Black_Vette

I have a 86 Corvette 4+3 speed, I am wondering can I advance the Ignition Timing on my car without damaging the Engine??? And if I can what can I advance it to ???

jfb

I don't know how far advanced you can go, but my 87 was somehow set to 12 degrees BTDC and it ran stronger at open throttle, but on level roads at constant speed it bucked and I looked for a while for the cause until I looked at the timing. Timing alone for everyday driving increases hp and causes some problems.

MK 82

Do it in the tune, not the base timing.

Black_Vette

What do you mean by Do it in the Tune ??? Not the base timing.

illenema

In a tune of the pcm (reprogram) the timing advance would only be at higher rpm were it does the best

AGENT 86

ECM's PROM. You need equipment and programming. If you adjust base timing to something other than whats burned into PROM, that adjustment becomes global, as in throughout the timing table.

zr1fred

As long as your Knock sensor is working, it won't damage the engine. It will damage your performance though. The ignition control module will start retarding the spark once it senses knocking, and it will drop it back quite a bit. I would have to look up the matrix, to say just how much. Generally depending upon gas, you can go maybe 2 - 3 deg more advance, which usually compensates for engine wear.