Quote:

For most stock type systems, and by that I mean points, Mopar ECU, or Pertronics (switching) eliminating the ballast is a BAD idea, here's why:

The entire reason that ballasts are used is to do at least two things:

They help to regulate current through the coil with changing rpm and voltage changes, IE lower voltage at idle, higher at cruise, and.....

one more very important function is that coupled with a bypass circuit for starting, this gives you a nice hot start under cranking conditions. ...........




yea, but it's that whole "COUPLED WITH BYPASS" that gives you a "nice hot start"

why wouldn't the "permanent bypass" give you "continuously nice hot ignition"?


from what I understood, stock coils would burn up because they were designed to operate at LESS than 12V, because they needed to be able to function while the engine is cranking, and they are seeing LESS than 12V anyway.

when cranking, and the starter motor is taking all that battery power up, there might only be 7-9 volts available to fire the coil, so they design it to operate at 7-9 volts. ok, now that the engine is running, alternator is making power...system voltage is up to 13 or 14...now we're nearly doubled what the coil is meant to see...and it needs stepped down...enter, the Ballast Resistor!

at least, that's how it was explained to me by an "old timer"

and from reading literatre from today's ingition folks like MSD, they have coils that are designed to operate on the full 12-14v system without needed the BR--I don't know if that's because they decided to sacrifice start up ability for driving performance (a coil meant for 12-14V that's only getting 7-9, won't fire as hot at start up) or if the change was because today's modern batteries don't experience as much of a voltage drop at start up as older batteries, or if the average starter motor today is more efficent...but if you read their tech info, they will tell you most of their coils can be run without a BR.

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