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2012 Spark Plug Coil recommendation ??

5.5K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  norcal_ecoscrew  
#1 ·
Need opinions on Spark plug coils- are stock the way to go or upgrade when its time to replace plugs ?
 
#2 ·
Welcome to the fray.....newby here as well.......also picked up 2012....ok buy...great shape but had 94,000 miles. Going through everything maintenance wise to get in best condition as possible. Replaced plugs and COPs right away. MC Sp534s @ 0.028. Replaced COPs with MSD Red Coil Pack from CJs. Why MSD? Experience with their parts from younger years and reputation. Truck runs good...haven't had any issues here but wasn't having any to begin with. Many years experience with submarine nuclear weapons system operation, maintenance, and engineering. Very firm believer in preventative and progressive maintenance. Have applied this opinion to all of my things over the years. Waiting for shtz to break before fixing is not in my playbook. Many here think OEM/Motorcraft parts are very good for our trucks. Your choice...don't think it is going to make a huge difference for the majority of us....building a rocket ship? Different story.
 
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#3 ·
Exactly what I'll be running once they arrive. I ordered mine from CJs as well. It's also been tested by a forum member to provide a nice bump in voltage. So they do provide some improvement over stock. If you'll feel any of that as HP, I have no clue. Maybe if your plugs are older and original coils you could regain some lost HP. My only reason for going with MSD was to run a little wider gap with one-step colder plugs.
 
#4 ·
Don't really know. Had also read some boost in voltage....how much????? A little higher voltage should jump a wider gap but is it really a stronger spark???? All things being equal with the same power into the primary windings (P=IxE, where I equals amperage and E equals voltage) raising the voltage (windings on the secondary side) should lower the amperage on the secondary. Does this mean a weaker spark??? Does it matter??? A simple static electricity shock you feel when you walk across carpeting or rub a positively charged object normally runs 40,000 - 60,000 volts. It doesn't hurt you because there is only small miliamperes. Your skin has enough resistance to insulate you from this. I don't think i would want to ignite the A/F mixture in the combustion chamber from this little static electrical spark. Just don't know enough of the technical details to say yes or no. My opinion is this is marketing hype for the small increase in voltage.....for our normal application. Those running high boost/HP for the most part are still using stock ignition system. Plugs and COP. Decreasing the gap should increase the strength (amperage) of the spark and not have it drowned out/blown out from the wetter fuel mixture and higher boost. Colder plug helps prevent detonation and knock???? Think only applies to higher boost and highly tuned set ups. Probably full of shtz but this is my understanding. Maybe someone with better experience and knowledge could add their thoughts. Also probably covered in another thread somewhere on the forum???
 
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#7 ·
I replaced mine with motorcraft from Tasca. Almost the same price as the MSD's, but I think the MSD's sell for about $50 cheaper for a set of 6. Had been waiting for MSD's to come out forever and decided to stick with the stock ones on my 120k mile truck, as there wasn't any apparent advantage to the MSD ones. Nice to see that someone has tested the MSD ones and confirmed more voltage output, although I doubt this really translates to significant power gains.

If I could do it again, I would go with whatever is cheaper.
 
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