Another installed LS Coils Post
01-28-2018, 11:20 AM
#1
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Another installed LS Coils Post
Hello all. After much research on this forum and head scratching and advice from other members, I finally installed my LS coils. There are some great brackets available but either didn't fit my truck coils OR required removal of the shock tower brace. I came up with an alternative that made me happy. I used a generic relocation bracket that required modification, welding an extra piece and extended threaded rod, and extended valve cover bolts with aluminum tubing spacers. I used Flyin' Miata's instruction for wiring it into the Hydra. A set of cut to size plug wires from MSD, following instructions from the Passion Channel on You Tube rounded out the parts needed. Total cost was around $150. I copied ignition settings from a friends car that has the FM setup. Car started right up and runs and pulls flawlessly so far.
i appreciate the help from other people who have done this before and I'll be glad to contribute if anyone has any questions about my install.
Paul
i appreciate the help from other people who have done this before and I'll be glad to contribute if anyone has any questions about my install.
Paul
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01-29-2018, 09:25 AM
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I actually bought a Hawley Performance bracket, but it was for a different size coil. I might have looked at the Singular bracket but perhaps it wouldn't clear the VVT oil line? I was concerned about the heat but, as Curly pointed out, the coils in their normal position on GM engines are located immediately above the exhaust manifold. There are a lot of good bracket options out there but each one has its own compromise. More choices exist for non VVT engines and for the smaller coils. If this solution works well long term, it might be an alternative for others.Paul
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01-29-2018, 09:31 AM
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For all the wiring I ended up splitting a cheap set of coil harnesses and relocation cables from Amazon. Worked with the singular and SADFab brackets swell. Just cut an end off the relocation cable and wire like you would any cop.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XY...6WD9SX1FJWWSDZ
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XY...location&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XY...6WD9SX1FJWWSDZ
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XY...location&psc=1
I'm set up for sequential ignition, I'm not sure the Amazon adapter would have helped. The hardest part of the project was adding two new pins to the Hydra connector for cylinders 2 and 4. I had to have my electronic Genius friend do that for me.I tend to break little wires, particularly if they are crucial ones. Splicing the rest of it together was really easy.Paul
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01-29-2018, 06:36 PM
#6
I'm set up for sequential ignition, I'm not sure the Amazon adapter would have helped. The hardest part of the project was adding two new pins to the Hydra connector for cylinders 2 and 4. I had to have my electronic Genius friend do that for me.I tend to break little wires, particularly if they are crucial ones. Splicing the rest of it together was really easy.Paul
You get your pre-wired options for power, ground, signal which I didn't use since it's output from megasquirt directly, then your 4 coils. I think the hardest part of your setup is that you have hydra.
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01-29-2018, 06:37 PM
#7
I actually bought a Hawley Performance bracket, but it was for a different size coil. I might have looked at the Singular bracket but perhaps it wouldn't clear the VVT oil line? I was concerned about the heat but, as Curly pointed out, the coils in their normal position on GM engines are located immediately above the exhaust manifold. There are a lot of good bracket options out there but each one has its own compromise. More choices exist for non VVT engines and for the smaller coils. If this solution works well long term, it might be an alternative for others.Paul
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01-29-2018, 08:34 PM
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^
OP has D514A CNPS (mount points on front and rear) rather than D585 CNPS (mount points on top & bottom).
Also, the SADFAB bracket may not clear the OP's front strut brace - when I was trying to figure out how/where to mount D585s the Front Strut brace was always in the way so I switched to D514As and independently came up with a bracket similar to the Singular one (except my coils are upside down from theirs to improve hood clearance - not just because I'm in Australia).
OP has D514A CNPS (mount points on front and rear) rather than D585 CNPS (mount points on top & bottom).
Also, the SADFAB bracket may not clear the OP's front strut brace - when I was trying to figure out how/where to mount D585s the Front Strut brace was always in the way so I switched to D514As and independently came up with a bracket similar to the Singular one (except my coils are upside down from theirs to improve hood clearance - not just because I'm in Australia).
Last edited by Lokiel; 01-29-2018 at 09:05 PM.
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01-29-2018, 09:01 PM
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Can confirm. He didn't return our kit due to poor fitment. He ended up using a differnt style coil that has alternative mounting that neither SadFab or our bracket provides.
Glad you got it up and running!
Glad you got it up and running!
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01-30-2018, 07:29 AM
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As others, who have installed LS coils, have mentioned there was no noticeable change in performance. Maybe it idled a little smoother? I haven't had ignition issues except MAYBE last week when it was very cold for NE Florida and I detected a few misses while passing a string of cars in 3rd gear. I assumed it was due to colder air being denser and causing me to hit the boost limit (12.6) but it may have been spark blowout. Either way, new plugs are gapped at .035 instead of the .027 before. Has to mean better combustion, maybe cleaner tailpipe emissions? That makes my car almost a Prius!
Paul
Paul
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01-30-2018, 03:38 PM
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As others, who have installed LS coils, have mentioned there was no noticeable change in performance. Maybe it idled a little smoother? I haven't had ignition issues except MAYBE last week when it was very cold for NE Florida and I detected a few misses while passing a string of cars in 3rd gear. I assumed it was due to colder air being denser and causing me to hit the boost limit (12.6) but it may have been spark blowout. Either way, new plugs are gapped at .035 instead of the .027 before. Has to mean better combustion, maybe cleaner tailpipe emissions? That makes my car almost a Prius!
Swapping to LS coils and moving back to the ITV24 default gap of 0.032" immediately netted ~30whp as instrumented by two dozen Torque and EcuTeK data logs piped through vDyno. The only change for these runs was the coil swap and related dwell mapping change. Since then, I've been able to add in a touch more timing and a bit less fuel, and have netted probably another 5-10whp give or take.
Upgraded coils matter at high cylinder pressures, which equates to high cylinder air/fuel density. And it's a measurable change, once you've hit the wall on the stock ignition.
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01-30-2018, 03:53 PM
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In a sense, coils discharge at the energy level necessary to jump the gap; larger coils can thus handle larger gap and/or more resistance within the gap. As such, there is no specific performance change under circumstances where the factory setup was adequate. For my NC (and insofar as I'm aware, my NC is the very first one to ever get LS coils...) i was getting measurable power loss at ~15psi above 6000 RPM's. I have a paper dynojet printout where spark breakup was visible at 5k , with significant chop at the end of a 7500 RPM run-up. For manifold pressures above 18psi, my instrumented performance data showed power was flatlining, even though my EFR 6758 still had plenty of compressor map space left to give. At this point, I was already running a gap down to 0.018" and finally gave up trying to make it even smaller.
Swapping to LS coils and moving back to the ITV24 default gap of 0.032" immediately netted ~30whp as instrumented by two dozen Torque and EcuTeK data logs piped through vDyno. The only change for these runs was the coil swap and related dwell mapping change. Since then, I've been able to add in a touch more timing and a bit less fuel, and have netted probably another 5-10whp give or take.
Upgraded coils matter at high cylinder pressures, which equates to high cylinder air/fuel density. And it's a measurable change, once you've hit the wall on the stock ignition.
Swapping to LS coils and moving back to the ITV24 default gap of 0.032" immediately netted ~30whp as instrumented by two dozen Torque and EcuTeK data logs piped through vDyno. The only change for these runs was the coil swap and related dwell mapping change. Since then, I've been able to add in a touch more timing and a bit less fuel, and have netted probably another 5-10whp give or take.
Upgraded coils matter at high cylinder pressures, which equates to high cylinder air/fuel density. And it's a measurable change, once you've hit the wall on the stock ignition.
Paul
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01-30-2018, 09:44 PM
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BOOST CARS, ACQUIRE CATS. ALLOFIT, SON!I logged 22psi on the way to work yesterday. At some point, I'm gonna lift the head off the block of this NC engine hehehe... If E85 was available in this area, I'd shoot for 400 at the tires.
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01-31-2018, 07:31 AM
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My stock 10.8:1 compression on also-stock internals is waving "hi!" to your stock 10:1 compression on stock internals BOOST CARS, ACQUIRE CATS. ALLOFIT, SON!
I logged 22psi on the way to work yesterday. At some point, I'm gonna lift the head off the block of this NC engine hehehe... If E85 was available in this area, I'd shoot for 400 at the tires.
BOOST CARS, ACQUIRE CATS. ALLOFIT, SON!I logged 22psi on the way to work yesterday. At some point, I'm gonna lift the head off the block of this NC engine hehehe... If E85 was available in this area, I'd shoot for 400 at the tires.
Paul
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01-31-2018, 10:49 AM
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I was hoping my "ALLOFIT!!" statement would demonstrate my intentions of being snarky 
I know the older blocks aren't safe for a ton of boost at the lower end. The NC2's and later get the unfair advantage of better internals, and I'm only running those ridiculous boost numbers at the top end of the RPM band. I'm still not entirely sure 22psi is "safe" either, but I'm also willingly putting myself out there since apparently nobody else has. The 3rd gens really are the red-headed-bastard-stepchildren of the Miata world
Anyway, please don't take my comments as anything but banter.
I know the older blocks aren't safe for a ton of boost at the lower end. The NC2's and later get the unfair advantage of better internals, and I'm only running those ridiculous boost numbers at the top end of the RPM band. I'm still not entirely sure 22psi is "safe" either, but I'm also willingly putting myself out there since apparently nobody else has. The 3rd gens really are the red-headed-bastard-stepchildren of the Miata world
Anyway, please don't take my comments as anything but banter.
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01-31-2018, 03:44 PM
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I was hoping my "ALLOFIT!!" statement would demonstrate my intentions of being snarky
I know the older blocks aren't safe for a ton of boost at the lower end. The NC2's and later get the unfair advantage of better internals, and I'm only running those ridiculous boost numbers at the top end of the RPM band. I'm still not entirely sure 22psi is "safe" either, but I'm also willingly putting myself out there since apparently nobody else has. The 3rd gens really are the red-headed-bastard-stepchildren of the Miata world
Anyway, please don't take my comments as anything but banter.
I know the older blocks aren't safe for a ton of boost at the lower end. The NC2's and later get the unfair advantage of better internals, and I'm only running those ridiculous boost numbers at the top end of the RPM band. I'm still not entirely sure 22psi is "safe" either, but I'm also willingly putting myself out there since apparently nobody else has. The 3rd gens really are the red-headed-bastard-stepchildren of the Miata world
Anyway, please don't take my comments as anything but banter.
Paul
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