Ignition Leads
Discussion
I'm looking to replace my ignition leads with angled items. Has anyone used Mr Retro leads?
I would prefer blue leads, and the often recommended Craddocks leads only seem to come in red or grey.
I've seen MrRetro leads recommended, so I'm considering these.
https://mrretroleads.co.uk/product/light-blue-8mm-...
But then I saw he sells a specific TVR set, but it's twice the price.
https://mrretroleads.co.uk/product/blue-8mm-perfor...
Anyone any idea of the difference? Are the leads different lengths? Often I see Range Rover leads recommended so presumably they fit ok?
I asked on FB and had a few people singing the praises of magnecor, but I've read mixed reviews on magnecor recently. Mainly from a "not worth the money" angle, rather than any issues. Am I right in thinking a lot of the claims of more BHP etc are spurious and expensive HT leads are snake oil... As long as they're well built and thick enough etc, there is no real measurable difference?
I would prefer blue leads, and the often recommended Craddocks leads only seem to come in red or grey.
I've seen MrRetro leads recommended, so I'm considering these.
https://mrretroleads.co.uk/product/light-blue-8mm-...
But then I saw he sells a specific TVR set, but it's twice the price.
https://mrretroleads.co.uk/product/blue-8mm-perfor...
Anyone any idea of the difference? Are the leads different lengths? Often I see Range Rover leads recommended so presumably they fit ok?
I asked on FB and had a few people singing the praises of magnecor, but I've read mixed reviews on magnecor recently. Mainly from a "not worth the money" angle, rather than any issues. Am I right in thinking a lot of the claims of more BHP etc are spurious and expensive HT leads are snake oil... As long as they're well built and thick enough etc, there is no real measurable difference?
I've bought from them on Ebay, part of my order didn't arrive and the leads didn't last long. I now just buy the cheaper ones for a fraction of the price from a landrover dealer. I can't find the email for the last set but I think they're the lucas ones with a cranked connector at the plug end. About £20 a set.
indigochim said:
I've bought from them on Ebay, part of my order didn't arrive and the leads didn't last long. I now just buy the cheaper ones for a fraction of the price from a landrover dealer. I can't find the email for the last set but I think they're the lucas ones with a cranked connector at the plug end. About £20 a set.
They're probably the Craddock ones I was referring to.Huntsman said:
For RV8's I've found the Powerspark stuff really decent.
Thanks. I'll look into them.Highly recommend the Chimaera specific leads from
Mr Retro Leads. Very good quality product, bespoke lengths, angled boots to keep leads away from manifolds and mix of straight and 90degree distributor connectors. The last point is important, as it makes it much easier to align and connect the leads to the distributor cap. In addition to the leads, I purchased (and would recommend) a set of the blocks that help to tidy and route the leads. Appreciate the leads are twice the price, but for me, money well invested.
Just to add that Anthony (Mr Retro Leads), was very easy to deal with, responded quickly to queries, is honest (advised that I didn’t need two sets of blocks), and made / posted the leads quickly. Received them about a week after ordering. So yep, highly recommend!
Mr Retro Leads. Very good quality product, bespoke lengths, angled boots to keep leads away from manifolds and mix of straight and 90degree distributor connectors. The last point is important, as it makes it much easier to align and connect the leads to the distributor cap. In addition to the leads, I purchased (and would recommend) a set of the blocks that help to tidy and route the leads. Appreciate the leads are twice the price, but for me, money well invested.
Just to add that Anthony (Mr Retro Leads), was very easy to deal with, responded quickly to queries, is honest (advised that I didn’t need two sets of blocks), and made / posted the leads quickly. Received them about a week after ordering. So yep, highly recommend!
I would guess the coil king lead is different on the cheaper set you linked to, seems a big hike in price though.
Id personally stay clear of Magnecor and Powerspark.
There are lots of happy customers for Mr Retro though and also the cheaper Craddock leads but someone commented they are just Powerspark?
I dont think £60 is bad for a quality set of leads if they last well, the burning up is the biggest problem.
The Accel ceramics were popular but they are silly money, some said they can stick on to the plugs and be a pig to remove though, if you break one you will need to buy a whole set.
Id be inclined to buy all the stuff from Mr Retro and make my own ordering extra cable and ends to keep as spares in the event of a problem.
Id personally stay clear of Magnecor and Powerspark.
There are lots of happy customers for Mr Retro though and also the cheaper Craddock leads but someone commented they are just Powerspark?
I dont think £60 is bad for a quality set of leads if they last well, the burning up is the biggest problem.
The Accel ceramics were popular but they are silly money, some said they can stick on to the plugs and be a pig to remove though, if you break one you will need to buy a whole set.
Id be inclined to buy all the stuff from Mr Retro and make my own ordering extra cable and ends to keep as spares in the event of a problem.
McAuslane450 said:
Highly recommend the Chimaera specific leads from
Mr Retro Leads. Very good quality product, bespoke lengths, angled boots to keep leads away from manifolds and mix of straight and 90degree distributor connectors. The last point is important, as it makes it much easier to align and connect the leads to the distributor cap. In addition to the leads, I purchased (and would recommend) a set of the blocks that help to tidy and route the leads. Appreciate the leads are twice the price, but for me, money well invested.
Just to add that Anthony (Mr Retro Leads), was very easy to deal with, responded quickly to queries, is honest (advised that I didn’t need two sets of blocks), and made / posted the leads quickly. Received them about a week after ordering. So yep, highly recommend!
Are these tgd blocks you used?Mr Retro Leads. Very good quality product, bespoke lengths, angled boots to keep leads away from manifolds and mix of straight and 90degree distributor connectors. The last point is important, as it makes it much easier to align and connect the leads to the distributor cap. In addition to the leads, I purchased (and would recommend) a set of the blocks that help to tidy and route the leads. Appreciate the leads are twice the price, but for me, money well invested.
Just to add that Anthony (Mr Retro Leads), was very easy to deal with, responded quickly to queries, is honest (advised that I didn’t need two sets of blocks), and made / posted the leads quickly. Received them about a week after ordering. So yep, highly recommend!
https://mrretroleads.co.uk/product/blue-8-5mm-spar...
Just 1 set required?
Did you also fasten the leads to the clip things which fasten to the rocker covers?
I found just a cheap set of plastic separators which are very light work best.
I then used tiny cable ties around the separators to tie them upto the various cables in the engine bay to keep the leads suspended which is the best solution to stop the caps from turning.
Often the issues arise when vibration turns the plug caps and they inevitably lean on the manifolds which destroys the caps in seconds so I find a combination of keeping the leads suspended and tied up and socks the best solution.
The socks bleach a bit and on one occasion I found one leaning on the manifold but it didn’t melt and caused no ill effects to the actual cap.
This imo is the most cost effective way to look after the leads which should then last years.
In truth it’s the use of cable ties which has been the most important element.
I then used tiny cable ties around the separators to tie them upto the various cables in the engine bay to keep the leads suspended which is the best solution to stop the caps from turning.
Often the issues arise when vibration turns the plug caps and they inevitably lean on the manifolds which destroys the caps in seconds so I find a combination of keeping the leads suspended and tied up and socks the best solution.
The socks bleach a bit and on one occasion I found one leaning on the manifold but it didn’t melt and caused no ill effects to the actual cap.
This imo is the most cost effective way to look after the leads which should then last years.
In truth it’s the use of cable ties which has been the most important element.
Seconding for Mr Retro - I have a blue set in my Blue Chim. Very happy with them.
I also asked Anthony about spark plugs, and he said to buy the non-resistive plugs, as the leads provide the right amount of resistance - so I installed NGK BP6ES, not the BPR6ES. Car runs well.
I added a set of heat sleeves to the angled boot ends as a matter of course, favourite the Design Engineering 010542 Protect-A-Boots for a higher quality version. Though to be fair, I don't have a comparable experience with the cheaper ones you can get from ebay for around £10-15.
I also asked Anthony about spark plugs, and he said to buy the non-resistive plugs, as the leads provide the right amount of resistance - so I installed NGK BP6ES, not the BPR6ES. Car runs well.
I added a set of heat sleeves to the angled boot ends as a matter of course, favourite the Design Engineering 010542 Protect-A-Boots for a higher quality version. Though to be fair, I don't have a comparable experience with the cheaper ones you can get from ebay for around £10-15.
jellybeard999 said:
I asked on FB and had a few people singing the praises of magnecor, but I've read mixed reviews on magnecor recently. Mainly from a "not worth the money" angle, rather than any issues. Am I right in thinking a lot of the claims of more BHP etc are spurious and expensive HT leads are snake oil... As long as they're well built and thick enough etc, there is no real measurable difference?
The Magnecore use a spiral core that uses a magnetic field to suppress the HT spike , so more spark energy reaches the plug tip, but on the down side it also increases the ringing voltage that you see in the coil primary. This can lead to a glitchy rev counter as more than one ringing spike is counted by the rev counter electronics. In terms of actual voltages, a plug fires at between 5 and 15kv and the HT voltage wont go above that as the spark effectively shorts out the coil secondary as it arcs, so all that BS about 85kv leads or whatever, it is simply not needed. In terms of spark energy, as long as you can ignite the mixture reliably you don't need any more, as it simply erodes the plug tip faster, and certainly DOES NOT produce more power. The biggest issue with the RV8 set up is it has to fire 4 sparks per revolution, that gives the coil a hard time at higher RPM due to a short dwell, but the stock system will still produce a reliable spark to over 6000 RPM as it uses a low resistance, high current coil to compensate for the short dwell. Magnecore leads simply will NOT make any difference to a stock motor. Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff