Ignition timing / Cam timing Advice

[Kieran]

Boys/Girls,

IGNITION TIMING
Firstly i need advice on ignition timing, i have a spec s from japan. Tomoro i'm buying a timing gun so i can advance the ignition timing but im not sure how much to advance it buy. Irish fuel is 92-93octane(i think) my question is how far can i advance it safley. My mods are a decat, cone filter & a few breathers

CAM TIMING
I have basic mech skills & tools is it possible for me to advance the cam timing and get more power is this hard to do can anyone give a walk thro for this. I cant aford a dyno run is this nessesary?

Thanks
-Kieran

 

[spoonman]

stuff all, if you want power buy my headers :nod::thumbs: and make a proper cold air intake

 

[spoonman]

and while im at it....... or quad throttle body which can be made from a pulsar GTiR's intake plenum , throw away the fan driven off the engine and put two electric ones on it, for better engine responce a bolt on engine torque damper is a great little bit of kit while you are at it, the body stiffening on the s is rather lacking cusco can help this problem alot with there front and rear strut bars , a lsd which you are already looking into, and if you want to +t i have a complete how to guide

 

[Kieran]

How s the best way to go about making a cold air intake?

 

[Amused_15]

well, its pretty straightforward if i might add. You already have a cone filter which is probably robbing you of power as it is only sucking in warm heated air from within the engine bay. What you wanna do is make a shroud out of aluminium, over and around your cone and this will help you get your intake temps cooler...not by a lot i might add...but it will help. HAve a look at apexi's website mate, they have their kit...you'll see what im talking abt.

 

[_Wing_]

I would suggest not to muck around with the timings unless you're on a dyno with a trained professional knowing what the limit of the motor is and how to identify it

 

[DeanS15]

hi kieran, welcome

you can advance the ignition timing to gain a little power when you are using higher octane fuel than what the car is mapped for....your spec s was designed to run on 100ron fuel so if you put 92ron fuel in it and advance the ignition timing the thing will be knocking its tits off or sensing knock and then the ecu backing the timing off by itself. i am not an expert, but i believe that much to be true. if anything to run on the irish petrol you'd have to retard ignition to avoid detonation and make it a bit more safe but even if you don't the ecu will see any knock and do it for you - then you will actually lose power as its timing the ignition to avoid the knock.

i agree with wing, i wouldn't touch it if i were you - i cant see anything to be gained from doing that in your situation.....

i'm not trying to say anything about your knowledge, and only want to help, but i think you should read a few articles etc to get a better understanding of exactly what advancing timing would do to your car :thumbs:

 

[spoonman]

How s the best way to go about making a cold air intake?

The best type is a sealed heat insulated a similar concept to what the factory used in the first place, shields do work a bit but not very well as hot air still gets around them with ease. And if you are sitting on a hot summers day at a intersection or in traffic and go to pull off you will notice a total lack of power from the hot engine bay air, and if you open your bonnet touch the intake pipe it will all be very hot, and you have just gone below the power level of a factory intake system.....Fail, but so many people do it. The one i built never has this problem.

Here are some photos of what i have done, this is a much larger box then the factory one and can fit a POD or Mushroom filter, i would go with a mushroom filter, better flow, not as good intake cleaning but its only a DE engine.

The box is metal and has been completely sealed so that the only air to reach the intake is from the outside of the car, this also has a great effect once you are at speed as the air is rammed in from the front and cant go anywhere but down the intake which is why you air tight seal them as they can build pressure you really notice a power gain once you above 120kph, and since the meter is right there the air volume is all calculated correctly and more power is achieved. This works so well that after a few hours of driving the intake pipe right the way back to the plenum is cool.
I also lined the engine side of the box with wetsuit material. got a old wetsuit for a $1 and just cut it up. the lid is sitting on a rubber seal so that it can be removed and put back on without having to worry about making a new seal every time.

This is a great mod for the spec slow, and you can make it all yourself.

I used tin from a fridge. ( not recommended )
A grinder with a cutting blade. ( tin snips for the corners )
A vice to bend the panels so that tabs could be made.
4mm drill & 4mm rivets to hold it all together.
Silicone to seal all the edges.
A old wetsuit for lining.
A piece of old rubber seal for the lid lining, Ados f2 to hold it on.
Metal self tapping screws to hold the lid down.
Primer and paint. ( rattle cans )
Two flexi pipes cable tied onto the bumper, and jammed into the box

 

[Kieran]

Thanks thats great i'll definatly give that a go. I'm sorry to hear about all those earthquakes you had down there buddy.

 

[Kieran]

I jumped the gun here and dialed in 18* advanced timing from 15* doing it a degree at a time and taking it for a run. It felt progressivly more smooth through the power band, easier to drive like it had a bit more low down torque which the spec s seems to lack. I think it might be a bit to advanced now so im taking it back a bit. If the engine knocks dose the engine warning light come on? the engine sounds a bit different but i dont thoink its knocking but then i never heard an engine knock before. Intake temps are pretty cold were i live too. According to the Americans 17* is safe for 95ron fuel which is what we have here i found out.

 

[spoonman]

Thanks thats great i'll definatly give that a go. I'm sorry to hear about all those earthquakes you had down there buddy.

Year Christchurch is pretty stuffed, long way from where i live, but there are a few members on here from down that way