can the timing be advanced by turning the distributer? i would like the power to come on lower in the rpm range.

 

i wouldnt imagine that would be it. I would say you need to tune the computer

 

It will make about a 3% increase. probably not what your looking for and its not good for the car.

 

Like Mike said, you can advance the timing slightly and it will give a little bit more power. But it will also increase spark knock, (otherwise known as pre-ignition) which is a bad thing for your engine. This spark knock noise is actaully the cylinder head vibrating against the block. A little bit of spark knock on hard acceleration isnt too harmful, and in some cars is actually normal, but you definitely do not want to be driving around all the time with this condition.

I'd set the timing where toyota says it is supposed to be, and look for more power elsewhere, like for example if you install headers you will often get a significant power increase. And just running premium fuel will actually give you more power too.