Strategies to Follow to Prepare for Your Engine Dyno Testing Session
“Time is money,” as the adage goes. At the dyno shop, that is more true than anywhere else. You’re losing money for every second that you spend on tasks that should have been completed prior to testing your vehicle’s performance on an engine dyno (or hiring a tuner). The key is to make good use of your precious seconds to maximize your return on investment. Make a strategy and get your car ready BEFORE heading to the chassis dyno. You don’t want anything to go wrong when you’re on the dyno.
When you show up at a tuner’s shop, do the following.
You should make sure that your automobile is ready to go before arriving at the store. A dyno is a place where knowing what you want to alter and being able to make those changes fast may make all the difference in the world. He provides a list of tactics for getting ready for a day of chassis dyno testing with your car on his shop’s website. When you arrive at the chassis dyno testing facility, you must do several things to guarantee that your automobile is leak-free, doesn’t overheat, and has an additional set of the correct-size spark plugs.
When getting a car ready for a dyno, one of the first things is to make sure it has decent tires. Running a car on a chassis dyno is illegal if the tires are old and have fractured sidewalls. These measures are in place to protect all parties involved, including those who work in the business and the vehicle. High speeds for the drive axle may be achieved by running the car on a chassis dyno. Trust the driver when he tells you that losing a tire at 130 mph, or more is dangerous. Videos of old tires exploding on dynos can be seen all over YouTube.
When a tire arrives at the shop, the D.O.T. manufacturing date code is checked to ensure it isn’t too old. Before any dyno tuning, the shop will provide the tires are properly inflated. In addition to reducing the risk of tire failure, checking tire pressure is beneficial since it can alter dyno results. The operator checks the tire pressure before conducting any pulls to achieve consistent results. As long as the tires are in good shape and the dyno is working correctly, it doesn’t matter what kind of tires you’re running.
Check the D.O.T. date code to see how durable your tires are. Every tire has a unique code that identifies the day, week, and year it was made. The first two digits represent the year’s beginning week, while the final two digits represent the year’s last month.
Knowing what’s in your automobile is another tactic.
The tuner must know what modifications have been made to the vehicle and whether they will operate well together. To discover what kind of injectors you got from China will cost you $150 an hour on Google. You need to know what the Mass Air Flow is or what type of engine management system the automobile must decide whether to buy it. The tuner requires information about the parts to create additional power. The tuner can use this information to fine-tune the vehicle’s performance.
If you’re interested in finding out how much power and torque your car generates, a chassis dyno is an excellent tool. It’s also a perfect spot for fine-tuning those figures after the fact. Before you arrive, make sure your car is ready to go. This can take up valuable time, especially if there are faults with the car’s components.
Another tuning method is installing an Air/Fuel Ratio meter with a bung in the exhaust pipe. A tailpipe meter can be used to tune outside of wide-open throttle, but the closer the sensor is to the head, the more accurate the data will be. Being able to adjust is also critical for tuning. For example, a tuner may have difficulty precisely timing your automobile if it lacks timing markings due to an aftermarket timing cover. The longer it takes you to make these kinds of modifications, the more money you’re losing. Make sure you can experiment with alternative intake and air filter configurations, such as a fuel pressure regulator that can be adjusted. You may fine-tune the air/fuel ratio for optimal power and engine safety by using an adjustable fuel pressure regulator that is simple to install.
Customers seek out chassis dyno shops because they want their engines to perform better. It’s also a good idea to make sure your car has enough fuel before you arrive. Many vehicles have run out of gasoline while being tested at shops’ dyno. Tuning is slowed significantly when there is no gas available. If you wish to utilize a specific gas (like racing gas), you must already have it in the tank. It’s not a good idea to start siphoning fuel from the dyno.
Replace your air and fuel filters before you show up.
Ensure your oil has been changed and the oil level is proper before driving. You want to make sure your engine is ready for the high R.P.M.s that will be applied to the vehicle by the shop. Pre-session inspections do not include looking for warning lights or error codes on the car’s dashboard. That list should be checked off before you begin tuning. To avoid wasting valuable dyno time searching for engine code issues, the shop must instead focus on improving the car’s performance.
Performance is the aim.
The work done on the dyno and at the tuner’s shop will pay off at the racetrack. You can win at the track if you use your dyno time effectively. An important consideration for an experienced auto mechanic is not so much the final hp figure as it is how better your car performs after being put on a dyno. Is your car any quicker now? If you’re only going to the dyno to take a picture of the “big” horsepower number on your vehicle for Instagram, you’re missing the point. It’s all about improving your vehicle. What separates a social media troll from an actual racer lies in their ability to enhance their cars. Don’t get upset if your car doesn’t give you the number you expected. Instead, focus on making the car better and faster.
Another benefit of dyno tuning is that it provides a legal and safe environment to perform high-speed testing on your vehicle. A tuner in the right-front seat with a computer in his lap cannot legally or safely perform a 120-mile-per-hour pull on a public road. Also, a tuner in a car with a laptop isn’t allowed (or shouldn’t be allowed) on a racetrack. The tuner and laptop can better record data when the vehicle is on a chassis dyno. This is where the actual work is done in terms of fine-tuning. Best of luck with your dyno testing for the chassis. Now that you’ve read the information above, you and your automobile are ready for a successful drive.