CMC legal coil question

[BADVENM]

Hey guys, I'm posting my question here cause it will get more views/opinions and solutions vs the national forum

Anyway, our CMC legal coil is in need of being replaced (Fox Mustang). We have a MSD Ignition Blaster TFI (part number 8227) that came with the car many years ago. We were told (I think) that it isnt a legal coil so we removed it.

We were looking at purchasing a Accel Supercoil Ignition Coil to match our soon to be purchased cap and rotor in preparation for west coast Nationals. Accel states "These are direct plug replacements for OEM coils."

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/a...=ignition+coil

Since they fall within exactly the same resistance test specs as the OEM coil, and only a "longevity" advantage due to the "premium materials" used in the construction. Accel claims there is a higher voltage spark that lends to quicker starts and better combustion spark at high RPM that leads to better performance, but I also ran across a voltage vs. current discussion that may indicate a higher voltage isn't really an advantage like a higher current or energy is, so a higher voltage may just be advertising hogwash to sell more product.

We'll likely be running ST4 at Nationals since there are no CMC cars currently signed up (except us) for CMC. I'm sure the coil doesnt matter in ST4 but I'd like whatever I get to be legal for CMC.

[michaelmosty]

Not CMC legal. It is a slippery slope of where do you draw the line from original to various aftermarket products that might give an advantage so in this case original replacement is what is needed.

[MHISSTC]

Please indulge me asking a few more questions because I want to understand the reasoning behind the illegal declaration and how we should move forward from here.

* What is the basis for the Accel coil being illegal when Accel states it is a "direct plug replacements for OEM coils"?
* What advantage "might" this coil give?
* Everywhere I checked the Accel coil is cheaper than the OEM Motorcraft DG470 unit with a Ford part number, although not quite as cheap as the various store brands like Valucraft, Duralast, MileagePlus, and MasterPro.
* Of the specs listed about the coil, the resistance falls well within the ranges specified in the service manuals.
* Other than looking for bright yellow Accel or bright red MSD, or looking for coils that obviously don't conform to the OEM form factor, how in the world are the tech folks going to go about testing/checking for illegal coils?
* How are we going to prove we HAVE an OEM replacement coil?
* Are we going to need to specify a "spec" coil within the rules that indicates a sticker with Ford part number F7PJ-12029-AA needs to be present with all other coils besides that one being considered illegal?

[michaelmosty]

Please indulge me asking a few more questions because I want to understand the reasoning behind the illegal declaration and how we should move forward from here.

* What is the basis for the Accel coil being illegal when Accel states it is a "direct plug replacements for OEM coils"?
* What advantage "might" this coil give?
* Everywhere I checked the Accel coil is cheaper than the OEM Motorcraft DG470 unit with a Ford part number, although not quite as cheap as the various store brands like Valucraft, Duralast, MileagePlus, and MasterPro.
* Of the specs listed about the coil, the resistance falls well within the ranges specified in the service manuals.
* Other than looking for bright yellow Accel or bright red MSD, or looking for coils that obviously don't conform to the OEM form factor, how in the world are the tech folks going to go about testing/checking for illegal coils?
* How are we going to prove we HAVE an OEM replacement coil?
* Are we going to need to specify a "spec" coil within the rules that indicates a sticker with Ford part number F7PJ-12029-AA needs to be present with all other coils besides that one being considered illegal?

-I haven't researched specs on stock ignition parts vs aftermarket parts so I can't talk about any advantages these parts "might" have. The rules reasoning is to not allow that slippery slope to be there for any perceived advantage and state the part must be of OE spec.
-There are tons of "direct plug replacement" parts and "direct bolt in" parts for the car that give far more performance than their OE part.
-It doesn't matter that the part is cheaper.
-Regarding tech, the obvious part is to look for the yellow or red coil / cap / etc. If there is any question on the legality of the part it will be further researched / discussed.
-Not sure what you mean by "Having" to prove an OEM replacement coil. Do you "have" to prove other parts on your car are legal?
-We are not going to specify a "spec" coil and you don't have to run a Ford part number coil. Currently the rule will stay as is but since we are getting near the silly season you are welcome to submit a RCR if you wish.
-Yes, if your current cap / rotor has brass inserts then they are illegal.

The intention of the rule is stock replacement parts. Your note about Accel: Accel claims there is a higher voltage spark that lends to quicker starts and better combustion spark at high RPM that leads to better performance, but I also ran across a voltage vs. current discussion that may indicate a higher voltage isn't really an advantage like a higher current or energy is, so a higher voltage may just be advertising hogwash to sell more product.
They specifically claim "better performance" so there is no way this will be allowed.

[Supercharged111]

In my experience factory ignition components tend to be better made and outlast aftermarket stuff. For that reason I bought all AC Delco and Delphi ignition parts for my Camaro. I've used aftermarket coils and ICMs in the past and the experience was so bad I won't go back. Accel doesn't make very good parts IMO. Why else do you think they're so cheap? What's wrong with the current coil?

[Fbody383]

Rule is outdated. Change the rule, run any coil you want and specify it on the dyno sheet.

It does matter that it's cheaper which is supposed to be a facet of this series.

Not sure why $2500 brakes are cool but a coil isn't.

It's time to have serious discussions overall about what this series is about.

[MHISSTC]

Additionally, Accel sells a couple different versions of their cap and rotor.
The first version is labeled as their "Heavy Duty" version that are gray in color with brass inserts.
The second version is labeled as their "High Performance" version that are tan in color also with brass inserts. This is the one we've had on the car for the better part of a decade.

So now I have more questions:
*Are the tan Accel cap and rotor we currently have installed also illegal because the are labeled as their "High Performance" versions?
*Are even the gray "Heavy Duty" labeled Accel cap and rotor also illegal because they also have brass inserts while other "OEM replacement" cap and rotors under the Duralast, Valuecraft, MasterPro, and even the Motorcraft versions do not have brass inserts?