Sooo, I'm glad this thread got bumped sort of, because I have a few questions.
On some of my older cars, we would INCREASE the gap to ensure more complete combustion in the chamber. I get that all the spark does is start the chain reaction of that sweet explosion that makes us go, but a stronger/larger initial spark creates a more molecularly thorough initial burst of the combustion process by igniting a slightly larger number of molecules at the cost of higher electrical drain to close the gap. At least, that's how I've always known that to be as I've gapped plugs larger in both my older Grand Prixs, one of which was supercharged with a roots blower, to accommodate increased power (along with a drop in heat range or two) along with upgraded coils/wires/sometimes even a beefed up alternator+rewire due to said electrical draw. Perhaps this has to do with the engine configuration being different than the old-fashioned pushrods...?
That leads me to my overall question. I get that increasing boost increases the pressure in the chamber which effectively increases the necessary voltage to jump the gap. It makes a lot of sense that the factory coils may not possess the necessary electronics to pump up the voltage and compensate, thus we are decreasing the gap to ensure the coils can produce enough voltage to jump the gap. However, outside of these scenarios, wouldn't decreasing the gap effectively decrease combustion efficiency? Or more directly, decrease fuel mileage? This consequently means more blow-by waste, and would increase the need for a catch can, no...?
Sure, I get it: who cares about wasting gas at the cost of a blown coil. But, I'd like to strike a balance: I daily drive my Stinger. I want to get the best fuel mileage I can. A future tune will obviously (probably) more than wipe out this imbalance in favor of gaining fuel mileage, but I'd actually like to ponder whether upgraded coils could be a better overall solution...? I want to have my cake and eat it, too?
Thoughts?
