TR2/3/3A Coil Question

[RedTR3]

I was wondering if for a "street" TR3 with points ignition, is there any advantage to a High voltage coil (like Flamethrower) or is a stock coil OK?

 

[poolboy]

Unless you want to open the spark plug gap, there's no use in swapping.
Although a Sport coil has the potential for producing more voltage than a standard coil, it won't unless it needs to because of a larger spark plug gap that it needs to arc... all other influences being equal.

 

[Don Elliott]

I've heard a lot of bad stories about the newer "improved" coils. My 1958 TR3A with 194,000 miles since I bought it brand new still has the original coil. A few years ago, I was in London and went to the car museum in Enfield just south of the M25 and they had a garage full of "auto jumble" type items. For £5.00 cash, I bought a used coil exactly like mine - just to have it as a spare. When I got back to Montreal, I swapped it with my original one and it tested OK. I put back the original coil and now I carry this "old" coil as my reliable spare.

 

[TR3driver]

Stock coil should be fine, as long as it is good. I run a Pertronix Flamethower coil only because I was hoping it was a higher quality replacement than new "Lucas" coils. The "Lucas Sports" coil I picked up at VTR 2009 only lasted about a year before leaving me walking on the side of the road. So far, the Pertronix coil has proven to be at least 300% better than the new Lucas (since it is still working 3 years later).

 

[Geo Hahn]

On my 'other' car the Lucas sport coil is 45 years old and works fine. I just this week picked up a 50 year-old spare Lucas Sport on ebay, seems good too.

Must be a case where the old stuff is better than the new equivalent -- bonus is that those old coils have that great rusty red top with the art deco design that reminds me of Buck Rogers' ray gun.

 

[TR3driver]

Must be a case where the old stuff is better than the new equivalent

I believe so. The coil that failed at VTR was apparently the original 1956 Lucas coil. And it didn't even fail hard, I could still drive the car (although it was hard to start and ran lousy). Probably an inter-winding short.

PS, You're up early. Can't sleep either, huh?