Hi,
I have an '89 Formula TBI. When I first bought the car it seemed more peppy and would spin the tire when I punched the gas. The car also ran consistant 16.2's.

Now, The car runs 16.6's consistantly and wont spin the tire when I punch it. It think the guy at the local carb shoppe set my timing to zero degrees, or what ever stock is when he was checkin' out a problem I had.

I heard from some that 4 degrees after is ideal.
What is ideal for my car for street/strip timing?, thanks Ben

 

4* advanced works good with stock. If you have installed a cam you can use more.

 

1-2* before it knocks.

It's too hard to tell. An engine with 188K miles on it (like mine) may not take too well with a lot of initial timing primarily due to carbon build up. Whereas an engine with 60K miles may be fine.

That's just one example. There are many things that contribute to how much an engine will take.. coolant temp, outside temp, octane, even production tolerances.

Heck, my car is ~1 second slower than other guys on this board that have done very similar, if not the EXACT same mods. I guess I got the granny car.

The best way to tell is get that WinALDL program that everyone speaks so highly of (I don't have no laptop to use it). Advance the base timing as much as you can, with the octane of fuel that you intend to stick with, and watch the "knock counts". Keep advancing the timing ~2* until it becomes excessive, then back it off 2*.

It's that easy.

 

I don't know so I'm asking. I'm not trying to annoy.

Is advancing the timing until it pings and backing off a bit the best way to find good timing?

It seems timed runs to 60 or 1/4 mile times might be a better way. Adjust the timing and make a run. Do that til you find a peak.
A dyno would probably be best but that's 80$ per hour here.

I'm just wondering out loud if peak horsepower is just before the engine wants to knock/ping.

 

I ran mine at about 6-8 degrees. I also did the afpr at the same time.

 

Hey guys, thanks for the replys so far. I have a new concern for ya. When I first bought my car with 96,000 miles on it it ran 16.2's consistantly. Now at 107,000 miles it runs 16.6's consistantly! My one friend says that after a certain amount of miles some GM cars's computers enter this mode called "LIMP MODE" which makes the timing weaker to componsate for the motars age. (For instance, before it was zero degrees to 37 degrees, but now its 0 to 22). Is this so called limp mode real. If so would a new chip cure this? mY friend says that the prom in my car is simmilar to a memory card in a game system as it remembers things like mileage. Is this true? Thanks, Ben

 

No, thats the biggest load of bs ive heard in a while. Complete and total crap! When you ran the 16.2 what was the weather like versus the 16.6? What were your 60' times?

 

set the timing ~6-8* these cars have basically no timing advance in the stock program.

 

"Limp Home" mode is a last resort by the ECM. If something goes wrong to the point that the ECM cannot keep the car running with the data (or lack thereof) from the sensors, then it will enter "Limp Home" mode which is a set of hardwired parameters designed to do just what it says... get you home. The age of the car has nothing to do with this. The ECM does not keep track of miles travled or hours of operation. The only way that a chip could cure A limp Home mode in the ECM would be if the PROM in it now is bad. If you haven't been taking it out and beating it with a hammer at regular intervals or dipping it in acid for the hell of it, then it's my guess that it's okay. Yes, it is possible that chips can go bad, but it hasn't been moved in 13 years, my guess is that it is fine. The ECM does have a certain amount of learning ability built in, but not a whole lot. One of the most likely sources of your car getting slower (besides the weather) would be regular maintainance. Plugs, plug wires, dissy cap and rotor, ignition module, CTS, fuel filter, O2 sensor, PCV valve, etc... All these things should be checked, cleaned, or replaced every so often. Fuel filters are good for 10K miles. O2 sensors should be replaced every 30K miles. Most people that are performance oriented replace their plugs and wires every year, if you are not then once every 2 years should be fine. The CTS and Ignition module can both be tested at just about any parts store. If your PCV valve doesn't rattle when you shake it, then it is stuck and should be replaced. All of these things could potentially affect your 1/4 mile times and the way your car runs in general.