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| With start retard, 2 levels of RPM limiting, and a whole lot more, the Digital 6 Plus is a lot of ignition for the money. Think it's too much for an off-road truck? Just wait till you experience the performance! |
Spend some time around the pits of a desert race, circle track, drag strip, or just about anywhere vehicles compete. You might not see them, but trust me, they'll be there. MSD Ignition products from Autotronic Controls Corporation have long been a favorite of the performance crowd, and for good reason. They've built a reputation for quality, reliability, and of course, winning - big.
With an extensive product line, MSD covers the gamut from simple ignition upgrades, wires and accessories, all the way up to mega-volt magnetos capable of igniting the most exotic fuels. A quick tour through their complete online catalog will likely keep you drooling for days at all the high tech wizardry, but when the time comes to find what you "need" rather than "what you're dreaming about", you'll not likely be disappointed.
For the off-roader, the choice in MSD hardware has long been the MSD-6 series (including the purpose built "Off-Road" ignition.) Available with a wealth of add on options, the "6" series is perhaps the most versatile ignition on the market today. But that didn't stop the engineers at Autotronic from taking the whole basis of the "6" series one-step further. Introducing the "Digital 6 Plus"
Fast Facts and Sweet Specs
- Operating Voltage: 12-18 volts, neg. ground (Full voltage output down 7 volts supply)
- Current Draw: 0.7 amp per 1,000 rpm (7.2 amp) with 14V bat.@ 10,000 rpm
- RPM Range: 12,500 rpm with 14.4 volt supply
- Spark Duration: 20? crankshaft rotation through 3,300 rpm
- Spark Energy: 135 millijoules per spark
- Weight and Size: 3.7 lbs, 8.5"L x 4.5"W x 2.2"H
- Voltage Output Max: Primary: 535 Volts delivered to coil
- Secondary: 45,000 Volts (MSD HVC Coil)
- Two adjustable rev limits (adjustable in 100 RPM increments
- Single stage retard for nitrous / top end performance
- Start retard eases pressure on the starter, flywheel and engine
- Adjustable magnetic pickup compensation
- LED display warns of trigger signal problems or faulty charging system
- Fully potted with polyurethane for vibration and water protection
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| The Blaster SS coil is perfect for street, performance, or off-road firepower. Once you step up to the HVC or Pro Power Series, you aren't going to see much of an improvment. In fact, you may see a decrease in reliability! Leave these heavyweights for the race crowd. |
But can the average off-roader actually "use" the performance that the Digital-6 Plus Ignition can provide? Well, lets consider the environment we operate in:
Multiple sparks at low to mid RPM provide increased efficiency, and more complete combustion of the fuel mixture. In other words, better
Rockcrawlers and other low rpm types of wheeling will benefit from features like the "Start Retard" when using the starter to "power" the vehicle over obstacles.
Rev limiter will eliminate prevent over-rev in mud/snow or in the event of driveline breakage
Functionality down to 7 volts provides spark during high electrical load situations (winching etc.)
Multi-Spark and Multi App? Bonus!
One of the beauties of the MSD product line is its versatility and the MSD Digital 6 Plus is no exception. Whether you use it as the centerpiece of an all-new ignition, or as an upgrade to a factory system, the "D6+" will cover the vast majority of vehicles on or off the road today. Adjustable from 4 to 6 to 8 cylinder operation via a rotary dial mounted on its face, the D6+ can be bolted in to trucks ranging from big block Chevys to Suzukis, and about everything with a distributor in between. For newer trucks equipped with the "Distributorless Ignition System", MSD offers a separate system to address those needs.
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| Coming soon, we'll add an MSD Pro Billet distributor and begin dialing in the ignition curve. MSD products are nothing if not versatile, and their performance speaks for itself. |
For the currently mild nature Flashback F-150's 400 cubic inch engine, MSD recommended we go with the "Blaster SS" coil rather than the usual "HVC" coil which is more suited to high RPM / Race applications. With 48,000 volts of power on tap, this "E-Core" design is well protected against the evils of both vibration and water - two conditions common to the off-roading environment. Compact and well laid out, the Blaster SS provides a tall coil tower, and compact design making it easy to mount in even the most cramped under-hood quarters.
Installation
Installing the Digital 6 Plus from MSD varies by the type of vehicle involved, and whether or not you intend to wire it directly into an existing harness, or intend to "start from scratch." In either event, MSD provides an incredibly thorough installation guide that can make even the most clumsy "electrician" look like a pro.
Regardless of which way you choose, take the time to ensure proper connections for the wiring. Since off-road vehicles see the entire spectrum of weather, terrain, and associated conditions, this isn't the place to skimp on quality for the sake of a quick install. Trailside on a cold, rainy night isn't the place you want to troubleshoot a faulty electrical connection. Been there, done that, got the flu too.
If you're handy with a soldering iron, you'll be good to go, otherwise you may want to consider the GM style "WeatherPak" connectors available from MSD or others
"Oh My God!"
It's not often you heat those words coming from the mouths of experienced mechanics, unless it relates to something very ugly that happened to what they're about to work on. It's usually followed by the sound of a rapidly lightening wallet - I.E., yours. Fortunately this time things were different. The declaration of surprise came when the 400 was being cranked over for the first time with the D6+ on-line, and the spark testing tool showed not a mere spark, but a virtual bolt of lightning. Unlike the stock (read that "adequate") spark, the D6+/Blaster combo bolted out a monstrous white flash of energy across an 1/8 in. gap!
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| With a small footprint, the Digital 6 Plus can be mounted just about anywhere under the hood. For ease of adjustment, you might even consider mounting the unit in the drivers compartment. The sky's the limit, and the choice is yours. |
After a fair amount of tuning and coupled with the new Holley 670 Street Avenger Vac Secondary 4bbl. carb, the MSD box took us up into the 16+ MPG range on the highway, which was something we never expected to happen. Now granted, this was with "Very" lean jetting. In fact, the #60 jets we used on the primary side should be kicked up to at least #64's or even a little higher.
When you consider the "emissions" cam complete with 4 deg. of retard, it's not much of a stretch to imagine an additional couple MPG hiding out in the 400 somewhere. Add in a set of roller rockers and.well we may just have to find out!
From a performance standpoint, we noticed a definite increase in performance across the board, but mostly in the upper RPM reaches. Down low though, the MSD / Blaster combo is no slouch. The truck fires instantly, and there's no bogging or hesitation when lugging the engine.
As an extreme example, we used our manual valve body equipped C6 to purposely lug the engine uphill, in 3rd (drive) at under 15 mph. At this rate, the engine was fighting the converter to make torque and you could feel the resistance. Even in this highly stressed state, the engine never loaded up, and rpm immediately jumped when we shifted down into first.
Conclusion:
Happy? Yup, that's us. Though the MSD Digital 6 + may be overkill for the needs of many off-roaders, it's special features and unquestionable performance put it pretty high up on our list of pieces to consider the next time we're in the market for a performance ignition. Coming soon, we'll be teaming the D6+ with MSD's own Pro Billet distributor and dialing in it's ignition curve to extract even more performance from our 400 inch mill. Come to think of it, there's some pretty sick plug wires those Texans make as well?.hmmmmm??.
visit their extensive website @:
www.msdignition.com
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