Putting VCT angles in perspective. The world of TIVCT was and is a game changer for performance and the environment. We can have a custom cams from taps of a key board and control the tail pipe gasses introduced to the OZone. The tuning of angles vs overlap ended the external EGR system we no longer see hanging of the side of the intake all rusty and messing with our custom headers... Over lap is EGR. Scavenging is EGR. The dead fuels, the absence of oxygen, NOX, all the other inert gasses left over from the combustion cycle. DEAD AIR useless for balanced tuned combustion GREAT for the OZone. No one using HPTuner or any other tuner is trying to save gas money or protect the OZONE. We want HORSE POWER. Speaking of stock angles, they are defiantly set by FORD for emissions. Now throwing BOOST to the cylinder, the cycle is not EGR,ing or scavenging its BLOWING THRU, wasting boost or better said controlling boost . We can control separation and even compression in theory.
On a stock engine you may be able to see very small HP gains but mostly you are changing emissions. A stock TB intake... the engine will suck the same amount of air regardless BUT aftermarket intakes... will change the flow of air and has proven to increase HP. VCT tuning on stock is "picking fly shit out of pepper".
Now throwing Boost at it VCT tuning is much more complex not only controlling emissions also controlling Boost, VE, air fuel ratios, ignition timing...
So in theory controlling VCT overlap and opening and closing valve timing is doing a lot. LESS overlap should be more. It all depends on all the other factors of the compression stroke. If we decrease overlap more boost probably need to change the fuel and timing, toque management tables speed density tables... "more like cutting fat off a steak"!
if your like me log data and make small changes and compare the results. "You can feel your car like no one else"