Absolutely, positively for damn sure you NEED vacuum advance.

You also need to run a curve. Not sure why you only have 30 total, because that seems really low. Plus if you have ANY sort of ignition box, the timing WILL retard with RPM, so you actually will have LESS than 30 total with the distributor locked out and RPM retard.

So get a curve in it and add vacuum advance.

When you run the timing that far retarded you get a TON of heat way too late in the power stroke. On blow down, when the exhaust valve opens you still have combustion happening and all that heat goes into the exhaust valves, the exhaust port and out the exhaust.

That’s not only a power killer it’s a parts killer. So yeah, you are wasting fuel and power and I’d bet everything I have, everything you have and a bunch of stuff neither of us have that your exhaust gas temperatures are through the roof.

I used to see it all the time when I was tuning at the track and guys were logging EGT’s. The EGT would be where they thought it should be, or some other hero told them the EGT was too high, so they start adding fuel (usually wrong) and pulling timing (usually wrong) and the EGT would keep on climbing.

Then when you tell them they are doing it backwards, all the guys who’ve never looked at a data log ever tell them why they need to go to a colder plug ([censored]??????) and get the timing down some more.

Get some timing in it. And get a curve. And vacuum advance.