How to Choose the Right CDI for You

[Hunterworks]

Just three short years ago there was no choice on a CDI for a Rhino other than the stock one or use one from a Grizzly. The Grizzly didn't work with the digital dash because on a Grizzly the speed sensor didn't need regulated 12V and the Rhino did.

People made voltage regulators that fixed this problem and we made them too. I still got a couple laying around. Along came a unnamed company with a CDI made by Procomm and believe this or not Hunterworks sold the first unnamed CDI before they did. At the time we were already in business and they were getting started.

We could not get together on letting Hunterworks sell them to dealers and I got upset with them so I called Dynatek to see if they would make one for a Rhino. One of the guys came and found me at a show and asked me how I wanted the Rhino CDI made. Together but mostly Dynatek we got the second CDI off the ground for the Rhino and now it is Dynateks' number one selling CDI.

After it was done we didn't even sell it for a while because of a misunderstanding and we continued to sell the unnamed company box made by Procomm until they became such a reliability issue and the hard starting was making us look bad so we started selling the Dynatek box as a private label starting Nov. 06.

We soon got the opportunity thru another company to develop our very own CDI so we did. I had the choice to make another black box that did what the others did or make one different with added features so the Tri-Fire Plus was born.

Now remember until this point no matter who's decal is on the CDI it is a Procomm or Dynatek CDI. To my knowledge there is no more other brands in the U.S. that is making CDI's for the Rhino at this time but you will see all kinds of brand names on them. This is why ours is green.

Recently MSD has entered the market with some add-on boxes not full blown CDI's. One programmable and one not.

Realize that basically all CDI's do the main thing we want them to do and that is get past the stock rev limiter. Also realize there will be very minor differences in "felt" performance on any of these. You now are picking a CDI for the features you need and reliabilty.

Now that we have the history of the Rhino CDI let's get to the choices.

Programmable or not??

I say not, unless you have a turbo or super charger on your rhino and then you will not need to change the timing curve.

Which ones are programmable? The only two are Dynatek's new Programmable Rhino CDI and the new MSD programmable.

On either you can programm the timing curve you need and program the rev limiter if you need to change it and I don't think you do.

What is the difference in the two? The programmable one from Dynatek also lets you program a top speed in it and it lets you look at some diagnostics such as how long it was ran at wide open throttle. You have to have a computer to do the programming on either.

I can tell you for sure that the Rhino does not respond to different timing curves so the need to be able to change this is a moot point unless you run a very high compression piston or you add forced induction.

If I were going to choose which one I would choose the Dynatek for added features and lower retail price. $400 compared to the Dynatek's $350

It is for techies but not really a need.

How to choose the non-programmble one?

This answer is simple, buy the Tri-Fire from us Seriously there is now four choices and it may appear there is more with all the private labeling we all do.

The unit made by Procomm is hard starting, low reliability and has a reverse limiter. On the postive side it is the least expensive. If you see a aftermarket CDI with a rev limiter for a Rhino at 7800rpm then it is a Procomm made box.

The MSD charge is a good solution for those who only want to go faster. The down side is the reverse limiter is still there and your tach, if you have one, won't work. This is a add-on box that only works along with a stock CDI. The price point is good at $140

The third choice is a non-programmable one by Dynatek. These are what we have been selling since last Nov.06 with very good success. They have been a very good CDI with very few issues. If you see a CDI that says anywhere from 8800 to 9000 RPM rev limter then it is a Dynatek CDI. If I had choose between the above three choices this one would be it. The only down side to this one is it quits sending a spark to the coil at 9 volts and the timing is a little too advanced for those who have put a higher compression piston in. Some people still have hard starting issues but nothing like the Procomm made boxes. These can be bought any from $180 to $225 with shipping included.

The last choice is our very own Tri-Fire Plus CDI and it basically just has more features than the other three non-programmble brands. I won't bore you with all the details since there is a whole tech article about how this CDI stacks up against the others. The main feature is the Triple Spark design so the Rhino cranks up lightning fast compared to the others, the safety switch that limits speed and the lower voltage that it will still operate at.

You will see another CDI soon that is Red but it is a Tri-Fire too withoout the switch. We let other companies private label our products too. We still do a plain black Tri-Fire too with no switch but the company that converts Rhino's to military vehicles uses them. The have no need for the switch or the green color.

Why do you need one? Because you can go faster!!

What if I already have a Dynatek CDI or the older Hunterworks CDI, should I buy the Tri-Fire? Only if you need the features and you are having a hard starting issue. That CDI is still a good one!!

By the way, no matter which one you choose other than a Procomm made unit, Hunterworks sells them all. Of course we are biased toward our own but one of the programmable ones might be what you need.

Todd