Im not saying it will work in every engine guys, just simply saying some engines will make better power across a broader range with more timing, that is all. I guess i could have worded the post a little differently. The engines i have that are using that much timing arent having failures, only had one problem out of one engine and that was due to changing oil brands at the track and not flushing out the engine properly because we were pressed for time, and i paid the price for that mistake. Ended up swapping the rod and crank out for a new one that same night after the races, only setting the rod clearance and timing and went back the next day to a different track to win one feature and 2 2nds in other classes, without ever putting the engine on the dyno or any other tuning... so i do stand behind what i said about SOME engines making better power with more timing.
Again, im not saying this will work for every engine, and im not a professional engine builder at all when it comes to these engines, but i have spent alot of time building my own engines and for others, and on the dyno seeing what works and what does not, that is where my experience comes from. I have had engines that were a dog with anything more than 34* also, to me its all about how the engine is built and set up and how the parts your using work together. Kart43 if what your saying is true, why am i not breaking rods every few races or replacing cranks as often as some change springs? The rod gets changed in my pro clone every 5 races, springs changed every 3 races, rings and valves changed when the leak down shows its time for a rebuild, which is usually after about 15 races. That is just what works for me, and i do the same with the predators. I dont run stock predator classes myself anymore, but i do build the engines for several people who race here in Ky, and they are consistently up front, so i am not seeing a problem with what im doing. There will always be some who disagree, i see alot of that on here, specifically from you Kart43 and a few others, but that doesnt bother me much because im just used to it by now. Im no expert on these engines but im far from a rookie either. Im not sure what you mean by me not using the full rpm range, we run them from an idle up to almost 7000 for the clones, and up to 6200 with the stock class predators, and some of these tracks are known for having alot of cautions, especially in the rookie classes, still am not seeing rods breaking or gualding to the cranks like your suggesting, some of these guys have 30 races or more on their predators with high timing. I am talking about dirt oval or oval racing in general, which is what most people on this site race when it comes to clones or predators, not sprint. I am not the only one this works for, in case you missed the post above from the original poster, who said he has a few engines right now that have 40-42* timing that are his best engines....that is 5 engines in one thread here that are making the best power with that much timing, it doesnt take a genius to see that more than a few are capable of it.
Not saying everyone can just throw 40* or more timing into an engine and go, and expect that engine to run the best, but with the right combination of parts, and tuning the engine on the dyno, it can and DOES work and works well. I agree that the part where i said there is no such thing as too much timing was a bit of an overstatement, you are right there and i apologize, i removed that from the post to not cause more confusion to new folks. But saying 40* is harmful or asking for a failure in every engine just because it doesnt work for you, isnt exactly right either.