Starting ignition map
A 16×16 spark map generator for MS3 built on combustion physics: fuel, compression ratio, cylinder and rod geometry, boost and the engine's filling curve. It computes the MBT angle from burn speed and, separately, the knock limit — the smaller of the two goes into the map. The map assumes 20 °C intake air, paired with a MAT-based timing retard curve: two tables, both ready for TunerStudio.
Engine
Filling curve
Volumetric efficiency vs rpm at full throttle: its peak is the cylinder-pressure peak and the worst knock risk, so the map pulls timing there. Pick a preset and tweak it for your cam: both the shape and the level genuinely move the map — best of all, take the numbers from your VE table.
Top row — rpm, bottom — VE, %. A preset re-spreads the rpm points from the current redline.
16×16 spark map
Copy the block and paste it into the TunerStudio spark table (select the whole table — Ctrl+V): the top row is the highest MAP. Paste the RPM and MAP axes separately with the buttons below.
| kPa \ rpm | 850 | 1150 | 1450 | 1900 | 2200 | 2600 | 3000 | 3400 | 3800 | 4200 | 4600 | 5000 | 5300 | 5700 | 6100 | 6500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 10.0 | 13.0 | 15.0 | 18.0 | 19.5 | 21.0 | 22.0 | 23.0 | 24.0 | 24.5 | 25.5 | 26.0 | 27.0 | 27.5 | 28.0 | 29.0 |
| 95 | 11.0 | 13.5 | 16.0 | 18.5 | 20.0 | 21.5 | 22.5 | 23.5 | 24.0 | 25.0 | 26.0 | 26.5 | 27.0 | 28.0 | 28.5 | 29.0 |
| 90 | 11.5 | 14.5 | 16.5 | 19.5 | 20.5 | 21.5 | 22.5 | 23.5 | 24.5 | 25.5 | 26.0 | 27.0 | 27.5 | 28.5 | 29.0 | 29.5 |
| 85 | 12.5 | 15.5 | 18.0 | 19.5 | 21.0 | 22.0 | 23.0 | 24.0 | 25.0 | 26.0 | 26.5 | 27.5 | 28.0 | 28.5 | 29.5 | 30.0 |
| 80 | 13.0 | 16.0 | 18.0 | 20.0 | 21.0 | 22.5 | 23.5 | 24.5 | 25.5 | 26.0 | 27.0 | 28.0 | 28.5 | 29.0 | 30.0 | 30.5 |
| 75 | 14.0 | 17.0 | 18.5 | 20.5 | 21.5 | 23.0 | 24.0 | 25.0 | 26.0 | 26.5 | 27.5 | 28.5 | 29.0 | 29.5 | 30.5 | 31.0 |
| 70 | 15.0 | 17.5 | 19.0 | 21.0 | 22.0 | 23.5 | 24.5 | 25.5 | 26.5 | 27.0 | 28.0 | 29.0 | 29.5 | 30.0 | 31.0 | 31.5 |
| 65 | 15.5 | 18.0 | 19.5 | 21.5 | 22.5 | 24.0 | 25.0 | 26.0 | 27.0 | 28.0 | 28.5 | 29.5 | 30.0 | 31.0 | 31.5 | 32.0 |
| 60 | 16.5 | 18.5 | 20.0 | 22.0 | 23.0 | 24.5 | 25.5 | 26.5 | 27.5 | 28.5 | 29.5 | 30.0 | 30.5 | 31.5 | 32.0 | 33.0 |
| 55 | 17.0 | 19.0 | 21.0 | 23.0 | 24.0 | 25.0 | 26.5 | 27.5 | 28.5 | 29.0 | 30.0 | 31.0 | 31.5 | 32.0 | 33.0 | 33.5 |
| 50 | 18.0 | 20.0 | 22.0 | 24.0 | 25.0 | 26.0 | 27.5 | 28.5 | 29.5 | 30.0 | 31.0 | 32.0 | 32.5 | 33.0 | 34.0 | 34.5 |
| 45 | 18.0 | 21.5 | 23.5 | 25.5 | 26.5 | 27.5 | 28.5 | 29.5 | 30.5 | 31.5 | 32.5 | 33.0 | 34.0 | 34.5 | 35.5 | 36.0 |
| 40 | 18.0 | 24.5 | 26.0 | 27.5 | 28.5 | 29.5 | 30.5 | 31.5 | 32.5 | 33.5 | 34.0 | 35.0 | 35.5 | 36.5 | 37.5 | 38.0 |
| 35 | 18.0 | 28.0 | 29.5 | 31.0 | 32.0 | 33.0 | 34.0 | 35.0 | 36.0 | 36.5 | 37.5 | 38.5 | 39.0 | 40.0 | 40.5 | 41.5 |
| 30 | 18.0 | 30.0 | 33.0 | 34.5 | 35.5 | 36.5 | 37.5 | 38.5 | 39.5 | 40.0 | 41.0 | 42.0 | 42.5 | 43.5 | 44.0 | 45.0 |
| 20 | 18.0 | 30.0 | 40.0 | 41.5 | 42.5 | 43.5 | 44.5 | 45.5 | 46.0 | 46.0 | 46.0 | 46.0 | 46.0 | 46.0 | 46.0 | 46.0 |
The dotted underline marks 18 cells where the angle is knock-limited rather than MBT: more octane or colder intake air buys timing there.
MAT-based timing retard
The map above assumes 20 °C intake air. Hot air lowers the knock limit — the model recomputes the whole map at each temperature and takes the worst knock-limited cell. Paste the curve into TunerStudio: Ignition Settings → MAT-Based Timing Retard (enable it and paste both columns). No correction below 20 °C: this MS3 curve can only retard timing.
| MAT, °C | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 |
| Retard, ° | 0.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
This is a starting map, not a tuned one: the physics is real, but an engine is always richer than a model. First drives — with a knock sensor or by ear with margin; refine from logs and on a dyno.