Anyone used Progression Ignition?

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Houseoffubar

Houseoffubar

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Hey everyone, looking at ignitions I could pull timing out of at boost/peak torque, I ran into Progression Ignition.
This is a distributor with all the electronics built in to control spark, but also has Bluetooth connectivity to allow you to set a complete timing map for advance/retard, and also rev limiter.
Looks like an amazing unit, it it works reliably.
https://progressionignition.com/shop/ols/products/chrysler-318360-v8-hei-distributor
 
Oh you can tune it with your smart phone. How quaint.
 
Would you prefer to use a laptop or your Abakist?
The real attraction is being able to set timing at every rpm and boost pressure.
At $500 It seems like a deal, compared to a new distributor an MSD and whatever add on piggybacked to that to achieve retard and rev limiter?
 
Houseoffubar said:
Would you prefer to use a laptop or your Abakist?
The real attraction is being able to set timing at every rpm and boost pressure.
At $500 It seems like a deal, compared to a new distributor an MSD and whatever add on piggybacked to that to achieve retard and rev limiter?
Click to expand...

I prefer to use neither, because I want to KNOW how to tune. Turning it all over to the computer means "you" don't really "know" about the tune. The computer does. Although I admit it certainly sounds easy and nice and I'm sure it is, this is another case of letting the computer do something that we could, should, need to learn ourselves.

Just an observation.
 
Wonder how long before that gets hacked LOLOL

(If it uses software and is on a network, it can and will be hacked)
 
67Dart273 said:
Wonder how long before that gets hacked LOLOL

(If it uses software and is on a network, it can and will be hacked)
Click to expand...
Per the details at the link the communication between the distributor and the smartphone/tablet is via Bluetooth, travels about 30 feet. So any hacker would need to be close. The protection against BT hacking is really simple. Don’t accept pairing from devices that are not yours, and keep your device non discoverable. Download apps only from reputable sources.
In addition, the computer in this case does not tune or set the timing curve. The computer (smartphone or table) is the tuning interface. Meaning that it is the screwdriver. To tune effectively, the person behind the smartphone or tablet would still need to know how to tune.
I cannot speak for the quality or the value of this specific distributor, but being able to tune an engine via an electronic link is a huge aid at a drag strip or other racing event. And when used in a non racing event tuning via an electronic link is a much more practical use of ones time than tearing down a distributor for the 10th time to change an advance spring.
It is fine to chose to not apply the latest technology. There is nothing wrong with Old School. With the proper amount of respect given to each that posted a comment above, it is fool hardy to criticize something just because you have no idea how it works.
 
Last edited:
Houseoffubar said:
Hey everyone, looking at ignitions I could pull timing out of at boost/peak torque, I ran into Progression Ignition.
This is a distributor with all the electronics built in to control spark, but also has Bluetooth connectivity to allow you to set a complete timing map for advance/retard, and also rev limiter.
Looks like an amazing unit, it it works reliably.
Chrysler 318/360 V8 HEI Distributor
Click to expand...

I bought and installed one in my 493" RB based motor. The primary reason I went for it was to gain the tuneable vacuum advance feature.

The nice thing about it is the quick and easy altering of the timing adjustments including initial, total mechanical and vacuum advance. The unit also shows where the timing is in real time while you are driving, which greatly aids dialing in vacuum advance and total timing.

I currently have mine set to crank at 10*, idle at 22* @ 850 rpm, to have full mechanical advance of 35* at 940 rpm on up and to start adding 7* of vacuum advance at 1410 rpm with it all in at 1500 rpm. I do have the vacuum advance hooked up to manifold vacuum, so that it falls away when the throttle is opened to accelerate leaving the timing at 35* again.

My motor was the happy with the MSD Pro-Billet locked out at 35* total, but having no vacuum advance made it less efficient on the road. The motor loves the additional vacuum advance timing, gets a touch better mileage and allowed me to test and tune dozens of settings in real time before ending up with my current table using a few suggestions from AndyF.

Until this unit came out, having this ignition tuning ease & flexibility had been reserved for the EFI guys running ignition controllers. It's a good option to those of us running carbs, but needing a more advanced ignition tuning ability.
 
jbc426 said:
I bought and installed one in my 493" RB based motor. The primary reason I went for it was to gain the tuneable vacuum advance feature.

The nice thing about it is the quick and easy altering of the timing adjustments including initial, total mechanical and vacuum advance. The unit also shows where the timing is in real time while you are driving, which greatly aids dialing in vacuum advance and total timing.

I currently have mine set to crank at 10*, idle at 22* @ 850 rpm, to have full mechanical advance of 35* at 940 rpm on up and to start adding 7* of vacuum advance at 1410 rpm with it all in at 1500 rpm. I do have the vacuum advance hooked up to manifold vacuum, so that it falls away when the throttle is opened to accelerate leaving the timing at 35* again.

My motor was the happy with the MSD Pro-Billet locked out at 35* total, but having no vacuum advance made it less efficient on the road. The motor loves the additional vacuum advance timing, gets a touch better mileage and allowed me to test and tune dozens of settings in real time before ending up with my current table using a few suggestions from AndyF.

Until this unit came out, having this ignition tuning ease & flexibility had been reserved for the EFI guys running ignition controllers. It's a good option to those of us running carbs, but needing a more advanced ignition tuning ability.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the first hand information! My big concern was having never heard of it, that it may be junk, but the more I looked into what they had engineered, it seems it would almost have to be a quality piece just to be able to do the things they were claiming it would?!
Looking at a new distributor an MSD and a boost retarding piggyback unit, this all in one seems a bargain!?
 
Houseoffubar said:
Thanks for the first hand information! My big concern was having never heard of it, that it may be junk, but the more I looked into what they had engineered, it seems it would almost have to be a quality piece just to be able to do the things they were claiming it would?!
Looking at a new distributor an MSD and a boost retarding piggyback unit, this all in one seems a bargain!?
Click to expand...

The distributor sits about a half inch higher than an MSD Pro-Billet unit. For me, this meant I had to massage the base plate of my Shaker hood bubble to gain the clearance I needed.

It does appear very nicely made and has worked flawlessly since installed a few months back. The expanded and easy to alter tuning is very nice, and when combined with the real time feedback of where the unit is actually running at any time gives the tuner immediate feedback which helps them better understand the settings that are needed.

You can also save multiple tunes, quickly make new tunes and kill the ignition system as a theft deterrent type function. The software also will build you a conservative tuning table to get you up and running after you provide some basic info to it.

Here's a picture of one of the earlier tables I generated. I've since altered it significantly. The real time feedback simply highlights the individual cell that it is currently using, so it moves around in real time as RPM & timing changes. It's very cool.

Progression Ignition.jpg
 
jbc426 said:
The distributor sits about a half inch higher than an MSD Pro-Billet unit. For me, this meant I had to massage the base plate of my Shaker hood bubble to gain the clearance I needed.

It does appear very nicely made and has worked flawlessly since installed a few months back. The expanded and easy to alter tuning is very nice, and when combined with the real time feedback of where the unit is actually running at any time gives the tuner immediate feedback which helps them better understand the settings that are needed.

You can also save multiple tunes, quickly make new tunes and kill the ignition system as a theft deterrent type function. The software also will build you a conservative tuning table to get you up and running after you provide some basic info to it.

Here's a picture of one of the earlier tables I generated. I've since altered it significantly. The real time feedback simply highlights the individual cell that it is currently using, so it moves around in real time as RPM & timing changes. It's very cool.

View attachment 1715554999
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for the input!
This sure seems like the way to go for my little turbo project.
 
my68barracuda said:
Per the details at the link the communication between the distributor and the smartphone/tablet is via Bluetooth, travels about 30 feet. So any hacker would need to be close. The protection against BT hacking is really simple. Don’t accept pairing from devices that are not yours, and keep your device non discoverable. Download apps only from reputable sources.
In addition, the computer in this case does not tune or set the timing curve. The computer (smartphone or table) is the tuning interface. Meaning that it is the screwdriver. To tune effectively, the person behind the smartphone or tablet would still need to know how to tune.
I cannot speak for the quality or the value of this specific distributor, but being able to tune an engine via an electronic link is a huge aid at a drag strip or other racing event. And when used in a non racing event tuning via an electronic link is a much more practical use of ones time than tearing down a distributor for the 10th time to change an advance spring.
It is fine to chose to not apply the latest technology. There is nothing wrong with Old School. With the proper amount of respect given to each that posted a comment above, it is fool hardy to criticize something just because you have no idea how it works.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean it as criticizing. I think you can go back and pick out where I said I am sure it works well and is nice. I'm older now and lazy and CHOOSE not to learn it a new way. LOL
 
Now, I would be interested if they could do this for a carburetor. And I said CARBURETOR, not EFI. LOL
 
RustyRatRod said:
Now, I would be interested if they could do this for a carburetor. And I said CARBURETOR, not EFI. LOL
Click to expand...

I know what you're sayin, Rusty...
Seems like so much has been lost in the wake of technology. Like the dynamics of 'How'.
But, much has been gained too. I sure wish I had it easier when I was trying to figure it all out, without ever needing a bandaid!
 
jbc426 said:
Until this unit came out, having this ignition tuning ease & flexibility had been reserved for the EFI guys running ignition controllers. It's a good option to those of us running carbs, but needing a more advanced ignition tuning ability.
Click to expand...
This ignition system is something that I had dreamed of, that it could be available for a carbureted engine. I am especially keen on how critical the ignition system is to performance. About 3-4 years ago I met a guy at a Mopar show/race in Tennessee and he had cobbled together a "home made" version of this. Using a tablet and a variety of computer components, his system worked in a similar manner.
From that point on, I was hoping to find a reliable ignition system that could do all that the Progression Ignition system does.
I've been running a FBO Ignition system from Don for about 5 years and it works well, but I have the Progression Ignition at the top of my "to do" list. It will also solve a "new problem" I have. Since I had A/C installed, I had to increase my idle RPMs to compensate for the drag of the compressor. I was considering a trigger for the idle solenoid that comes on 6bbl cars like mine. By increasing the timing in the cells of the timing table that are affected by turning the A/C on, that will balance out my idle speed, much like happens when an automatic transmission car goes from Neutral to Drive at idle.
Like this:
 
For the kind of money they want, you could order the lower end Megasquirt kit and be on the road to EFI if you want. I do realize that a MS controlled ignition would be "a little more work" but not all that much more
 
67Dart273 said:
For the kind of money they want, you could order the lower end Megasquirt kit and be on the road to EFI if you want. I do realize that a MS controlled ignition would be "a little more work" but not all that much more
Click to expand...

I’ve looked at this distributor as well and keep falling back to MS, but it would be significantly more involved whereas this seems to be a user friendly plug and play option. MS does open up quite a few more options for the future though.

Another option somewhat in the middle is the MSD Digital Programable 6AL-2 with a locked out factory distributor.
 
After reading this post I decided to order myself a Progression distributor, I have been running a Pertronix which has helped in reliability but the lack of being able to dial in my mechanical advance is the limiting factor to this distributor. I took it apart and welded the weights to limit advance to 12 degrees but now I can't get it to idle below 1k due to my 22 degree base timing. Looking forward to learning how a fully custom timing curve can improve the overall driveability and performance of my small block.
 
UPDATE:
I just called Ted at Progression to see if they happened to know about a fitment question regarding their distributor and Trickflow 270 heads. I am going to get one of their systems as soon as my $ allows, and run it in my 440 6bbl in my 70 V-code Roadrunner, BUT I also want to run it in the 541 Bill Mitchell aluminum block based stroker whenever I own more than just the block :D and it's going to have TF 270 heads. He didn't know for sure, but offered a full refund and return shipping should it not fit. I explained that it's going in my current engine asap, so if I can't make it fit, even if the heads can be further clearanced if necessary, in the 541 that I would just have to sell it used.
Anyway, he let me know they just revamped the app that sets up and displays everything, adding real looking gauges, automatic Cloud based data storage, and generally improved GUI.
Here's the statement from the app as to what's new. I am playing with the app even though I don't have the system yet, to get familiar with it. You can work offline in order to do that.
"All New tuning app for use with Progression Ignition distributors. New features include- all new graphics, GPS Speedometer and gauge dials, manifold pressure gauge with in/hg and psi, faster Bluetooth connecting, and cloud backup. Uses Bluetooth to connect to the distributor. Create a timing table by entering a few simple parameters. Change ignition timing advance, Rev limiter, RPM and MAP breakpoints using table editor. Make changes instantly with the engine running or not. Save as many different tables as you want and load them instantly. Gauges screen shows you real time data. The theft prevention feature Ignition Lock allows you to prevent the engine from starting when parked.
 
Lil Demon said:
After reading this post I decided to order myself a Progression distributor, I have been running a Pertronix which has helped in reliability but the lack of being able to dial in my mechanical advance is the limiting factor to this distributor. I took it apart and welded the weights to limit advance to 12 degrees but now I can't get it to idle below 1k due to my 22 degree base timing. Looking forward to learning how a fully custom timing curve can improve the overall driveability and performance of my small block.
Click to expand...
Any updates? I'm curious about these.
 
my68barracuda said:
Per the details at the link the communication between the distributor and the smartphone/tablet is via Bluetooth, travels about 30 feet.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, this is not entirely accurate.

I have seen examples of people using specialized antennae to access a targets Bluetooth device from hundreds of feet away. There are numerous examples to be found.
 
Cuda416 said:
Unfortunately, this is not entirely accurate.

I have seen examples of people using specialized antennae to access a targets Bluetooth device from hundreds of feet away. There are numerous examples to be found.
Click to expand...
I seriously doubt that someone "hacking" the distributor would ever develop as a real world problem.
Unfortunately I've hit a rather deep and wide income gap, concurrent with an increase in bills to pay, but as it goes, "this too shall pass"...
I eagerly await getting one, putting it in my current 440 6bbl and then using it in my 541.
 
sounds like Tunerstudio, open source MS (and others) frontend tuning program. MS used to sell MegaJolt, basically a crippled MS1/2 that only operated the ignition and advance curve. You can probably find the BOM and schematic online somewhere and build it for $15. They now have a MegaJolt Jr, but its hundreds of dollars for some reason.
 
pishta said:
sounds like Tunerstudio, open source MS (and others) frontend tuning program. MS used to sell MegaJolt, basically a crippled MS1/2 that only operated the ignition and advance curve. You can probably find the BOM and schematic online somewhere and build it for $15. They now have a MegaJolt Jr, but its hundreds of dollars for some reason.
Click to expand...
I see similarities, I had heard of using that Ford module for home brewed ignition setups and even seen it included as the module for aftermarket kits. Good job.
Having conceded that, I still like the interface and smartphone app controls, and the overall package Progression Ignition offers.
If I didn't post about this before, I saw a Mopar guy at some out of state Mopar event (6 years ago or so?) who had a homemade version of the Mega Jolt. He used a Windows based notepad device for control/setup. It was intriguing, I've stated these features are something I've dreamed of for us "carburetor guys", so I've been peeping for this concept. I missed the Mega Jolt, but I'm still going with the Progression Ignition system.
 
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