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Each motor, head, fuel combo will take a different amount of timing. You need a dyno to see how the motor responds to more timing. You need to inspect the plugs for signs of detonation. When additional timing does not yield more power or torque and the motor starts leaning, you need to back it off 2-3 degrees for safety. Not something you should do on the street unless you are looking for a broken motor.
Exellent thread, I have been wondering how much timing others were running.
Here is my timing for my superchaged @ ~9lbs boost on stock top and bottom end/ oem compression. I was running a couple degrees more all around when I used to drive around with a laptop at all times, but Im happy with my power and tune currently, so pulled out a few degrees to be safe.. I was getting no knock or detonations whatsoever with a few degrees more than this. I also notice that messing with the advance in the idle RPM is a good way to dial in your idle, it seems to have a noticable effect on it. My car liked about a 10-15deg advance at idle, made it more resistant to stalling out.
Originally Posted by crazyitr,Jul 23 2007, 02:23 PM
Each motor, head, fuel combo will take a different amount of timing. You need a dyno to see how the motor responds to more timing. You need to inspect the plugs for signs of detonation. When additional timing does not yield more power or torque and the motor starts leaning, you need to back it off 2-3 degrees for safety. Not something you should do on the street unless you are looking for a broken motor.
Exect for backing off a few degrees, once you stop making torque, that's your MBT, no need to back it off. If doing knock tuning (which I have never been a fan of), then yes advance till knock then back off a few degrees.
wow this is helpful info!! I guess I was pretty conservative running about 10 degrees at 10psi on the top end. It would be helpful if people listed what compression they are running. At stock compression most of these timing maps are way to aggressive so it would be good to let people know not to attempt to run some of these maps. I'll post mine when I get it on the dyno at work and fine tune it.
I originally was thinking the same thing bitzbp, sure seems like a TON of advance doesn it? But this is my first 4cly, so maybe its just diff. go with that works right? I watch my knock sensor like a hawk, and at 39 advance or whatever at WOT 8k not a blip over background noise. If I turn up the timing, I can make it knock(not that Im that much of an idiot, just saying that I know how to hear knock, and read the knock data haha).
Scorpion: thanks for the info, I'll have to look into that. I feel very comfortable with my knowledge of timing advance/retard in general, but havent really read into what to use at idle or crusing speed, I just used the butt-o-meter and went with what felt to be running the best with the low end timing #s, I'll have to read up on timing in the idle/lower rpm/low load ranges.
I used an infared thermometer on my whole exhaust system a while back and If I recall it was only around 250f at the header, but honestly I forget, I may be way off, I do remeber it was like 600f after the cat. But im told thats the gas reaction making heat, and is expected.
EXELENT thread, I have been trying to get a thread going about timing for some time, but seems most people take their car to get tuned, and dont touch it, I tune mine myself so... Thank you to everyone that posted their timing maps, its nice to see what others are running.
sorry to bring this back, but I hope this will help someone later for reference to tune their car, I have attached my ignition map on here. I would like to discuss about the timing between 6000rpm to 9000rpm... I do understand that as Boost increase, more retard is required, as rpm increase more advance is required, so how come all the map that posted on here at higher rpm the value are all the same???? assume the turbo pressure are constant.
I've just installed a 3mm gasket, I will advance the timing to compensate the lower compression .... what is the ideal timing for cruising and the transition from vaccum to boost?
