3V VCT numbers, need help

[07Bossman]

I'm used to advance and retard numbers with pushrod V8's. Most of those are installed or ground in at 4* advanced. You can mess with that a LITTLE bit, but most people don't.

So when I'm looking at the VCT tables, with numbers in the 40+ range, I can't wrap my head around what it all means.

Retarded cam numbers have usually been represented by a negative value and advanced is positive. So unless I can find a number that represents what would be the cams installed "straight up", then the rest of the numbers mean nothing because there is no way to reference a retarded vs. advanced condition.

[momotunes]

The cams can only retard. So 0=full advance and +40= 40 degrees retard.

[07Bossman]

The cams can only retard. So 0=full advance and +40= 40 degrees retard.

Ok, so what is full advance then?

[nxcoupe]

Ok, so what is full advance then?

I've tuned quite a few of these and you need to look at it differently than you do an older pushrod engine. Look over your stock setting in the tune and make small changes up or down and record the results. This is only effective when on a dyno. I have 100s of hours on the dyno chasing these cam settings to get them optimal, yet each engine is slightly different, so there is merely a good starting point with small adjustments needed, if any.