Why so much inital timing???

Honestly, if I could get away with running a locked out mechanical advance on the street, have it start every time, and not detonate, I'd do it every time. There's nothing saying you can't run a vacuum can with a locked out mechanical.

I have real issue with all of this DCR talk also. To me, a DCR is nothing but a STATIC measurement that doesn't take into account the many other factors that influence cylinder filling. Its like saying you have a 10:1 compression ratio because you put in 10:1 pistons, and it says so right on the box. There are a lot of other things that affect it. So, exactly how does the intake valve closing point dictate exactly how much intake charge actually gets trapped in the cylinder. Does it play a role? Absolutely, but it is not the end all, be all that it is made out to be.