Horsepower Myths

Here are two common myths about how to increase the horsepower on any tractor:

Myth #1: A hotter coil will increase your horsepower.

Some people think that a more powerful coil (sometimes sold as a “Flame Thrower” coil) will increase their horsepower with a hotter spark. This isn’t the case. Let me explain, starting with the basics:

Engines are, at their most basic, controlled explosion machines. Fuel fills the combustion chamber and is ignited by the spark. The force of this explosion moves the pistons, the pistons move the crankshaft, and so on.

More fuel will make a difference in the amount of output, since more fuel means a bigger (more powerful) explosion. A bigger or more powerful spark, however, won’t make the explosion bigger or more powerful.

A standard tractor coil spits off around 20,000 volts. This is more than enough spark to fire your cylinders (probably around 2 times more than you need). Excess voltage just turns to heat.

I suppose that if your tractor’s inner workings had eroded to the point where the gap was larger, it would indeed take more voltage to jump the gap and make spark. This is why standard coils are already over-engineered with excess voltage, giving around 2x as much as you need. If 2x the voltage doesn’t have you firing on all cylinders, you’ve got a problem… and a hotter coil isn’t a good solution. Try a tune-up instead!

Myth #2: An electronic ignition will increase your horsepower.

There are advantages to an electronic ignition, but increased horsepower isn’t one of them.

It’s the same basic concept – spark is spark, and more of it won’t change the fuel explosion equation.