Assuming using the same bullets and same gun, the heavier recoil spring should increase the amount of cycle time because it will take that much more energy to push the slide back for its cycle. Assuming that the recoil was equal to the spring weight and parts friction, you would get no movement. Excess energy above the spring and friction drive the slide rearward. More excess energy means the slide will be driven back even faster. So, the slide should move faster with a 16# spring than a 24# spring since there will be more energy available after overcoming the spring and friction.
Here is where the timing becomes important. If the slide moves too fast, it is possible to have too little time to get the spent case out and the new round in the chamber and so there can be malfunctions. Also, when a slide is too fast, that means the extra energy eventually is dumped into the frame when the slide reaches the end of the stroke. You don't want to have the gun pounded like that since it can eventually damage the gun.
If the slide moves too slow, it is quite likely that it won't complete a full cycle and as a result, will not move far enough back to pick up a new round.
What the shooter wants is a balance between ammo, gun, and spring. Shorter guns like commanders and officer model using high # springs to slow the cycle as much as possible, in part compensating for the reduced mass of the shortened slides.
Browning designed the gun to shoot 230 gr unjacketed lead ball ammo given the type of powder used at the time that produced a certain pressure that fired the bullet at 850 fps and cycled the gun. The 16# spring was optimal. Nowadays, we have a variety of attributes to take into account such as lighter bullets (e.g. 200 gr, 185 gr., 165 gr)and varied amounts and types of pressures. There is faster burning powder and slower burning powder. Some rounds are loaded hotter than others. The trick is to match the spring weight to the ammo and gun so that the gun cycles reliably, but is not getting battered. If everything is in balance, a gun with a 16# spring and specific ammo should handle very similarly to when the gun is fitted with a 24# spring that balances for much hotter ammo.
For example, I shoot Blazer 230 gr FMJ ball for practice. It has been my observation that the felt recoil on this ammo is similar to the recoil I experience shooting 230 gr Hydrashok. Both have a greater felt recoil than what I feel with Fiocchi 230 gr ball that I used to shoot more. I like to shoot the Blazer because it is cheap, but also because it behaves very similarly to the Hydrashok that I can't afford to practice with. Being as the felt recoil is higher for these two rounds, I went with a 22# recoil spring instead of the 18.5 that came with the gun. The gun cycles extremely reliably with the 22# spring and those two ammos.
As an added benefit of the higher poundage spring, there is more force to pick up the next round from the magazine and drive it up the ramp and into battery. One of the common problems that happens sometimes is that rounds fail to feed and are hung up on the ramp. The extra strength helps keep this from happening.
Remember, it is all about balance.