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MSD worth it or not???

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Old 09-18-2000, 10:38 PM
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MSD worth it or not???

guys i am thinking of getting msd for my car. I have been told that it is worth some time at the track. I figure that i am getting into some cylinder pressures now that may need me to get a better ignition. can you guys share some experiences at the track with it.

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90 iroc l98
last season best corected 13.62 @102
mods
full exhaust, AFPR, pulley, jet stage 1 chip, billet servo, 52mm throttle body and a few other little things.
Old 09-25-2000, 11:43 AM
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Greg Barth

I have noticed a consistant 3 tenths in each vehicle I have owned

Old 09-25-2000, 11:48 AM
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Car: 1990 Pontiac Trans Am
Engine: 355 TPI siamesed runners
Transmission: Tremec T56
Axle/Gears: 12-Bolt 3.73
I tried an MSD 6A and Blaster Coil at the high-altitude track here, 2900', and it showed no change in ET, and no change in MPH. I only borrowed it at the track, so I dont know about gas mileage or whether it affects cold-starts.

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1991 Camaro Z28
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Old 09-25-2000, 08:11 PM
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Car: 90 IROC
Engine: 406
Transmission: GMPP 93/4L60
Axle/Gears: 9 bolt 3.27

My car didnt go any faster either, but it did have better throttle response. And it made the car run so smooth, i still like it for just those reasons.



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Black 90 IROC, L98, A4, 323 gear. SuperRamed 406 in the works!
Old 09-25-2000, 08:31 PM
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I didnt notice a differance at all.
Old 09-16-2008, 12:03 PM
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Re: Maro vs. Harley

Nevermind.

Last edited by freestylzz; 09-16-2008 at 12:09 PM.
Old 09-16-2008, 12:28 PM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

there wires suck...every time i have takin them off they fall apart, deff. not worth it
Old 09-16-2008, 01:11 PM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

i dont know about 3 tenths? but it will make for a more effeciant car. better fuel burn, throttle response, gas mileage.
Old 09-17-2008, 06:48 PM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

MSD what?Wires,coil,ignition box,distributor?Depends.Still running stock tpi?
Old 09-17-2008, 07:42 PM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

everything in my ign. system is m.s.d. , except dist. . i made my own set of m.s.d. 8.5 wires because of headers . anyone that does not like them has a problem with assy. of them . you need proper crimping tools etc. . wich i have and used . also knowledge of how use them is good , you don't crimp wires with channel locks . i'm not a racer just a cruiser , but i felt seat of pants response and 29.46 mpg. on hwy. . anything wrong with that ??
Old 09-17-2008, 11:47 PM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

I have the MSD Street Fire wires and id have to say they were worth the money. I custom fitted mine with the crimper tool and they stay together and dont fall apart. I leave for work every morning at 8am and the car starts up almost right away and its **** cold in michigan even in the mornings in late summer. So id have to say MSD is the way to go. Im also thinkin of getting the distributor and module to go with them.
Old 09-18-2008, 07:08 AM
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Car: 1985 Camaro/89 Merkur XR4Ti
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

Originally Posted by UNCLE TOM
everything in my ign. system is m.s.d. , except dist. . i made my own set of m.s.d. 8.5 wires because of headers . anyone that does not like them has a problem with assy. of them . you need proper crimping tools etc. . wich i have and used . also knowledge of how use them is good , you don't crimp wires with channel locks . i'm not a racer just a cruiser , but i felt seat of pants response and 29.46 mpg. on hwy. . anything wrong with that ??
Well your MPG would be due to your rear end ratio, not the MSD as far as I know. And as far as MSD goes, Im just gonna get an Accel Supercoil to put in my stock distributor. See how that turns out.
Old 09-18-2008, 08:37 AM
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Car: 84 TA / 89 Formula
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

i just got the MSD rotor+cap, once you are using a coil hotter than stock you should use quality parts at least like AC Delco, or better aftermarket like Accel or MSD, etc. i also got a Accel Super-Coil on the way.
i think it can be quite hard to say that these parts affect milage or performance, because most people change ignition parts when the parts are getting old and dead anyway, so most comparisons in this case are not directly related imho.

also, Greg you should specify about which parts you are talking. is it just the wires, or rotor+cap, ignition box??
Old 09-18-2008, 11:54 AM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

I`ll say with the wires and coil I got I noticed no differance.When I installed the digital 6 cd box I did notice a little seat of the pants maybe it was all in my head but it did have better throttle response.Seems to fire up and idle better.It should also help in the upper rpm`s when I go HSR.Two other reasons I bought the digital 6 was a built in rev limiter and built in timing retard for when I get nitrous.
Old 09-18-2008, 01:42 PM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

I didnt notice any difference at the track either. I will say the throttle response is a lot more snappy and seems easier to start when its cold.
Old 09-18-2008, 02:17 PM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

I have a accell cap and rotor and still the stock wires could that be making my car runn bad like getting 13 MPG. I got 69 miles out of 5 gallons and its a stock 305 tpi with 66k miles I have MSD wires just not put on yet if i put them on would it runn better???
Old 09-18-2008, 02:50 PM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

Originally Posted by 91z 2 8
I have a accell cap and rotor and still the stock wires could that be making my car runn bad like getting 13 MPG. I got 69 miles out of 5 gallons and its a stock 305 tpi with 66k miles I have MSD wires just not put on yet if i put them on would it runn better???
if that's your oem wires it will help maybe a bit. but getting 13mpg should tell you there's something else goin south or already dead.. time to get your multimeter and measure out some sensors, check codes etc etc. either start another thread for that or just get a haynes, chilton or shop repair manual.
Old 09-18-2008, 03:15 PM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

I have a haynes manual and i just replaced my 02 sensor and the plugs are good (just changed) I cant get the car scanned cause the cig lighter dont work for some reason getting that looked at too when my weather stripp and headers go in. I looked it all over and didnt see anything unhooked or anything but it pretty much just dumps fuel in.
Old 09-18-2008, 04:12 PM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

Once you upgrade a couple of things over stock ignition, you will notice a BIG difference. Maybe not in speed, but definately in performance.

My car had bare bones ignition (HEI) for a carbed car, the only thing upgraded were sparkplug wires to 8.5mm ones. As the season got colder, i was having trouble starting the car (every few months to get fluids flowing), and i noticed i had a super accel coil laying around.

I put it on just to see what happened. After i installed it, the engine (fully cold) would fire right up! My exhaust gases actually changed smell, because the old system was not firing as well.

I have yet to install my MSD 6AL box, but i have heard the difference isnt too big from the setup that i have now. But the difference from stock is HUGE.

I got the MSD box, mainly for its rev limiter feature, and its ability to play with timing with some addons. I have a manual trans now, and i want to start experimenting with powershifting, and a rev limiter seems like a smart thing to have.

If you get the super accel coil, MAKE SURE you get the wires as well. Or it wont be as good. Also, take a wire wheel, and run it over the contact points on your cap and rotor periodically.
Old 09-18-2008, 05:17 PM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

petronix second strike box is better
Old 09-18-2008, 07:49 PM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

I went from complete stock ignition to better plugs,custom fit taylor 8.5 wires,msd cap rotor,blaster coil and msd 6a box.Then I re-timed the motor and all I can say is wow.Driveability is what impressed me with their products..wasnt expecting to gain huge mpg or horsepower but to smooth out idle and the throttle response and how snappy it is.I thought the design of the "multiple spark discarge" happens mostly at lower rpms to improve cold starts and increase the effiency from low to mid range rpm,upwards of that was not a multiple discharge but a much hotter spark the higher it revved.Thats my understanding anyway but on my motor i noticed a gain and the motor runs smooth even for a mild cam so it was worth it.Anything you spend money on and notice a change for the better is worth it to me for a mod
Old 09-18-2008, 08:45 PM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

On the other hand,a good tune up with mostly ac delco parts should be enough for a mostly stock to mild tpi.Alot of peaple will tell you to save your money for better mods if you want to make more power.
Old 10-12-2008, 05:57 PM
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Re: MSD worth it or not???

the thing about the msd 6al is it has a built in rev chip so if ya break something or miss a shift it 'll only rev to the chip i have one and love it u can also add more fuel thru an AFPR
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