How to Choose the Best Ignition Coil for Your Car

Without an ignition coil, the spark-ignition (petrol) engine would be unviable. They provide the high-voltage necessary to create the spark that ignites the petrol and air mixture, using the car battery and re-charging system. While older vehicles tended to have a single coil, most designs today have one for each spark plug.

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Is it okay to use aftermarket ignition coils?

Should your engine suffer from a faulty ignition coil or have car misfire symptoms, you do not have to buy a replacement part from a main dealer. A well-known, branded aftermarket component, sourced from a reputable supplier, will offer a high-quality solution, often at a reduced cost.

How long do aftermarket ignition coils last?

A good quality, branded aftermarket ignition coil should last at least as long as the genuine part that was fitted to the vehicle at the factory with the original ignition system maintenance.

Yet, low-quality replacement coils are entering the market, especially online. While substandard or faulty ignition coils cause misfiring and difficult starting, using them can increase fuel consumption and even cause damage.

What is the best brand of ignition coil?

The worst ignition coil engines tend to be those that are either counterfeit, or whose origins are unknown. Therefore, avoid parts supplied in unbranded white boxes, supplied through an unknown seller on a generic online marketplace. Best ignition coils for cars are obtained directly from reputable dealers.

Why do ignition coils fail?

A popular cause of ignition coil failure is high electrical resistance.

Not replacing spark plugs on time, ignoring oil/water ingress around the ignition system components and not renewing other worn ignition system parts (such as leads and distributor caps/rotor arms on older cars) increases the voltage demand on the coil. Should a misfire occur, the pent-up energy within the coil is released as heat, reducing its lifespan. Naturally, this situation courts premature ignition coil failure.

Why are ignition coils so expensive?

These are precision components. As a typical spark plug is fired eight times a second, ignition coil packs have to be well made.

Being tempted by a low-quality part is a false economy. As coils are controlled by the engine management computer (ECU), they send low voltage references back after the spark plug has been ‘fired.’ Unfortunately, on poor-quality parts, these voltages can be excessively high, which can damage the ECU’s ignition drivers and, therefore, destroy the engine management computer.

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Short answer is, yes there are. The long answer is a bit more complicated. Not only do coils differ between brands and models (we’ll cover that in a bit) but you can also have vape kits with multiple coils. Most of your standard vapes are just single coil, but you can also get dual-coil, quad-coil etc. However - the more coils you have, the more battery power you need to keep them going. This is more of a “thing” for Sub-Ohm vapers who are into coil building though, so generally speaking, the process of changing a coil is pretty straight forward and you’ll only need one.

There are also different kinds of material used - not all brands will have both but there are two main types - mesh coils and spiral coils. The main difference between the two is longevity - the spiral wire coils heat unevenly and will burn out faster on more powerful sub-ohm devices. They, work best at low temoperatures where you'll find them in high resistance mouth to lung vapes like prefilled vape kits. A mesh coil uses a greater surface area to heat your e-liquid faster and evenly, this not only allows for operation at higher temperature, but also produces a much richer flavour.

We’ll need a little bit of physics to explain this one - in simple terms, it’s the unit of measurement of resistance. The greater the resistance (or number on your coil) the less charge that can pass through. The equation used to explain it is: I = V / R

Where ‘I’ represents current, ‘V’ is voltage and ‘R’ is resistance, you can see when the voltage is higher, and the resistance (ohms) is lower, so the current will be stronger. Likewise, when the voltage is divided by a higher number (i.e. a standard rather than sub-ohm coil) the current will be lower.

As a real world example, think of it like cars on a road. If you have fifty cars travelling down a single lane, they’re going to have to go one after the other. This is kind of like how a coil of 1 ohm or greater works. If you have those same fifty cars driving down a highway with four lanes, they’ll be able to move through much more quickly - which is what happens when you have a Sub Ohm coil (a resistance of less than one ohm).

Sub Ohm vaping refers to the DTL (direct to lung) vaping style - where you bypass having any vapour in your mouth on the inhale, and get the flavour on the exhale instead.

Whilst this does mean your battery needs more power, it also carries a lot of benefits:

• Big vapour production - that means clouds big enough to fill your kitchen while you’re making dinner.

• Adjustable airflow - you can find vents on the devices that carry sub-ohm coils. Wider ventilation means more vapour and (sometimes) slightly less flavour, closing the vents has the opposite effect.

• A bigger impact - by this we mean you’ll feel the nicotine hit more, which is why if you use a sub-ohm vape you’ll want to go for a lower nicotine strength.

• Bigger devices - you can get Sub Ohm vape pod kits, but the best models are the box mods. They’re a bit more weighty, but give you a lot more options too.

Sub-Ohm devices often come with wattage and temperature control, when it comes to choosing the best number to go with for your own device and coil, usually your e-cig will come with a guide and it’s often written on the coil itself too.

Coils with a resistance greater than 0.8ohms are better suited for MTL (mouth to lung) vaping - they’re a lower power and better suited for people who still desire the feeling of smoking. This method is when you draw vapour from your e-cig, let it sit in your mouth momentarily before inhaling into your lungs. You’ll have less vapour (due to a higher resistance coil) but you also get some great benefits from this method too:

• Cooler vapour - this is because there’s less power and therefore less heat travelling through your device.

• More flavour - yep, when you have a standard vape (particularly when accompanied by a higher PG liquid) you’ll be able to taste your juice better.

• They’re discreet - (for those vapers who want to try sneak a puff in the pub, you daredevils) you’ll be able to fit them in your pocket more easily, they fit in your hand nicely and as you produce less vapour, you won’t be as obvious on the exhale.

• More efficient - because of their higher resistance, they also consume less e-liquid and battery power, meaning your tank stays fuller for longer and you don’t need to recharge so often.

There sure is - right from the word go when you put your new coil in, the best way to help get the most out of it is to prime it. It’s very straight forward, all you need to do is add a few drops of juice to the wicking material so it can sink in a little first. Then, once the coil is placed securely in the tank, fill the tank with your e liquid and let it settle for a few minutes. Taking a few drags through the drip tip without activating the battery will also help draw more into the coil. Following this we would advise starting off on a lower power setting and as the cotton becomes more saturated you can gradually raise the power. This helps prevent dry hits (when you get a hot, metallic pull from your vape - not nice) and means you’ll be heating the juice nicely, rather than burning cotton.

Making sure you’re using the right power setting for your coil is important too - this is often stated on the coil itself, providing the full range (a minimum and maximum wattage) as well as the optimum range.

Taking a break between drags also helps - especially with Sub Ohm coils as they need a little more time to reabsorb some liquid. It’s easy to chain-vape without realising, especially if you’re only out for a quick break at lunch, but giving your coil some time to rest will make it last longer and help avoid dry hits too.

The choice of liquid matters too - those with a higher PG level (look for a 50VG:50PG blend) will burn through coils more slowly as it’s a thinner consistency. If you have a Sub Ohm vape, you’ll be able to go for a higher VG level if you want and the coil is better suited for tolerating a thicker juice. For a more comprehensive explanation of what this means, have a look at our Beginners Guide to E-Liquids.

Now you are familiar with the basics it's time to head over and take a look at The Ultimate Vape Coil Guide.

For more information, please visit cr coil.