hmmm said:
Which are the best leads to go for. Splitfire, Magnecor KV 85, MSD or Top Gun? Or are there others?
I'm asking this as I am most likely going to get the Mallory Hyfire and Promaster coil, so I thought I might as well change the leads while I'm at it.
p.s If you think that Nissan ones are good enough for 400bhp, then assume I am running 400bhp +
Though I've still not bottomed the science of this out in my own mind, I believe you should get the leads best matched to your system. For a standard ignition sytem, the standard leads are best.
from my own experience, a totally fresh standard sytem struggles above 400hp meaning you have to run tiny plug gaps. However, it struggles less with the standard leads than with the Magnecor uprated leads.
Uprated systems are not standard anymore. I thought Lou Rob uses a HKS amplifier on a standard system. If that's the case it might explain why he's been through so many standard leads.
If you are running very high boost (>1.5Bar) and if you are using "normal" plug gaps then you will need more energy to bridge the gap. More power will be transmitted down the cables so you will need bigger cables or they will overheat and fail.
What my own experience and theory teaches me is that the best system is a matched system. As most people have the standard Nissan ignition then the best match is standard leads. If you are buying the Mallory system then logic says to me the best match is the Mallory leads. Unfortunately I'd be surprised if mallory did the leads for our cars as its not a big V8. Next best, maybe the MSD leads as the Mallory and MSD systems look like they're made by the same Chinese supplier anyway ;-). Failing that, find out what the resistance and diameter of the mallory leads is and get an equivalent magnecor or OE
I've tried both my Magnecors and the OE leads on my system and both seem to work. (Equally as badly at the moment but that's maybe another point with matching ignition systems to ignition maps?) How well either will last and whether one or the other is better is another question.
the missing link for me in all this is the standard cap and rotor that I accept will become a "consumable" as it is still standard and not designed to transmit x5 the energy!!!
Jim