Timing 14* or 16*
 

Hi I am still a newbie but my question is what will adjusting my timing due for my almost stock mustang? What will I see if I do it?

Gives you a boost in performance, just make sure you run premium fuel.

I'd say go with 14*, 16* might be too much.

I have a 93' and I have the timing set at 15* running super unleaded and no issues.

14 to 15 degrees is great and again Super unleaded... Todays quality fuel sucks so super is the only way to go, 93 preferably 94...

Thanks for the feedback, now in which direction cw or ccw do I turn? or is there only one way? Is it hard to do? How much is involved to adjust it?

Thanks again.

i bumped mine to 14* and use 87 octane. no pinging or problems.

Mine is also at 14* and I run 89octane and have no problems on an almost stock motor.

To advance is counter clockwise, and make sure you use a good timing light.. Its not hard to do, just make sure you set it correctly.

16* 92 octane no problems.

Make sure you remove the spout connecter.

so why do some insist on 93 octane when u bump up the timing? i always figured that, on average a stock stang will run good @ 13*-14* w/ 87 octane. bumping it up to just say 15* may require 93 octane to avoid pinging. i always thought u should set timing as high as u can, once u hear pinging, drop down a degree or two. run 87, if it runs fine, stick w/ it. i also understand that every car is different right out of the factory. what do u all think? agree/disagree?

im at about 16, but hard to tell exactly. i also a 75 shot of nitrous. i wonder if i should retard mine a bit.

I agree totally here. Why bump timing up a few degrees and have to run 93 octane on a basically stock Stang. Performance gains will be minimal and your wallet will hurt a lot more when you fill up. Set the timing as high as you can without pinging using 87 octane. That would be my advice.

On any High Performance motor, 93 octane is best, you won't always here the detonation, but it doesn't mean its not happening.. If you move up time from stock, 93 is best.

with 93 octane costing approx 20 cents more than 87, do the math.

12,000 miles/yr @ 13mph = 923 gallons x 20 cents = $185/yr extra

I'll use 87, save the money, and rebuild/replace the engine when it dies using the money I saved, its cost effective and I see NO performance gain using 93 on a stock motor. that is why FORD did not recommend or require 89 or 93.

Keep in mind this is on a stock daily driver. If your a track guy, or highly modified, thats a different story.

well if you do the math, 185 dollars a year savings Vs. 1500 dollars plus on a motor rebiuld speaks for itself.. its what maybe 2 bucks more a the pump for a fill up? You get better performance plus no worries...

$185 a year extra? Is that it? Hell, I just won't super size the meals at dinner once a week and I should break even.

thats about 2 rounds of golf with beers here! no biggie!

I am running 16* on 89 octane with no detonation. ;)

I completely disagree here. There is absolutely no benefit from running a higher octane fuel than you need. You are just throwing money away.

If you want a good explanation of why, Chris does a great job of explaining it here

Where's Chris been? Haven't heard from him in a while...

You can always find him over at theRiceHatersClub .

First off, that link is very informative. I had read something like that years ago, and this falls right in line with my knowledge.
I'm no expert here...probably far from it, but I am looking at something from this excerpt which I took from the link provided.

Provided that you are tuned to run 87 octane gas (10*), yes, you may be harming more than helping by running a higher octane.

If you advance your timing (tuning) to the point of detonation, your are creating a unstable environment that the high flammability of 87 can not control, but by simply using a higher octane level, you can remain tuned at the higher advanced timing because the higher octane can stabiulize the fule to burn at a more controlled rate.

So the million dollar question is, what is the timing advance that will provide the best performance, and what octane do you need to run that timing without having a meltdown.

Falcons Talon - You are correct in what you are saying. I was more referring to 88fivepointoh's post:

On any High Performance motor, 93 octane is best, you won't always here the detonation, but it doesn't mean its not happening.. If you move up time from stock, 93 is best.


As you pointed out, this statement is true only if you are tuned to run with 93 octane. To just say "if you move time up from stock, 93 is best" is not sound advice. Depending on your set up, altitude, etc., you may be able to run 89 or even 87 octane depending on how far advanced you are.
If you do advance to the point of having detonation occur, try running 89. Just because you have played with the timing does not mean you need to run out and start pumping 93 octane into your ride.

Also, don't just assume that you are tuned for 87 octane at only 10°. That is just a very safe factory setting and many cars can bump up their timing a few degrees and still run 87.

To respond to titanium92's original question, I would say on a basically stock mustang to advance the timing as much as possible while still being able to run 87 octane. IMO, the performance gains on a stock vehicle will be minimal when advancing the timing far enough to warrant running high octane fuels. To me the added cost of the fuel wouldn't justtify the 3 or 4 more HP you might squeeze out of the car.

Well IMO, i have seen engines smoke head gaskets, and pistons from silent detination.. i have seen it visible on dyno runs and it was told to me by Augustino Racing In Canada that once timing is advanced, a higher grade of fuel is best. These cars were designed in a time where fuel was richer at the pumps and todays fuel sucks.. That is my .02cents on this discussion.

That's cool. I have just heard different from other sources which I believe are knowledgeable. We can just agree to disagree on this one :).

Hey great feed back guys.......I'm still up in the air if I should adjust the timing though....everyone seems to be making good points.....aahhh...lol. Too good of points so now i'm more confused....lol.

I think we all agree to bump up your timing.. its just the fuel rating we all have different opinions of..

I will agree with that statement :)

run 87, bump up timing till u hear pinging, then turn it down a degreee or two. continure to run 87 and keep an ear out for pinging, aka, marbles in your engine