84-87 Civic ITC ignition timing

[Motor City Hamilton]

Any suggestions for a starting point on ignition timing for road course racing? The motor is a fresh rebuild that has been bored to .40 over. Follow the Honda manual or are there advantages to going with higher ignition timings?

[Greg Gauper]

Don't go with too much advance or you'll start to melt spark plugs!!!!

Has to do with the CVCC prechamber.

I think I ran 28 degrees total advance max when I ran in ITC trim. Stick close to stock settings, but be conservative.

BTW - Champion N2C's work great with that motor and you can get them for a buck a piece at Wally-World. You might have problems with cold-start fouling if you are running rich and the ambient is cold, but once the motor warms up they work fine.

Otherwise find the coldest NGK that you can find.

[charrbq]

The type of carb you run plays a major part in the timing. Stock or modified Honda carbs limit the timing advance significantly. Weber or Holley type carbs (all types) allow for much greater timing advancing. There is a noticable horsepower gain with a Weber carb, but the trade off is in drivability. Plus the Webers can be a real pain to jet for different weather/altitudes.

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Chris Harris
ITC Honda Civic