Timing advance

[Tsi Turbo Talon]

i wanna advance the timing on my 1.8 what is a good amount to do

[CleanGS97]

first off do you have any mods? what octane gas do you run? is this your every-day driver or do you have other plans for it? if this is your everyday driver... and you have no mods.. LEAVE THE TIMING ALONE! (that's my opinion...someone else is bound to chime in..)

-Aaron

[eclipse2nr91]

Agreed, I wouldn't advance the timing on your daily driver, I was thinking about it, but then I thought about it, and the gas mileage would, correct me if i'm wrong, probably go straight down the $hitter. And our gas mileage isn't that great to begin with. Just my $.02

[ginsu417]

Advancing your timing to the optimum level for the fuel you're going to run will actually help your performance AND your gas milage. It's a part of tuning. 2.0 owners won't understand because they all have computer-controlled ignition systems. Advance the distributor until it starts to ping (turning it toward the driver's side is advance, I believe) and then back it off a few degrees. It may ping while you're driving. Don't push it. That's pre-ignition - the worst kind of detonation. Get out, and retard the timing a few more degrees and try again. When you've got it where you want it, and it's not pinging any more, take a screwdriver and a hammer and punch a notch on the housing directly in front of the nut on the distributor to mark your sweet spot.

If you have a timing light, you'll want to follow the book procedure, which I don't remember because I time my car by ear all the time. They have a list of special procedures to follow and a bunch of crap you need to hook up. Like most mechanics, I go by seat-of-the-pants timing. HP gains will be minimal, and subjective. This is a tune-up procedure, and not a performance enhancement.

- Kalani

[CleanGS97]

:happy: Awesome reply... I was trying to go the other direction and get the info from Tsi Turbo Talon and go from there but..... :eek: I dont think there is anything left to cover!

:hail:

-Aaron

[2G4G63]

gas mileage stayed the same after advancing ignition timing to 15 degrees BTDC (i think that's right, been awhile). of course this meant running 93 octane. one person i talked to back then rotated his distributor all the way to advance timing as far as he could, ran 93 octane, and never reported any problems. your car may be different, though, so I would definitely not recommend doing that.

[fast1.8sohcDSM]

I advanced my timing myself by ear on my 1.8 Japanese Exchange, and let me tell you all, that baby runs NICE.

[95tsiawdgst]

Originally posted by ginsu417
Advancing your timing to the optimum level for the fuel you're going to run will actually help your performance AND your gas milage. It's a part of tuning. 2.0 owners won't understand because they all have computer-controlled ignition systems. Advance the distributor until it starts to ping (turning it toward the driver's side is advance, I believe) and then back it off a few degrees. It may ping while you're driving. Don't push it. That's pre-ignition - the worst kind of detonation. Get out, and retard the timing a few more degrees and try again. When you've got it where you want it, and it's not pinging any more, take a screwdriver and a hammer and punch a notch on the housing directly in front of the nut on the distributor to mark your sweet spot.

If you have a timing light, you'll want to follow the book procedure, which I don't remember because I time my car by ear all the time. They have a list of special procedures to follow and a bunch of crap you need to hook up. Like most mechanics, I go by seat-of-the-pants timing. HP gains will be minimal, and subjective. This is a tune-up procedure, and not a performance enhancement.

- Kalani

Agreed!

Advancing timing on my 94 excel 1.5(mitsu engine) was the be mod I ever did. I had an ignition system and little stuff but the day I advanced timing to run on 93 octane I had to gain near 6-8 hp(81 base). I could feel it very well. I ran 93 with advanced timing for years with no problems or mileage. For the extra 10-15 cents per gallon it was worth it. It gets close to 40 mpg anyway so I can spend a little more on gas and not go broke.

Most stock cars have ignition curves to run to run 87, there is room for improvement.

The best test for knock and ping is to drive slow in 4th or fifth and floor it, if it starts to ping, turn it down some. After the max performance from timing is found, go back a couple of degrees to be safe.

The computer ignition adjustment wire will need to be grounded before adjusting or you will not see actual baseline timing. Check the owners manual.

[95tsiawdgst]

Originally posted by ginsu417
Advancing your timing to the optimum level for the fuel you're going to run will actually help your performance AND your gas milage. It's a part of tuning. 2.0 owners won't understand because they all have computer-controlled ignition systems. Advance the distributor until it starts to ping (turning it toward the driver's side is advance, I believe) and then back it off a few degrees. It may ping while you're driving. Don't push it. That's pre-ignition - the worst kind of detonation. Get out, and retard the timing a few more degrees and try again. When you've got it where you want it, and it's not pinging any more, take a screwdriver and a hammer and punch a notch on the housing directly in front of the nut on the distributor to mark your sweet spot.

If you have a timing light, you'll want to follow the book procedure, which I don't remember because I time my car by ear all the time. They have a list of special procedures to follow and a bunch of crap you need to hook up. Like most mechanics, I go by seat-of-the-pants timing. HP gains will be minimal, and subjective. This is a tune-up procedure, and not a performance enhancement.

- Kalani