Total Timing or Computer Timing. What is the deal once and for all!

Jeff Chambers · 01-29-2002, 07:45 AM

He's not necessariy loosing power. Like someone else said, every car and every combination is different. The key is learning, knowing, testing and tuning. You have to try different things, make quantitative judgements and then try something else....then if you change your combination go back and apply what you learned before.

If he's got his distributor locked out, then he's total timed. The MSD won't control the timing advance like the EEC will, it only provides the spark when told to.

There's another little trick that the racers will use. When down track in high gear, actually pull a little timing out. Why? Torque isn't as critical at that point in the pass but HP is. Reducing the timing will help build a little extra cylinder pressure and hence a little extra HP. I use a timing retard module to drop about 4 degrees of timing once I lock up the converter at about the 900' mark. It was good for about a tenth and nearly 1 mph. Fairly easy to do with an automatic car, but can be done with a stick car as well.

01-29-2002, 07:45 AM	#21
Jeff Chambers Moderator Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Milan, OH Posts: 2,699	He's not necessariy loosing power. Like someone else said, every car and every combination is different. The key is learning, knowing, testing and tuning. You have to try different things, make quantitative judgements and then try something else....then if you change your combination go back and apply what you learned before. If he's got his distributor locked out, then he's total timed. The MSD won't control the timing advance like the EEC will, it only provides the spark when told to. There's another little trick that the racers will use. When down track in high gear, actually pull a little timing out. Why? Torque isn't as critical at that point in the pass but HP is. Reducing the timing will help build a little extra cylinder pressure and hence a little extra HP. I use a timing retard module to drop about 4 degrees of timing once I lock up the converter at about the 900' mark. It was good for about a tenth and nearly 1 mph. Fairly easy to do with an automatic car, but can be done with a stick car as well. __________________ Jeff Chambers 1990 Mustang GT 10.032 Seconds / 137.5 MPH 14-time Street Warrior World Record Setter CRT Performance 2001 Tropic Green Mustang GT - 12.181 / 113.2 MPH 2002 Ford F-250 Crew Cab 7.3l Power Stroke - 17.41@77.2 "There's nothing boring about a small block automatic shifting gears at 9400 rpm!"