Can someone please explain to me how timing works. I'm getting a chip put in from this shop that works on nothing but audi's and vw's basically the 2.7T engine. I'm gonna have the precats gutted and get a bigger intercooler, was originally gonna go with a APR chip but I decided to go with their chip, which gives gains of 70hp/70lb-ft tq compared to apr's 68hp/124lb-ft tq. I talked to the guy today for a minute making a date of when he could do the work, and I asked his if he could increase the tq more than 70. He told me yes and said it had to do something with the timing. He sounded really busy so I told him to explain it to me when I see him. He also mentioned increasing the timing with meth injection. If anybody could explain this to me it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

i dont know much about timing, but why wouldnt you go for the apr with almost double the torque? torque is what you're really looking for, thats what gets you off the line.

 

This chip is a cheaper--- 350, apr's is 600. I'm definitely going to have him do the intercooler and downpipes. I already put in some diverter valves and have APR snub mount to put in when the intercooler is done. I might just go with APR, just wanted to get a better understanding of timing.

 

I think that he is probably talking about maximizing timing. I'm not sure that changing the timing away from it's optimum will affect the torque at all....sounds like snake oil. The ecu will adjust the timing as speed and rpm's change.

 

I can't explain exactly what he means by changing the timing either because I have no idea how his chip works. Ignition timing is adjusted to suit the fact that the chip will pump in more gas and air pressure, which increase the chance of detonation.

What I do know is that I have a 2.7T which is 100% stock (including original DV's, downpipes, intercoolers and turbos), and with my GIAC chip the power is ridiculous for a car that size. It takes a pretty special car to outrun my A6 in a straight line. If you shop around you can pick up the GIAC pretty cheap - mine actually cost $350 from a guy on Craigslist (one that wasn't a scammer).

As far as bang for the buck goes, after the chip the returns diminish rapidly - I wonder how much faster a car with gutted cats and big intercoolers can be? Maybe a bit, but what's it worth?

 

What do you mean by "the returns diminish rapidly"?

 

Sorry - I meant to say that the chip is great bang for the buck, but after that awesome improvement you have to spend a lot to gain a little.

 

way less bang for the buck. It becomes increasingly more expensive for less horsepower.

 

It has always been my understanding that timing does not change the chance of detonation. Timing is adjusted to allow the explosion to occur at the correct time in order to maximize the energy that is produced. At higher RPM's the timing is retarded in order to allow more time for this to develop I believe. I could be wrong, but I believe that is correct. Regardless, I agree with you on all the rest-the timing is variable according to the changing ratios and is adjusted by the ecu.

 

The tech means he can advance the timing either using a lemmiwinks or unisettings tuning program. (which you can also download for free)
Advancing the timing can cause pinging in a motor and catastrophic failure by melting the pistons if you advance it too far. You could safely increase the timing by about 4 degrees and pick up another 10 horsepower with a 2.7T using the same chip. If you add methanol injection which basically puts water in the intake to cool down the temperature, so you can further increase the timing up to about 8-12 degrees picking up about another 30-40 horsepower. But this is a risky thing, if the methanol injection fails you could blow your motor in a matter of minutes if the timing is too far advanced.