re: Performance Ingition systems

[Dana Loomis <dloomis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

George Loeb asked:
>Is anyone on the digest familiar with RML's Performance Ignition
>systems, particularly with the 4101R version?  What are the pros and
>cons of these aftermarket system?

The pros of converting to an electronic ignition system are greatly reduced
maintenance and better starting behavior.  This is an area where technology
really has improved since the 1970s, and it makes sense to take advantage
of it.  The con, however, is that if the unit fails you probably won't be
able to fix it.  This could be a real drag if you happened to be in the
middle of a Georgia pine woods on a rainy Saturday night.  Unlike a set of
points, you probably wouldn't want to buy two just to have a spare on hand.
 However, you'd probably be no worse off than the owner with electronic
ignition in, say, a Milano.

The RML system is nice because it includes a distributor.  It doesn't make
a whole lot of sense to upgrad the triggering mechanism from points to
electronics if you're still using a worn-out, 25-year old distributor.  The
distributor is supposed to be curved for Alfas, and the advance appears to
be pretty aggressive.  Unfortunately, the graph in RML's literature shows
the advance curve with somewhat different axes than others (e.g., Shankle)
typically use, so it's hard to tell exactly how it compares to stock.  

Dana Loomis

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