Totally different animals. The dual-sync uses an optical sensor and is much more accurate. The TFI will work fine with a Holley ECU but the Dual Sync is much better and you can also use it if you decide at some point to convert to CNP. One thing worth noting however- the TFI does not need an external ignition box to function, but the dual-sync does need an ignition box if you are running a single coil system.if you switch to CNP then no ignition box is needed.

I have two Fords with the Holley dual-sync, and am about to do a Terminator X install on my '92 LX which is just a H/C/I setup (no power adder) and I am going to use the TFI for now, will see how it goes.

 

Ok good info thanks. Yeah i want to get the terminator X system for my n/a 427 and see how it does with the tfi distributor but i would like to go coil over plug at some point.hopefully it will work fine with the tfi for awhile.so the optical sensor cant be affected by noise so thats a plus.
Do you feel like your car runs better with the dual sync distributor?

 

If you plan to do CNP, honestly just do it right from the begining and go to a crank sensor and cam sensor setup, and get the 558-118 main harness. I wish I had done that with my 1992 GT. My Lightning is CNP.

As far as how it runs, I did a complete makeover of the driveline, so it would be hard to say, I did a fresh motor, new heads, cam, blower and the Holley HP. I think on a mild setup you probably honestly would not see much difference, but timing errors with TFI seem to be very common one you get a higher and faster revving combo.

I think the X is a nice system for those looking to upgrade from the old tech EEC-IV, but if you have a more radical combo, you might want to pony up for a HP or Dominator.

 

How did you do the CNP setup on your Lightning, Greg?

 

I used some brackets made by a guy on facebook that fit beautifully.

 

Soooo... all stock other than the CNP, eh?

 

LOL... Just a few mods, nothing fancy there...

 

Greg that looks awesome im definetly gonna go Coil near plug like that. That thing must purr like a kitten.

 

Thanks man! I don't know about the purring like a kitten part though, have you ever heard a geardriven Procharger up close? They growl pretty loud. When you stand behind it though, it sounds awesome and idles pretty damn good...

 

What holley harness and what coils did you use?

 

For main harness I used the 558-118, And for coils and sub-harness I went with the 556-128 "Big Coil" kit

Holley EFI 556-128 Big Wire Coil-Near-Plug Smart Coil Kit

Do you need precision control over your ignition system? Would your combination benefit from Individual Cylinder Timing Control? Are you experiencing spark issues with your Stock Coils? Are you wanting to convert your Turbocharged Big Block Monstrosity to Coil-Near-Plug?! Problem solved...

www.holley.com

Holley EFI 558-118 Ford MPFI Coil On Plug Main Harness:

This harness provides a plug and play upgrade solution for those seeking to convert to Coil-On-Plug. Additionally we have pre-installed a Power Tap for easy access to 12v, 5v Reference, and Sensor Grounds. The Ford MPFI C-O-P Main Harness has also been pre-terminated for the stock Pulse Width...

www.holley.com

For my combo and power level I felt this was the best way to go, but you can use LS coils and the standard sub-harness and save some money...

 

Greg, so in your opinion is it totally worth spending the extra cash and doing the dual sync and ditching the TFI as I get started with my Terminator X? Rather than waiting and doing it later?

MSD 23773 MSD Black, Ford 289, 302 Dual Sync Distributor

Introducing the all-new MSD Pro-Billet EFI Dual Sync Distributors! The new design features high-quality dual Hall Effect sensors, a QPQ coated precision billet shutter wheel and distributor shaft guided by a sealed ball bearing, a race proven distributor steel gear, performance cap and rotor...

www.holley.com

Is this the plug and play version I'd need?

 

Nitrous ssc that looks like the correct distributor to use.

 

Note that Holley EFI has a dual sync distributor, too - #565-202 (or -202BK for the black version) for the 302. I can't tell from their website how the two compare - are the MSD and the Holley the same thing, just with different logos? Or are there noteworthy differences?

I discovered this (but for the 351W rather than the 302) in exchanging emails with Holley tech support. I'm about to send a follow-up asking how the MSD and Holley parts compare. The price is the same, so no advantage to be gained there. Holley's "blank" cap to put on top of the distributor (#566-103) if you're going CNP is about $30 more expensive than MSD's (#84323) - I'm assuming MSD's is plastic, while the Holley one says it's billet, if you care about such things. Using the "compare" function on summitracing.com I don't see any differences, but that's only hitting the highlights, so there may be differences in the details.

Edit: Looking further on their website, they have a video that makes it sound like they may be the same thing, just branded differently -

.

 

I just said screw TFI... ordered a 565-202 yesterday.

 

What's the rest of your ignition setup going to be? I saw in the other thread that you've got a Terminator X (or X Max) coming. Are you going to coil-near-plug, or sticking with a distributor (just non-TFI)?

 

Just sticking with the distributor and 6 series MSD box. I've got an MSD coil as well. I'm not too concerned about going coil on plug. I have the 550-937F that finally arrived Tuesday. But I'm way behind. What was going to be just the Terminator X install has turned into a dart project.