VG30ET Ignition Timing

[DuoWing]

Alright I managed to get my marks on the timing cover and the crank pulley marked with some white out. For my 87 the hood label and FSM show to set it at 15* before TDC. Anyway I was wondering how do you guys feel about timing, I know with the L28ET people usually say Nissan was pretty conservative on the factory timing and you can advance it, get more power, and still be gold. I was wondering if it was the same for the VG30ET or not. Like would going to 20* BTDC be dangerous or not? I know the 84-86 Z31Ts ran 20, I figure there must be some reason Nissan retarded it 5* for the 87 model year.

[D15T0RT10N]

Alright I managed to get my marks on the timing cover and the crank pulley marked with some white out. For my 87 the hood label and FSM show to set it at 15* before TDC. Anyway I was wondering how do you guys feel about timing, I know with the L28ET people usually say Nissan was pretty conservative on the factory timing and you can advance it, get more power, and still be gold. I was wondering if it was the same for the VG30ET or not. Like would going to 20* BTDC be dangerous or not? I know the 84-86 Z31Ts ran 20, I figure there must be some reason Nissan retarded it 5* for the 87 model year.

 

I would not play with the timing unless you have an IC. Especially if you plan on running higher boost. There were a few changes made to the engine later on, one of which is the size of the turbo. Wikipedia has a detailed write-up on the VG-30 series. It's a good read. There is also plenty of other data available for you to use to help make the best choice.

 

http://www.az-zbum.com/ Has a lot of great info compiled by one of the most knowledgeable Z owners in the community.