Working with my 87 & 91 Vanagons I've been surprised how sensitive they are to
slight changes in ignition timing. After timing a replacement engine "by the
book" (5 deg. BTDC) one car had terrible low-end response, feeling very dead
when starting from a stop until the engine hit over 3000 rpm. Advancing the
timing 2-3 deg more made a huge difference in throttle response.

I wonder if the specs are that far off, or if the pulley timing marks are very
reliable compared to the flywheel TDC sensor used by VW to do timing.

Anyone else care to say what timing they find best?

Tom