What's the deal with using truck coils? Watch this video!
04-18-2012, 08:31 AM
#1
What's the deal with using truck coils? Watch this video! Im doing a 6.0 swap and figured Id do some changes. What's up with using truck coils? I want to relocate mine and figured smaller coils will be easier to hide. Here is a video I found while doing some research. I thought it was pretty informative...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1WH0...ature=gv&hl=en
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1WH0...ature=gv&hl=en
Last edited by ANTICOP RAM AIR; 04-18-2012 at 09:06 AM.
04-18-2012, 09:48 AM
#2
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Very interesting. Good find. What's funny is I'm still running tha same LS1 coils from when I bought the car in November of 1998. It might allow me to change the gap and get a little more HP out of it but then again it might not gain me anything.
As I remember it the coils weren't cheap.
As I remember it the coils weren't cheap.
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04-19-2012, 09:18 AM
#8
^ I would like to know that as well. I have those coils from my 03 LQ4 but I don't like how the brackets sit on the valve covers. I was going to use my stock LS1 coils but if the truck ones are a little better I may use them. I don't plan on spending the money on the heat sink coils any time soon.
Last edited by RedRocketZ28; 04-19-2012 at 09:29 AM. Reason: spelling...
04-19-2012, 09:21 AM
#9
I have the square ones on my car and tried some heat sink ones with no apparent results, but I did not change the dwell. I was going to have to mod the brackets so I just took them off and sold them because I thought the square ones looked better.
04-19-2012, 09:56 AM
#10
I posted about this a while back. Harlan indicated the Melco's were stronger than the Delphi's, which are cheaper and more abundant to find than the ones with the heat sinks. I don't know the difference between Melco's and heat sink coils (D85?) though.
04-19-2012, 10:14 AM
#11
I have a 5.3 with the square coils too, if I get time later I might compare the tune to my cars tune which was done with a base ls1 tune and see if they have different dwell tables. If so I can copy from the truck tune to mine.
If they are really stronger maybe that is why I didn't notice a difference going to the heat sink type.
If they are really stronger maybe that is why I didn't notice a difference going to the heat sink type.
04-19-2012, 03:23 PM
#12
Not absolutely necessary; some have, some have not.
Im doing a 6.0 swap and figured Id do some changes. What's up with using truck coils? I want to relocate mine and figured smaller coils will be easier to hide. Here is a video I found while doing some research. I thought it was pretty informative...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1WH0...ature=gv&hl=en
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1WH0...ature=gv&hl=en
IMO, Ls1 coil break up @ high RPM may contribute to guys losing ringlands on #7 piston; lean + firing issues.
04-20-2012, 06:48 AM
#14
It's all here:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/12985321-post1.html
And 402 posts in this thread:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...p-18-6-tq.html
Synopsis:
-The coils with the heat sinks are the more powerful ones.
-You'll need to change the brackets and harnesses.
-On an F-Body, you'll need to mod a few things for fitment.
-Some have had zero power improvements.
-Some have had some power improvements.
-Most have had some response improvements.
-The most gain can be had with a tune for the coils.
-On most stock cars, it's not worth the cost/effort.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/12985321-post1.html
And 402 posts in this thread:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...p-18-6-tq.html
Synopsis:
-The coils with the heat sinks are the more powerful ones.
-You'll need to change the brackets and harnesses.
-On an F-Body, you'll need to mod a few things for fitment.
-Some have had zero power improvements.
-Some have had some power improvements.
-Most have had some response improvements.
-The most gain can be had with a tune for the coils.
-On most stock cars, it's not worth the cost/effort.
04-20-2012, 08:51 AM
#17
There have been many, many posts noting issues with missfires while using MSD coils. Nothing I've seen has performed better than the heat sink truck coils; of course w/ the LS2 coils also being a good replacement for the stock LS1 coil.
Although, no videos have popped up regarding the LS3 coils, would expect that GM transferred the technology realized in the heat sink & LS2 coil.
Synopsis:
-The coils with the heat sinks are the more powerful ones.
-You'll need to change the brackets and harnesses.
-On an F-Body, you'll need to mod a few things for fitment.
-Some have had zero power improvements.
-Some have had some power improvements.
-Most have had some response improvements.
-The most gain can be had with a tune for the coils.
-On most stock cars, it's not worth the cost/effort.
-The coils with the heat sinks are the more powerful ones.
-You'll need to change the brackets and harnesses.
-On an F-Body, you'll need to mod a few things for fitment.
-Some have had zero power improvements.
-Some have had some power improvements.
-Most have had some response improvements.
-The most gain can be had with a tune for the coils.
-On most stock cars, it's not worth the cost/effort.
Horse "Power" is not a the reason for swithching coils. The reason is efficiency. Using the stronger coil means less chance of a high RPM pre-detonation & can improve VE (volumetric efficiency).
Is absolutely worth the cost/effort. A high RPM miss is the number one cause of chipping a ring land. A high RPM miss is rarely felt by the driver & occurs several times before the knock sensors can pull enough timing to stop it.
Most will probably never "feel" the difference. Only detectable difference will be better idle quality if the dwell tables are changed. This would also be directly related to early tip in response.
Those who gained power had a some un-realized spark related ignition problem to begin with. Either a slight miss under load or a lower VE % due to a weaker spark.
04-20-2012, 07:14 PM
#18
LS1-450, you make some very good points.
While I might have had some other anomaly "fixed" when I did my dyno pull going on (WOW!) three years ago, the engine did run smoother with better throttle response with the truck coils.
Many guys here scoffed at doing the swap but I still maintain it's a worthwhile mod.
Side note: The FI guys run these coils.
While I might have had some other anomaly "fixed" when I did my dyno pull going on (WOW!) three years ago, the engine did run smoother with better throttle response with the truck coils.
Many guys here scoffed at doing the swap but I still maintain it's a worthwhile mod.
Side note: The FI guys run these coils.
04-21-2012, 06:57 AM
#19
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LS1-450, you make some very good points.
While I might have had some other anomaly "fixed" when I did my dyno pull going on (WOW!) three years ago, the engine did run smoother with better throttle response with the truck coils.
Many guys here scoffed at doing the swap but I still maintain it's a worthwhile mod.
Side note: The FI guys run these coils.
While I might have had some other anomaly "fixed" when I did my dyno pull going on (WOW!) three years ago, the engine did run smoother with better throttle response with the truck coils.
Many guys here scoffed at doing the swap but I still maintain it's a worthwhile mod.
Side note: The FI guys run these coils.