builders who are going way past
stock in CR, boost, rpm, advance curve, and other factors that affect
ignition performance. Unfortunately, their marketing departments seem
unable to resist "SplitFire Fever", the temptation to make exaggerated
claims (sometimes backed up by dyno sheets from *their own engineering
departments*) about the benefit of these systems on a stock, well tuned
engine. Well, sorry, but the march of automotive technology over the
past two decades (really a rather amazing thing) means that those claims
just are a little too lurid to be true.
With these comments (and others of similar content) we are not, of
course, refuting your claim of improved performance from your goodies.
We're just asking you for objective test results (NOT "butt-dyno") from
an INDEPENDENT dyno to prove your claims. I'm sure you can get a few
more HP from a louder exhaust... this is a tradeoff as old as internal
combustion... but I *really would* like to see PROOF that an aftermarket
ignition can outperform a modern stock system in good condition on an
otherwise stock engine!
Sorry to everyone else for the BW...
Ed Mellinger
Monterey CA
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