Can a good ignition system give better Performance?

Your ignition is set up in such a way as to make use of every bit of fuel/air mixture that enters the cylinders. It is designed to basically extract as much power from the burning fuel as it can, and so one of the first things you might notice if you have an issue with some part of your ignition system, is a drop in power.

You might find that the car has difficulty starting, or maintaining a smooth idle, or will be sluggish to accelerate and struggle with hills etc. Weak spark is probably the most common cause of this, and so using decent spark plugs, that are designed to hold up better in the extreme operating temperatures of the inside of your combustion chambers, is a great way to ensure that your ignition system maximises power. If your car has a distributor, then ensuring that your contacts are clean and free from corrosion, and that the distributor unit itself is sealed up nicely will help to avoid any loss of performance.

For electronically controlled ignition systems, you will find that the coils don’t really need replacement or maintenance, since these days they are constructed from pretty high-tech stuff. Older models that use the earlier versions of these systems may wind up with cracks developing in the coil packs, due to heat and vibration so it is a good thing to check if your car is down on power. With diesel cars, a performance hit due to glow plug system issues is most commonly felt during and shortly after startup or when driving in cold temperatures. If you live somewhere particularly hot, you might never even notice that there is an issue since the glow plugs won’t often be really needed.

Another thing to be aware of is the ignition timing - this must be carefully set to the specifications provided by your car’s manufacturer. A healthy ignition system will go a long way to ensuring that your car runs at peak performance.

Does ignition systems effect fuel efficiency?

If any part of your ignition system is faulty or worn, then one of the main places that it will impact you is in your wallet. Fouled, burnt or otherwise worn spark plugs may result in a weak spark that will in turn lead to fuel not being properly burnt. This will mean that in order to make the same power, you must use much more fuel, and therefore the costs of it will start to add up.
As with spark plugs, any other component of your ignition that has failed or is worn will contribute to a reduction in the amount of fuel being burnt correctly and so will also mean that you need to use more of the stuff.

A healthy ignition system will mean that you are only using the fuel that your motor actually needs, and getting the right amount of power out of it - this will reduce the amount of fuel that gets wasted, and will save you dollars at the pump.

How does igntion effect emissions?

Exhaust gases are already unpleasant, without the added bonus of unburnt fuel in the mix. If your ignition system is operating in tip-top shape, then this will have the effect of ensuring that the gases released in the exhaust cycle of your engine don’t contain any unburnt petrol or diesel, and so won’t be anywhere near as bad for the environment. Unburnt petrol and diesel is heavier than the rest of the gases emitted by your exhaust and so will work their way into drains, as well as leaving a toxic coating of fine particles in your wake.

Therefore, a healthy ignition system will mean that you are not only getting the most out of your car, and saving money while you do it, but you are also reducing the negative impact that doing so has on the environment!