Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna
It's not a good thing to be constantly retarding timing, right?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PMok
I'm no engine tech or even remotely scientific, but yeah, retarding timing means you are dialing back to be conservative and trying to save the engine from damage. At a minimum it means you are not making as much power as you could be, if you had better fuel.
A different way to look at it though, is that it means the tune is too aggressive for the fuel provided. Fine tuning the fuel and ignition maps to match the fuel you are using would allow the engine to operate the best it can without needing to retard the timing. Keep in mind our cars are tuned from the factory to operate optimally at 93-94 octane.
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^But seriously though, my thoughts exactly. IMHO cars are meant to function with a range of fuels and environments, which is why the ECUs have feed back loops to allow it to run as efficiently as it can given the conditions. Like P said, these cars are meant to run with 93 octane, and maybe 60-90 deg temps, at sea level, etc. but doesn't mean our cars are better off here than in Colorado (see what I did there P?
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