ok did a mini me swap, new cam cam gear timing belt and d16z6 dist. when i go to set the timing i move the dist. around and there is barely any variation in the engine pitch, and in the drive. every other car ive ever worked on slight movements make a big difference. also my timing light is reading the mark about 4 inches away from the the degree markings. the car is laggy and has never felt "right" also the vtec does not work but the solenoid is connected and new (perhaps has something to do with this?) please any help would be great.

 

Check the physical timing. Moving the distributor will not make a huge difference in driving, even less when your cam is a few teeth off.