A computer-implemented method for synchronizing nodes on a controller area network, CAN, comprising: identifying, via a processor, a node from a plurality of nodes (302, 304) on the CAN as a sync master node; designating, via the processor, each remaining node of the plurality nodes as a sync slave node; designating, via the processor, a first message from the sync master node as a sync message; assigning, via the processor, a lowest number, among all message IDs in the CAN, to a message ID of the sync message so that the sync message has a highest priority on a CAN bus so that the sync message will always win in a case of bus transmission contention from another of the plurality of nodes; determining a sync message target receiving time on a sync slave node; and triggering an interrupt to the processor responsive to receiving the sync message on the sync slave node in the CAN to perform time adjustment on the sync slave node; characterized in that an optimal spacing time duration T spacing between neighbor message bursts in an N node network is derived by: T spacing = T cycle − T smt + T sst 1 + T sst 2 +... + T sstN − 2 + T sstN − 1 / N; wherein: T cycle is a transmission cycle duration equal and tied to a predetermined CAN task cycle time; T smt is a sync master node message burst duration; T sst1 is a sync slave node 1 message burst duration; Tsst2 is a sync slave node 2 message burst duration; T sstN-2 is a sync slave node N-2 message burst duration; and T sstN-1 is a sync slave node N-1 message burst duration; and wherein the sync message target receiving time T target on sync slave node 1, sync slave node 2,..., sync slave node N-2, or sync slave node N-1 in the N node network is derived by: T target-J = T sstJ + T sstJ + 1 +... + T sstN − 2 + T sstN − 1 + N − J ∗ T spacing; wherein: J is a sync slave node identifier, i.e., T target-1 represents T target on sync slave node 1, Ttarget-2 represents T target on sync slave node 2,..., T target-N-2 represents T target on sync slave node N-2, T target-N-1 represents T target on sync slave node N-1. identifying, via a processor, a node from a plurality of nodes (302, 304) on the CAN as a sync master node; designating, via the processor, each remaining node of the plurality nodes as a sync slave node; designating, via the processor, a first message from the sync master node as a sync message; assigning, via the processor, a lowest number, among all message IDs in the CAN, to a message ID of the sync message so that the sync message has a highest priority on a CAN bus so that the sync message will always win in a case of bus transmission contention from another of the plurality of nodes; determining a sync message target receiving time on a sync slave node; and triggering an interrupt to the processor responsive to receiving the sync message on the sync slave node in the CAN to perform time adjustment on the sync slave node; characterized in that an optimal spacing time duration T spacing between neighbor message bursts in an N node network is derived by: T cycle is a transmission cycle duration equal and tied to a predetermined CAN task cycle time; T smt is a sync master node message burst duration; T sst1 is a sync slave node 1 message burst duration; Tsst2 is a sync slave node 2 message burst duration; T sstN-2 is a sync slave node N-2 message burst duration; and T sstN-1 is a sync slave node N-1 message burst duration; and wherein the sync message target receiving time T target on sync slave node 1, sync slave node 2,..., sync slave node N-2, or sync slave node N-1 in the N node network is derived by: