What are the consequences of turning timing either UP OR DOWN... for daily driving... Does it hurt anything... Because My DESKtopDYNO says I'll gain about 20 HP if I turn the timing down ALOT ( -4 through -8) , what will that do for the valve train / mileage... SORRY for being Ignorant.. BUT I don't know everything about engines YET... THANKS IN ADVANCE

 

Changing the ignition timing won't affect the valve timing whatsoever.

Advancing the ignition timing can provide more power by increasing the dynamic compression and allowing a little more time for combustion.

Like everything, it can have a trade-off. To increase ignition advance successfully you may have to use a higher octane fuel to prevent detonation. And while a little can be good, a lot is not necessarily better. Too much advance will start costing power and creating detonation. Typically, you can safely advance the timing of a stock engine about 4-6°, but every engine is different. If you go to a higher octane fuel, you may get away with 10° or more. You'll have to experiment by adjusting the base timing, then watching your performance (time slips, dyno sheets, G-Tech, etc.) and fuel mileage. If the times reac a plateau, and mileage begins to fall off, you may have gone too far. Any time you experience detonation, you've gone too far.

 

The "timing" on DeskTop Dyno is for cam timing, not ignition timing.

By changing that you're changing the intake centerline. Advancing the cam will normally increase low RPM torque while sacrificing upper RPM HP.

The same holds true, but opposite if you retard the cam timing.

There's a saying that David Vizard says "If you advance the cam timing and see a big increase in torque, then the cam you've chosen is too big. If you retard the cam timing and see a big jump in upper RPM HP, then the cam is too small."

Makes sense to me.