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Here's the deal: While I'm not sure what you mean by "efficient" or what you hope to gain, the term does not have much meaning in this context. You will read about systems that make 100,000 volts and the like, that is quite misleading. The voltage at which an ignition system operates is determined by the spark plug gap and conditions inside the cylinder, mostly pressure and air/fuel mixture. Let's say it takes 20,000V (20KV) to spark across the gap.
Energy in the coil is commonly said to "build" in voltage until a spark occurs. A magnetic field surrounding the coil rises in potential until it reaches the ability to jump the plug gap, ie 20KV. Make the gap smaller or larger and a lower or higher voltage will be required. With occurrence of the spark, the field collapses and nothing else happens until the system recharges the coil (points or substitutes are a switch to turn on this process) for the next cylinder.
For a gap requiring 20KV, if the system is capable of only 19KV, no spark will occur. Misfire. Change the system so it could produce 30KV, the spark will still occur at 20KV unless you widen the gap. Let it be capable of a million volts, you will still get a 20KV spark and all that extra capacity has zero effect.
Ignition systems are designed with a reserve capacity, ie they can (when new and perfect) develop a higher voltage than normally required. With long use, some metal is vaporized at the plug electrodes and the gap widens and will fire at a higher voltage, maybe 25K This capability is built into the system. Your super coil will not do anything in real life that the ordinary one won't unless, say, you have done extreme engine modifications that change the requirement. The fact that your FlameSpouter SuperWhammer Ignition could jump a 10-foot gap won't do a thing except lighten your wallet, it will still fire at 20KV inside your engine and that's all you get.
Electronic ignition is good because it can be more reliable than points, and does not get out of adjustment causing timing change that affects performance, and lends itself to computerized timing control as on all modern engines. When a Pertronix fails it fails completely not a little at a time.
BTW it's PeRtronix. Use this board's search function for lots more. Hope this helps.
posted by 75.147.23...
, Wed, 2 Jan 2013 03:31:00, Fri, 4 Jan 2013 08:17:28
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