Originally Posted by
stevieturbo
Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi and perhaps others all use resistor packs, and some in high performance models. So it can hardly be called a bodge, although I'd have previously thought that myself before I realised how common it was.
But I'd sooner use some modern high impedance injectors anyway and never worry about resistors or anything of the sort.
Huge is relative, the ID2000's could be called huge and they work superbly. Almost too good to be true, but they do work !
Not that many would need that much though. And I suspect how well they will work will also depend on the ecu in use. Ive only ever used them on Motec equipped cars. Although have used the ID1000 with other ecu's as well.
Ballast resistors are cheap, peak and hold drivers are less cheap..... but yes ballast resistors are effectively a bodge. Because honda do it doesn't mean its the best way to do it.
Ballast resistors used with a low impedance injectors effectively make the drive transistor a saturated driver. Advantages are:
Its cheap
Heat is dissipated in the resistor rather than in the driver (less case design, and heat considerations to make so again cheaper)
Dissadvantages:
Response is slower
Closing time is slower
Manufacturers may also do it to make injector swapping simpler (change less hardware), some models could use a high impedance injector should supply or price of the low Z injector become difficult. Just unplug the resistor.
Either way, its the less 'proper' way to do it if your not concerned with the same things an OEM is.
Rob
PS, I only mentioned huge injectors because lots of the easily available very large flow rate injectors are low z.
Back in the day low impedance definitely had an advantage over their high z counterparts, modern injector tech has made this less true imo.