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Hey Everyone, I'm running Megasquirt on my 3.0 Milano with an ignition table. A few years back I got the suggestion to run a max of 26 degrees advance. What's the current conventional wisdom?

Thanks,
Bill in Maryland

I ran up to 32° on my MS1.

26° is a little bit mild in my opinion....

Bill obviously no one on this board wants to give you bad advice hence the 26 deg.I've sucessfully run 36 deg.on my 2.5 for 2 years - street and track and so far no craters in my pistons I run regular fuel by the way.Use at your own risk etc etc etc

Thank you, interesting that you start out at 18 degrees? The stock setup is 7 degrees at idle? So it sounds like I can go all the way up to 36. Great. Thanks.

Bill in MD

Bill keep in mind that you're working with a 3.0L not a 2.5 so I don't know how that will affect the results.I believe the CR is the same ? If it was my engine I'd start at 30 deg.max. and gradually increase until the result is satisfactory.In theory you're supposed to increase until you detect "pinging" and then back off a few degrees' but in reality that's vitually impossible to detect on an Alfa engine You pretty much have to go seat of your pants - or use a dyno.My idle advance is high relative to stock because this is where I achieved the best combo of low Map and smooth idle.Where I live we don't have emission testing so that may also affect what you can do ? Another point to consider is that my 2.5 runs "S" cams so the idle settings may be impacted a little by that fact.

Murray wrote:Bill keep in mind that you're working with a 3.0L not a 2.5 so I don't know how that will affect the results.I believe the CR is the same ? If it was my engine I'd start at 30 deg.max. and gradually increase until the result is satisfactory.In theory you're supposed to increase until you detect "pinging" and then back off a few degrees' but in reality that's vitually impossible to detect on an Alfa engine You pretty much have to go seat of your pants - or use a dyno.My idle advance is high relative to stock because this is where I achieved the best combo of low Map and smooth idle.Where I live we don't have emission testing so that may also affect what you can do ? Another point to consider is that my 2.5 runs "S" cams so the idle settings may be impacted a little by that fact.

Ignition tuning should be done on the dyno. Advancing until detonation and then backing off a few degrees could have the engine well past its peek torque output for that particular rev/load point, especially at part throttle points where the dynamic compression ratio is lower and the engine is less likely to detonate.

Wot Duk said. You don't need or want any more advance than is required to give best power...and a dyno is by far the best way to determine that.

I've got some numbers for my aspirated 3.0 12V V6 that was stock apart from some C&B 'mild' cams and S pistons. Any help?