crank triggers why arent they being run when they are superior

[58ragman]

This question surrounds crank triggers.Thanks in advance to all that can shed some light.

My question or questions are which is better crank trigger or 40 year old brand new distributor.

I believe the question is obvious.But being so obvious then why is it not so widely used.

I recently checked out the spec for vw drag racing and you guys can also check it out.The rules ALLOW crank triggers.

With that being said and everybody knows they are better.Why are they not being used so widely.

I have seen say 10 wicked turbo cars both street and full race and they all run the basic MSD 8485 distributor.

We all seen it grey top and red MSD wires.

But if we all know crank trigger is clearly better why is it not used.

Is there something to the equation that im missing.


reason I say is that i too am building a turbo and wanted to go megasquirt.But it sounds scary like there is a bunch of stuff needed to set timing on a basic say MICROSQUIRT.

If all the fuel injection people say it is easier to set up better than any distributor they are used widely on all current cars both foreign and domestic.

and we all know the million dollar question which is clearly better crank trigger or 40 year old brand new distributor.


so we all know the answers.

The why is a crank trigger set up that runs 300 dollars not being put in effect by vw drag racers across the usa and world wide.

MSD 8485 will set you back 300 plus wires plus coil plus shipping plus tax plus profit.

why is the choice the opposite.is it just monkey see monkey do

[modok]

Because it's easier.

[gprudenciop]

Also some people like the stock or stockish look. Simplicity of 3 wire hook up is still the king.
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[vwkirb]

Crank trigger is fun. But it's certainly not easier and a lot of people hate wiring. People are even scared of it.

Everytime I need to change my timing I need a laptop... But I don't really ever have to do that so...

I'm with ya!

It however does not look period correct, but I kind of like have a Ford coil in my engine bay. Henry Ford II is probably rolling in his grave, the sacrilege.

[oprn]

If you want to talk simple - why doesn't anyone run magnetos? They were all the rage in drag racing VWs in the '60s and '70s. Now none, nothing, nada.

[Casting Timmy]

I'll go crank trigger on mine with CB's set up as I also get a rev limiter as well.

All sites have their quirks, I think nothing but Dizzy's are a thing of this site. Tons of people are running electronic, the type 3 forum on here will be more positive about it than the performance section.

[vwracerdave]

If you are running carbs a crank fire is so grossly overkill. The accuracy of the two systems do not match. A carb is nothing more than a controlled fuel leak. Putting a crank fire ignition on an engine with carbs is like putting a lazar gun sight on a rubber band slingshot.

When drag racing and above 3000 you are at full advance all the time and the distributor does nothing more than a switch. There is no difference in my ET when I switched from a 009, 034, or 050. With an MSD system you also have RPM controls and rev limiters.
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2017 Street Comp Champion - Thunder Valley Raceway Park - Noble, OK
2010 Sportsman ET Champion - Mid-America Dragway - Arkansas City, KS
1997 Sportsman ET Champion - Thunder Valley Raceway Park - Noble ,OK

[Glenn]

When i want, crank trigger and EFI I drive my Subaru.

I like carbs and points. I drive a car designed in the 1930s and it has a "charm" that modern cars don't.
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

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[nbuscemi]

For what its worth:

Im using all stock ford ignition on my turbo build. Everything I've used so far comes off of a 1991-95 ford escort 1.9L

-Nick-
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[Krochus]

One damn good reason not to is because the aftermarket is stuck in 1994 land everything operates based on a serial port, computers made in the past ten years do not have a serial port and USB to serial adapters are rife with fail.

[Glenn]

[clonebug]

I use Windows 10 and Bluetooth for my computer hookup to MS-2.
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[GTV]

[FreeBug]

[vwkirb]

It's funny that people complain about the quality of distributors but also complain about crankfire (the systems are usually from the 90s tech...) not being period correct or being too accurate...

I mean come on now... Maybe the best system is the one that works. I like having megajolt but I also didn't mind having a svda.

If ignition systems should be judged based in their to function with various engine conditions... Obviously there would be a winner.

[Dale M.]

[DeathBySnuSnu]

I also choose the ford crank trigger ignition.
But then again my app aint normal either.

[Dale M.]

[ps2375]

[mcmscott]