Advancing the cam moves the power band lower and retarding the cam moves the power band upward.

As an example, my parents had a Camry and they had the dealer replace the timing belt. When we got the car back, the dealer had goofed up the install and retarded the cam timing by one tooth. The car had very little torque down low and came on strong up top with a power band that felt much like a 2 stroke dirt bike.

The dealer fixed the problem and the car felt normal again.

__________________
-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250