Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Forced Induction cam timing vs. ignition timing

ok ok, grasshopper needs some schooling and ive researched a bit on this but havent found a answer that i understand. lol. higher boost and/or compression generally retard the timing...loss in power but defends against detonation...correct? with that said the first place i would start is definately with the ignition timing. now heres my problem. valve timing. with our contour we cant control this. ie no cam gears. but the ford cpu adjust spark curves based on(in conjunction of other sensors) the cam position sensor right? is the duratec pretty much screwed if you were to go to a stand alone system because we cant control the cams manually?

You could alway get a different cam grind. Not easy but that's an option. I myself think Cam timing is overrated anyways. It's more of an Emission and gas milage thing in my eyes.

yeah but alot of the honda tuners use cam gears alot and get pretty good gains from it in conjunction of big power adders.

If you're going to be using big power adders your stock cams aren't going to do anyways. You will need different camshafts which will solve 2 problems in one.

1. You timing will be like it should be for the power adders you're using.

2. Your lift and duration will be suited to your motor and power adders.

And please don't tell me you're taking advice from Honda drivers. I love Hondas but there are alot that don't know anything about what they're about.

Not to mention they are 2 totally different cars.

yeah i agree with you about most honda drivers. but... my friends integra is an exception. its one of the quickest cars ive riden in and is tuned very very well. hes got cam gears. lol. on v8s and stuff dont they adjust the timing on the cam shafts? im sure they do.

Ok, cam gears are the stepping stones to getting custom cams. They are there to fill a gap. Once a custom cam comes someday they will serve no purpose. So why not hold off and wait till you put your power adder on, then get a cam grind that will suit your needs.


And trust me, I roam a huge crowd of Honda cult fanatics. I know how "tuned" hondas feel and act. I also know they are not w/o flaw.

You know how many turbo'd and s/c'd duratecs there are and none of them have adjustable cam gears and most (all?) have stock cams. Sure you can get more power from changing these things obviously you can get enough with the stock stuff. The cam gears aren't gonna save your engine from detonation, as you already know, you just need to change your ignition timing. Though cam gears do allow for fine tuning and a bit more power. Buy a zetec.

TY

dont know bout the zetec