The effects of injection and ignition timings, engine speed and load, compression ratio and injector configuration on cycle-by-cycle combustion variation in a direct-injection spark ignition (DISI) engine fueled with methanol have been studied experimentally. The coefficient of variation (COV) of the maximum in-cylinder pressure was used to evaluate the cycle-by-cycle combustion variation. The results showed that these factors significantly affect the cycle-by-cycle combustion variation. The COV reaches the least at an optimal injection and ignition timings. The COV at a compression ratio of 14:1 is less than that at a compression ratio of 16:1 at light load, and vice versa at high load. The COV using injector type A is significantly less than that when using types B and C. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.