Between Pertronix Ignitor and a magneto, which ignition system provides hottest spark and which is best for street use.
Pertronix is the answer for street . Mag the faster you spin the greater the spark . I ran one for years on the street looks neat as hell , most have limited advance or none at all . Pertronix is by far the most tunable for all street driving RPM ranges
Not a fair question at all. Apples to oranges! Street = pertronixs 1000 hp sprint car at 9000 rpm throwing dirt = magneto...
Pertronix ignitor ii 6 volt coil and spiral wound plug wires. That will give you enough fire to burn a wet dog.
Which is hottest, and which is best for street use, are probably two different questions, with different answers.
DUI (Davis Unified Ignition) with VIP box will blow away a Pertronix which I use in my street car. A DUI in the race car.
Do you suspect that you are getting an incomplete burn, due to weak spark? I often wonder what the fascination with impossibly powerful ignitions is. Properly ignited fuel at 45KV, or 60KV, or 80KV, or whatever, is properly ignited. There is a point where the returns begin to diminish. For my money, the most reliable, repeatable spark, on the proper curve, with the minimum maintenance required is what I look for.
I agree. High voltage isn't really needed, 20kV or so should be more than able to produce a good spark at any normal spark plug with normal gap, normal compression and normal rpm. The voltage never gets higher than what's needed to create a spark at the plug gap, so even if the coil in theory could produce 80kV it never will - unless you pull the wire out of the coil, so the spark has to jump ~3" from the wire connection on the coil to ground (and that is the approximate length a 80kV spark can jump in free air, as far as I remember without looking through the books). All you need is a spark strong enough to ignite a easily ignited mix of gasolene and air. High rpm and high compression increases the need for spark voltage and energy, but not to ridiculus levels. On a V8 engine you'll probably have bigger issues with time, the ignition coil needs some time to "recharge" for each spark, and high rpm along with many cylinders means there might not be enough time to do that. If I recall correctly, CDI type ignitions can handle the biggest number of sparks per minute, so that might be the way to go - focus on chosing an ignition system that solves the problem you have, not just something that produces high voltages you don't need or has other fancy functions you don't need on that engine.
There is a lot more to consider in the discussion between a Pertronix converted stock distributor (if that is what you're talking about) - versus a 'magneto'. Also - there is a whole discussion on voltage versus amperage and amount of fuel you're trying to burn, plug gaps, compression, fuel type, etc.. There are many different types/brands of mags - each has it's own characteristics, advance mechanisms (or not), voltage/amperage outputs, reliability, parts availability, etc.. The same holds true with other ignition vendors -- MSD (various products and applications), Pertronix, Mallory, etc.. Also, we know nothing about your engine, application, performance mods, budget, etc . . . hard to comment on what you've supplied us.
Gimpy makes a superb point: timing curve! It takes a good technician on a chassis dyno to properly dial in the ideal advance curve for your application. High secondary voltage will not correct an inappropriate timing curve.
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