Tuning Ignition

Hi, how you guys deal with high horsepower powered cars when tuning ignition? Listening to know or already having an idea of how much timing it should have based on experience?

How to deal with ignition when I cant hear for know and torque output? Maybe exhaust gas Temperature?

How to do it with In cylinder pressure? I have one but it is directly bolted into the spark plug hole...

The tool for measuring engine torque & power is the dynamometer (i.e. Dyno) . So we use a dyno (engine or chassis) to determine the ideal ignition timing. If knock is detected (using audio knock monitoring tools like Plex Knock Monitor, or ECU knock detection if calibrated), then we reduce the timing (or increase the fuel octane) and say that engine is knock limited.

Look hard, dynos are around just often not advertised or promoted. Find one you can work with.

Alternately, there are tools like that use acceleration of the vehicle on the road to produce a dyno curve. But this is very dependent on repeatable conditions. You will be much better served by finding a chassis dyno you can use.

As David said. With some engines, they will start to detonate, or pre-ignite, before they reach mean best torque, and knock sensors and/or good audio detection can help avoid operation there, as it will quickly dmage the enine.

Other engines will reach MBT before detonation, as the timing is advanced, and a dyno' is the best tool for these engines because, otherwise, you're just losing torque/power, and passing more heat into the cooling system.

You mention you have something that bolts into a spark plug hole, what is that? If you have a spark plug with pressure transducer, it will show a spike when detonation, or pre-ignition, is reached.

Hi guys, it definitely takes practice and a lot of knowledge.

This is my in cylinder pressure, but it is just for engine diagnostics