When it comes to basic bolt-on performance, there are a couple of ways to go: Start small and modify as your budget allows or remove and replace parts as necessary with better aftermarket goodies.

Bolt-on performance parts are typically how enthusiasts, especially younger ones, cut their teeth in the hobby. A computer tune or throttle body here, a cold-air kit or headers there — the results may not always be huge, but you can feel them in the seat of your pants.

Whether you are swapping out a dead coil for a repair or looking for maximum performance, aftermarket coils are typically better than stock.

On older cars from the ’50s and ’60s, the gains were often dramatic because the engines, especially their intake and exhaust systems, were not maximized for efficiency like they are on modern cars. Adding headers and dual exhausts where log manifolds and a single restrictive muffler once lived could produce dramatic gains.

Cars with lots of power, like big-block Fords and Chevys, Hemis, etc., were often choked down by factory exhaust systems, which had to pass restrictive noise standards. That is not always the case in the 21st century.

I’ve seen before and after dyno tests on modern muscle cars where muffler swaps resulted in modest or no gains.

This is not an indictment of today’s aftermarket exhausts; it just that today’s factory systems are simply that much better than those that came on cars in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s.

Performance Distributors’ Sultans of Spark (SOS) coils deliver 7,000 more volts per cylinder over stock LS coils.

Maximized Muscle

Today’s muscle machines are packing better technology and parts. They must be to get the best possible fuel economy and low emissions. My 2022 Mustang GT 5.0 makes 450 horsepower, exactly double that of a ’92 5.0 LX or GT Mustang.  Still, there are places to find real gains on a modern vehicle without breaking the bank.

As the old saying goes, if you can’t get 50 horsepower from one modification, find five places where you can find 10.

One of those areas is your ignition system. Aftermarket coils, like the Sultans of Spark from Performance Distributors in Memphis, Tennessee, allow you to maximize combustion and pick up real horsepower.

Performance Distributors has been in business since the ’70s and is now owned by Steve Davis, son of the founder, Kelly Davis. Kelly was a drag racer and hot rod enthusiasts, not to mention a distributor guru. As Steve notes, his father mastered the science and art of setting advance curves. He also designed the industry’s first H.E.I. performance distributor.

To this day, every Davis Unified Ignition distributor is hand-built, calibrated on a distributor machine, and test-fired before shipping. The company sells these distributors for virtually every make and model V8 out there.

This same care extends to its Sultans Of Spark coils, which are designed in their Memphis facility, and available for numerous applications, both domestic and foreign.

Late-model vehicles typically use individual coils for each cylinder instead of one ignition coil on an old V8. The stock LS coils make 21,000 volts per coil, and that is constant whether you’re running a 5.3, 6.0, or 6.2, etc., says Steve Davis. The Sultans of Spark far exceed that.

“Our LS SOS coils produce 28,000 volts under load — that is, under hard acceleration,” Steve said. “That’s 7,000 more volts under load per individual coil per cylinder, so in total that’s 56,000 more volts under load per LS engine.”

In a supercharged or turbo application, Davis has seen gains of as much as 26.4 horsepower with just the installation of the coils.

In a naturally aspirated engine, you’ll pick up far less, perhaps two to three — that is until you open the gap on the plugs. To extract the SOS coils’ maximum potential, you must open the gap to .065 inch. In testing, coils with the open gap typically results in 10 to15 extra rear-wheel horsepower in total.

“If you have a strong enough ignition to jump a wider gap, doing so will burn a higher percentage of your fuel mixture compared to a stock ignition, hence more power and efficiency, according to Davis. “Like I used to say years ago when I was on our phone sales: It’s like placing a larger stick of dynamite in a room compared to a smaller one.”

The best results in boosted applications come without opening the gap.

Davis adds that if you have a non-stock tune, say from a programmer or flash device, you’ll need the additional spark at the plugs to take advantage of the new fuel mixture and timing curve.

“As I like to say, the LS SOS coils complete the tune,” says Davis.

Wired

To round out the package, Performance Distributors also sells low-resistance spark plug wires. Its LiveWires are built with a high-temperature sleeve that protects the plug wire from the extreme underhood temperatures newer vehicles are known for.

The sleeving is made from a non-flammable, heat-treated glass braid, much like what is used in today’s ovens.

“This unique sleeving provides heat protection up to 1,400 degrees [Fahrenheit] and offers excellent resistance to moisture and chemicals,” according to Davis. “Inside the high-temperature sleeve is a 9mm spiral core wire with a durable and lasting silicone jacket.’

This offers an extremely low resistance value of 300-350 Ohms-per-foot for optimum spark travel. Another benefit of spiral core wire is that there is no electronic interference, so they work great with computers and electronics.

All in all, SOS coil and LiveWires are a relatively inexpensive upgrade, whether you need replacement parts or are just looking to add some easy horsepower.