I've searched the .org and read everything I can find on the 5.5 Gen timing advance mod. It seems like bumping my timing +3 (from 14 to 17) would improve my engine performance below around 3K. I also know the possible risk of pinging if fuel with a low octane is used but I always use "Super" and typically Mobil brand so I doubt this would be a problem for me. What I am most interested in confirming is that this mod would actually improve my fuel economy as I currently average around 21 in mixed highway/city driving - I would be really stoked if I could get my mpg up to 24-25.

If you have a 2K2 or a 2K3 with a 6 speed manual, please post your before/after results with the mod - both performance AND fuel economy. Thanks!

Andrew

 

hasn't helped me

 

I'm auto and I get avg of 24 mpg after advancing the timing to 17btdc but get ready for some pings like a lot of people here are experiencing recently. We are paying over $3/gal for sh!ttier gas. My car gets 91 cheveron (higest octane in CA) from day one and its starting to ping recently...I think it is the gas.

 

I get about 17mpg with city driving....mixed usually bumps it up to 20....I never really got over 21 iirc....maybe 22 a few times here and there if I granny drive...but I know i can never get 28 like the indicated EPA estimates

in conclusion.....it hasn't done jack **** to me in fuel mileage

 

it has helped me. i monitored it with my harrison obd2 software on my laptop. it gives real time fuel mileage and whether the actual number is accurate or not is not my concern. i had a 1.5mgp average gain after my timing advance. advancing the timing before it detonates should improve mileage since the efficiency of the motor is increased.

 

I can't give you exact #'s but I have noticed a slight improvement. I also paired that w/ a K&N panel filter and that seemed to help a little bit too.

*edit* I always use 93, no pinging.

 

Im gonna have to agree with shoguns, ive definetely noticed the quality of gas, even tho were paying so much more...hasnt been as good of quality lately. so pinging might become more of a problem as of recent with getting a timing advance due to whats on the market

 

The quality of gas is all over the place because restrictions on how refineries operate were lifted to help relieve the shortage. For example, they are no longer required to carry out all the refining steps or maintain a certain level of additives. Plus we are supposedly importing gas from overseas, which have different standards than ours. The octane ratings at the pump don't mean anything now.

 

Even if you use Super you will still most likely ping. I got my timing advanced and i usually ping below 2300 rpms and my milage has not gone up at all. If anything i am down 1mpg.

 

well i'm still waiting to get this "bad gas"....never had pinging ever

 

same here. i noticed an improvement of ~30 miles per tank, which translates to ~2mpg.

previously i would be lucky to get 290 miles per tank in mixed driving (before gas light came on). now i consistently get around 320. this is with the same chronically heavy foot i've always driven with.

 

Its not a big difference. I would say i get 1mpg more based on the comp trip. Yeah its inaccurate but works fine in comparisons. However I have noticed that even before katrina my car would ping frequently on certain brands of 93 octane. Sunoco 94 and BP 93 seem to work best for me. Even then I get some light pinging 1500-2300rpm. I havent noticed a change in the quality of the gas myself.

 

Why all this pinging? I thought our cars had knock sensors that would prevent that.

 

if you're doing this just for the better gas mileage, you'll spend more money on premium trying to avoid pinging than you would just leaving your timing stock and buying regular ... on the other hand, if you're buying premium anyways, might as well get the most out of it.

 

The mechanic at my dealership told me that on my 2k3 you couldnt advance the timing because the ECU wouldnt keep it in memory after you cut the car off,I cant remb. his name but he used to work for JWT and is the dealerships master tech so I guess he knows his stuff. Any of you know if this is true or not or checked your cars after you have had them advanced to see if they held it or not.(3.5 spec.only) Thanx,Charles

 

he's the master tech? lol...Our ECU will stick...the 4th or older genners will not.

 

he worked at JWT, that explains enough for me. the only way to retard the timing back to stock is use the consult 2 and change it. you can unplug the battery on 2k-2k1 and go through the pedal reset on 2k2-2k3 and the timing will not change. i used my obd2 software and checked it on my car 2k1 and friends cars 2k2 & 2k3 and the timing stuck each and every time.

 

I was told that if you started using lower octane fuels that the cars onboard computer would drop your timing back down to compensate for the lower octane fuel. Since getting my timing advanced my fuel economy has improved a lot. I used to get around 26-28 MPG on the highway now i get an average of about 31 MPG on the highway and about 25 in the city. I dunno if this all because of the timing advance because I installed a PR CAI a few days before the timing advance. Ive had it on my car since around march. No complaints here.

 

The more low end torque you have the better your fuel milage. Adv.T. = better torque.

 

I had my timing advaced when I put in my race pipe. Between the two, I gained 3 mpg on average.