Folks:
The advantages to using a hotter coil are all in the
reliability/durability/emissions arena. There is no power or mileage
advantage to using a hotter coil.
The disadvantages are few:
- First, using a hotter coil means that the coil will
draw more current, shortening point life and perhaps even overloading
your wiring. Nothing is for free.
- Cost: You are out the cost of the coil, and perhaps
plug wires needed to handle the higher voltage.
The advantages lie in the following areas:
- A hotter spark means that even the most heavily fouled
plug will still fire. If you have a problem with plug fouling, then this
can help. The real solution however is to fix the source of the fouling.
- Emissions: a mis-firing plug can play havoc with your
emissions and engine smoothness. A hotter coil means more margin to
having a plug misfire.
- Plug life: A high voltage, low current spark extends
spark plug life by reducing the erosion of the electrodes. Platinum
tipped plugs extend the life of the plug even further, resulting in
100,000 mile lifetimes for your plugs.
Nowhere in this list of advantages does horsepower,
responsiveness or any other performance word enter the discussion. If
you are racing, then you want maximum spark so that your plugs will fire
no matter what, and it would make sense. For street with our older cars
there is little reason to do it other than the "Gee-whiz" factor.
Vance
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