hi there, im about to do the timing on my car. when i use the timing gun, the marks are slightly off from the pins. by about 2mm. should i line them up EXACTLY or should i leave them?

thanks

Rob

 

all depends on which way the 2mm is. if its before or as you look at it with the timing light under or beneath the pin its just advanced a little if its the other way its retarded and I would at least put it at the pins. Although a little advance don't hurt. Don't forget you have 2 pins for your leading and trailing plugs too.

 

Do it as best as you can - sometimes the distributor turns a little when you tighten it and it's a bit tricky to get it perfect. I'd say you might as well give her a shot, but don't be too dismayed if you can't get it exactly. A good timing setting for a conservative performance increase is 2 degrees BTDC leading and 19 degrees ATDC trailing, set at idle speed of 750 rpms. These are the Racing Beat recommended settings for stockport 12A engines. In other words, around 2-3mm to the right of the stock marks. (I have indexed my pulley, which makes it a lot easier to set precisely)

 

what I have found out on timimg is to not advance the lead buy more than 4 degrees from stock and to bring the trail closer from the normal of 20 degrees to as close as 8 degrees split. Its just that every driver or car set up isn't the same so you have to go by trial and error to find your best setting for your driving.

 

Yeah, lots of people certainly like the 8 degree split. I guess it's a personal preference kinda thing. Personally I'm not a big fan of how it makes the engine feel... it certainly makes for a smooth low end, but I find it makes the top end seem a bit weak. Anyways, that's just me