total timing question

Carb vs. fuel injection seems to have a pretty big effect on what the motors will tolerate and like for timing. I know I pushed it once on a carb just to see if it would make a difference because I was out of other ideas and it didn't blow up or run any worse. Others have reported good dyno results with high timing on a carb, but the root cause seems to be poor fueling and the timing is more just a bandaid. Most fuel injection builds I see don't tend to top 24 degrees if that for max output and wide open.

The caveat to this is that timing can go as high as 40 degrees under cruise conditions, but I'm guessing that's not really what you're asking. At cruise with a lean mixture it needs the extra timing to get things all burnt, but that's a whole different ballgame for tuning.