After 143k and some power steering fluid, my opti took a crap. I just can't bring myself to buy a stock replacement over something better...Supposedly the MSD billet aluminum opti exists, but no one seems to have one in stock! MSD hasn't sent them out yet? Does anyone know of somebody who sells them??? It's less than the dynaspark so I'd really like to get an MSD...

 

Mid May according to Summit

 

The better question than whoe sells them is when the **** will MSD put them out?
It's an automotive unicorn, like the Accel Opti cap/rotor

 

One of the b-body guys claims MSD is currently using his car for testing, just installed a couple weeks ago. Wildly irresponsible to market a product this heavily BEFORE it is even ready for production as far as I am concerned, then again they were pushing the cap and rotor heavily like this for a good year before it's release too so it is buissiness as usual.

If the stock lasted 143K why are you in such a rush to get something "better"? It is completely untested and it will be years before we really know if it is better. That said the cap and rotor appear pretty good and for the price I am trying them on my car, not installed yet though.

 

Just get another stocker, unless you don't want to drive the car for an undetermined number of months.

 

Per Summit today, it looks like the Accel opti is out April 2nd. It's way cheaper than the MSD one. Anybody know why the MSD is so much more? I know the MSD has an adjustable advance, but does that mean the Accel doesn't?

BTW, I can't imagine adjusting the advance on an opti with the engine running...could be kinda painful.

 

I'm really curious about this Accel unit...the MSD seems to be a lot of aluminum which might make it better as compared to the Accel???

 

probably the Accel is just a "improved" stocker. I highly doubt the accel one will have a billet base..

 

And exactly what would a billet base do for performance??????
On the timing thing the ONLY right way to time a computerized car is through the pcm so the adjustable advance thing is of questionable "benifit" as well.

As I said I have a cap and rotor and they appear to be well made, I would even say the rotor appears it will solve the high rpm problems some had with the stocker, but to call it or the whole thing an upgrade at this point is irresponsible because they just are not well tested and proven yet.

 

yeah i have a msd cap and rotor also and its going on the new motor it looks a lot better than the stocker but we shall see performance wise

 

You can read all the details on both MSD & Accel's sites, Summit has an extended description online as well. Accel might be a little better than a stock gm unit, whereas MSD in my opinion is actually a nicer unit than Dynaspark which for $600 was the only option for a long time, until Delteq & LTCC.

 

This billet base has an extra screw for water tight integrity for one thing, it has a larger than stock bearing and it's designed for highspeed revs, their is no crossarcing issues like the stockers had, quite a bit of details on their websites.

How do you like your msd cap/rotor so far? I got my LTCC in Thursday, can't wait to get it on and excited about never doing another opti again.

 

The cap and rotor kit comes with an extra screw and a block to accomplish the 5th holddown. The rest of what you quoted is just their marketting BS.

As far as you never having to do an opti again this is exactly what drives me wild in these opti threads. Everyone loves to hate the opti and wants to "replace it", the thing is all the multi coil kits like the LTCC you are using replace are the cap and rotor, you still have to keep that horribly water sensitive housing the crappy small weak bearings and such. So how exactly are you replacing it? You are just taking voltage distribution duties away from it and still need a functional backhalf.

 

What I don't understand is why people want to reinvent teh wheel. There is nothing wrong with the electronics of the factory opti. It is in fact a great pick up for the trigger. The MSD unit is trying to tell you that the stock electronics are not good, but what they put in is. Thats not true in the least. The other thing they are doing is trying to wow unknowledgable people into thinking that a 5 degree advance/retard change at the opti is a good thing. It's not a good thing and it's also totaly unneeded. As far as I am concerned, the more moving parts, the more chance of failure to occur.

In all honesty, no one needs an upgraded opti. An upgraded cap and rotor like the MSD would be great to keep people from melting the rotor button when using stronger coils, or fighting off high RPM grenading and rotor screws coming loose. However the electronics work fine. It all comes down to the same thing that I say when someone complains that there opti only lasted 25K miles. You need to take care of it. If you let water and oil drip on it, it's going to stop working. If you neglect it for 100K miles, it's going to stop working.

The other thing that gets me, is that people will spend 400-600 bucks on a "better" opti, which doesn't address the fact that it's still being fed by a single coil set up. There is a reason that many man applications are running multiple coil or coil/cyl set ups. In all honesty, if your gong to spend 600 bucks on an opti, why would you not instead spend 500 on a multiple coil system and never have to worry about opti failure.

there are several people still using stock opti's on multi coil systems that have not had an opti failure in 5+ years. Take the high energy out of the equation, don't neglect oil leaks and water pumps, and you will probably never need to touch the opti again.

You will never se a $600 opti on my car. Instead you will see $400 worth of multi coil ign and a stock opti running it.

 

i havent seen any multi-coil conversions like in the LS1's for my car for less than 700$ unless your making it yourself
that and my opti lasted 10 years and 150k miles so far, and im keeping the opti just changing the cap and rotor

 

I will be using one and the main reason is the ability to alighn the Opti to a cam retard or advance. it DOES make a differance Then again we DO know how to use it correctly so that may make a differance.

I talked to a MSD rep just a few weeks ago at a trade show. Late March Early April they are going into production. They are waiting on parts.

He was also telling me last year the big hold up was because of the LS1 coils. they had such a huge resonse for them they were using alll the supplies for the Caps and Rotors (IE Red plastic)

Have fun all.

 

a) Didn't bash the LTCC, changed one once, no big deal, have never complained about the opti, just learned what works better for high rpm applications, which is why I'm switching, so totally unrelated to a bad opti. I'm 100% fully aware of what the LTCC does, how it works, what it's not replacing, yada yada yada. Going to a better ignition system, simple as that.

b) You have a good point about the marketing BS, I simply passed on what MSD is advertising to someone who asked the question. Far as that goes marketing BS in this hobby is just like the fishing lure industry, they build the lure to attract fishermen not fish , damn largemouth bass gets hungry enough it'll latch on to your finger .

FYI ok wait... last week in our cost & schedule project staff meeting I did bash the opti...damn me to hell for that . Well our software was acting up during month-end financials and the team was asking what could cause this..."due to a bad OPTI was my response" ....lot of blank stares ensured

 

I ordered the Pro Billet through my engine builder. He went straight through MSD and he told me that it should be here two weeks from today.

 

If Summit can't get it yet do you honestly think some little engine shop will? Summit I am sure has orders already for dozens. They are offering parts for sale LONG before they are ready and repeatedly pushing back the ship date. Good luck but I strongly recommend you do not rely on that to get the car up and running because it will likely be MONTHS yet.

 

Not trying to discredit anything anyone is saying, but I was there when he talked to the MSD rep.