Hi,

 

Yes you can run around 10 degrees btdc safely. Make sure you run at least 92 octane gas.
Be aware though, the proper way to adjust timing is through prom work

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91 Formula
305 TPI 5speed
1LE/G92/WS6

Paxton SN92 polished kit, SLP airfoil, ported/polished plenum, March pulleys, Crane AFPR(43psi),Crane Gold 1.6rrs,MSD coil,MSD6AL (5200rpm limit),Holley 9mm wires,Ac delco R43ts plugs,stock chip,Ford SVO 24# injectors,Bosch O2sensor,SLP 1 5/8" headers,SLP catback,shortened shifter,3:73s w/Auburn posi,180* t-stat,JET 195* fan switch, Macewen white face gauges, Autometer gauges, Zoom hi-performance clutch.

 

....

 

you can control timing advance through a custom prom, and a whole lot of other useful stuff (knock sensor sensitivity, fan control). If you look under the tech section of the site there is a good article on how to burn proms.

The off the shelf ones don't do much but lower your fan temperature, and give you a more agressive spark . Thats it

 

when i tried it on my 87 LB9 t5 car it pinged like hell!
The spec on my car is 6 deg. i bumped it to 8 deg. and it sounded lke a jack hammer i even had 94 sunoco in the tank,put it back to 6 deg. and problem went away.
Just my two cents!

 

The timing on my 88 5.0 TPI was way off from the factory setting...
I actually run it at 12 degrees,and it does well.no pinging.
I have seen L98's run this high as well.
Guess it depends on the car.

 

I have mine advanced like a mother. I think the base timing is at like 10* and the other one (with the EST connected) is at like 18*, and I have NO detonation.

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1987 Chevy Camaro IROC-Z
L98 TPI 350 (5.7L)
TH 700R-4 Transmission
Borg Warner 7.75" 9 Bolt Rear End

Current Mods: LT4 HOT Cam, Comp Cams 1.52:1 Roller Rocker Arms, Edelbrock TES 1 5/8" Headers, Hooker 3" Aerochamber Cat-Back System, Performance Resource Chip, Accel Ignition Coil, Cap, Rotor, 8.8mm Wires, K&N Filters, JET TPI Air Foil, All Free Mods, Falken ZIEX Z-Rated Tires.

Best ET (w/o LT4 cam): 14.32 @ 97.7mph
(corrected for elevation)

7.5" 10 Bolt with 3.42s soon to come!

 

On my 91 GTA when it was basically stock, I could only take it up to 8 degrees before pinging started. Mine ran best at 8 degrees.
Like others have said, for some wierd reason every car is different. I would just keep advanceing it until you hear some ping, then back it off slightly until it is gone.

 

Carbon buildup might be the reason for difference from engine to engine. I had mine @ 14-16* and the was no pinging that you could hear
Rick

 

Mine will ping on the 1-2 shift at 8° static advance but I have a Hypertech ThermoMaster chip. I always use 93 octane. I don't think it's carbon buildup as the car only has 53K miles and I have over 120 timeslips from the last 10K miles

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87 Formula 350 13.94@96.67
98 Z28 1LE 13.15@107.59
1LE Owners Association

 

Yea you guys with advanced timing dont "hear" the ping, but your knock sensor is! Which means it's stealing a ton of timing away from you.

Hook it up to a scanner and take a few WOT runs and you'll see.

 

Advanced Timing is a proven mod....
I felt an increase in performance and it has mantained it since.

 

My car kept setting SES lights for no reason, related to the knock sensor, when I first got it. I finally tracked it down to the initial timing being advanced to 18+ degrees. I set it back to stock and the SES light stopped coming on. You're lucky.

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West Coast GM Shootout 2001!
1991 Camaro Z28
5.7L 5-Speed (originally 305)
13.25 @ 107.18 MPH
Southern California
Member: SoCal 3rd Gen F-Bodies
Webmaster: SoCal F-Bodies
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