

The red clamp goes onto the positive end of your car battery and the black clamp goes onto the negative end. It picks up the spark signal through the wire.Ģ. Let’s start with some general identification:ġ: This red clamp is an inductive pick-up that gets clipped onto the number 1 cylinder spark plug wire. Stop, whip out your timing light, take some timing out and go for a test drive. If you hear anything that sounds remotely close to pinging, do not attempt to go to wide open throttle or beat on the car. Listen for any signs of pinging, it tends to sound like marbles rattling around in a tin can. If you do plan on adding more timing (IE more advance), then start small and go for a test drive. The best thing to do when wondering what to set your timing is to be conservative and stick to the factory settings. It’s always in one’s best interest to be cautious when adjusting timing and to go in small increments.
#Timing gun cracked#
This can lead to melted pistons, cracked pistons, breaking piston rings or even catastrophic engine failure.

Too much can lead to pinging or detonation which is extremely harmful to your motor. Having too much advance in your timing is much worse than having too little. Too little timing and you lose performance, too much timing and you start breaking things (and the obvious loss of performance that comes with that). Incorrect ignition timing can lead to poor fuel economy, low power or even a blown motor. For categories such as age and gender, net time is typically used in lieu of gun time as it provides an accurate race result regardless of starting position.Įven though chip timing is far superior technologically, gun timing still has a place in racing, although it’s now the norm to employ both systems simultaneously.Having your ignition timing set correctly could mean the difference between having good day and a very, very bad day. In order to give the best racers an opportunity to post an overall winning time, they are typically placed at the front of the pack so that they have a more accurate time and don’t have to work their way through crowds. In smaller races, the discrepancy between net time and gun time is minimal however, in large races, it may take up to ten minutes before a participant actually crosses the starting line. Likewise, the individual in first needs to be able to protect their position at the front. The individual at the head of the pack needs to be perceived as being in first place so that competitors can strategically pace themselves and set up a final kick at the end. The reasoning behind sticking to this inaccurate timing method boils down to an attempt to uphold the integrity of competition. Regardless of when you actually crossed the starting line, the time from pistol shot to finish line will be your official time. The traditional and USATF sanctioned method of timing races, gun timing starts the race clock for everyone at the initial pistol shot. Also, it has been credited with reducing cheating as racers must cross all the checkpoints. Net time has been effective in reducing crowding at the chutes by being able to measure individual times in large crowds. Because this method tracks the actual time recorded at the starting line minus the time at the finish line, it is often referred to as net time. An RFID reader interprets and sends the information to a computer with the process repeating itself at each mat. Larger races will have mats at checkpoints throughout the race giving organizers the ability to measure split times.Īs you run across an RFID timing mat, the antenna within the mat emits an electromagnetic wave energizing the RFID chip, which then responds with a unique identification number associated with your race bib number.

Your individual clock starts as soon as you pass over the mats located at the starting line, and likewise ends as you cross the mats at the finish line.

The type of RFID tag varies on the system being used, but they range from shoelace tags, ankle bracelets, to the more common disposable race bibs with an affixed UHF RFID tag.Ĭhip timing is able to precisely measure your race results by registering your race chip as you run across RFID timing mats located throughout the race course. Race participants wear the RFID tags during the race. Race chip timing systems use RFID transponder chips to precisely measure racers’ times.
