Timing question
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,469
Likes: 6
From: Winchester Ontario
Timing question
Some people run the stock 6 * timing, like myself. Others run theirs up to 10 *.
WHen you add nitrous that exceeds 150 hp people say to retard the timing 2* for every 50 hp (or somewhere close to that).
If you get your chip tweaked so that it has say 36 * total timing, isn't total timing all the timing it's getting? I mean if I have my car at 6* initial and someone else has theirs at 10 * initial but we both have our total timing at 36 *, isn't it the same?
How does initial timing differ if total timing is the same? And if I choose to leave it 6 * initial, couldn't I just alter the total timing so that it'd be the same as the 10 *?
WHen you add nitrous that exceeds 150 hp people say to retard the timing 2* for every 50 hp (or somewhere close to that).
If you get your chip tweaked so that it has say 36 * total timing, isn't total timing all the timing it's getting? I mean if I have my car at 6* initial and someone else has theirs at 10 * initial but we both have our total timing at 36 *, isn't it the same?
How does initial timing differ if total timing is the same? And if I choose to leave it 6 * initial, couldn't I just alter the total timing so that it'd be the same as the 10 *?
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 90,675
Likes: 304
From: SE NY
Cruise-In II Veteran
The ECM uses strored tables to add timing to base timing, as engine conditions dictate.
For example, say that 6deg BTDC your engine has 36deg BTDC at say the WOT 1-2 shift RPM (some fixed engine RPM at WOT). Now if you bump base timing to 10deg BTDC the timing at the shift point should be 40deg BTDC.
Think of base timing as the base number to which the ECM adds timing. So if you bump base timing you in turn raise the entire timing curve.
For example, say that 6deg BTDC your engine has 36deg BTDC at say the WOT 1-2 shift RPM (some fixed engine RPM at WOT). Now if you bump base timing to 10deg BTDC the timing at the shift point should be 40deg BTDC.
Think of base timing as the base number to which the ECM adds timing. So if you bump base timing you in turn raise the entire timing curve.
