fokwolfe95

There seems to be two schools of thought when it comes tuning your vehicle. Some think the dyno is the end all be all and others think running at the track is the best method. I would tend to think the dyno is the best method for the engine only since you can literally put in a 11 second motor in a 14 second chassis and have a not so good running track tested car. What are your thoughts?

Jeremy95TA

My personal thought is that a dyno is great for testing 'performance mods' i.e. engine power. The track will show you suspension. Ultimatly suspension is the name of the game. I know cars with 700+ rwhp that can't get out of the 12's because they can't get the hp on the ground.

If you want to see how well your engine is running, and if this or that will make a difference, put it on a dyno. Just remember that dyno queens lose all the time.

scottslt1z28

what he said

LT1 POWR

Im not trying to steal your thread or anything but what kind of times would i see with the mods and the dyno #'s i have.

BIG SHAFE

Engine dyno. No comparision to either. Roller chassis dynoing gives you a small burst of data to look at, then adjust, and repeat. Meanwhile on an engine dyno you can load the engine at XXXX RPM, XX TP/MAP/MAF/etc. Then tune fuel and spark at once or record larger amounts of data to go back and tune for.

Those dyno numbers seem way low with those mod's. My '96 SS did 271/301 completely stock, although mine is a M6. That custom tune may need some tweaking or something else is going on.

Capn Pete

I think the dyno is a good way to TUNE the vehicle, and you have better chances of more accurate comparisons from one time to the next. The only variables are weather conditions, but the computers should be factoring that in.

At the track is where the end result really COUNTS, but from one day to the next, you can never count on the conditions being ideal, so it's not always an accurate comparison. Sometimes mods that should take ~1/2 second off your time may do nothing, but it's because of the track and not a lack of performance on your car's part. The dyno doesn't suffer a "bad launch".

BUT, dyno #'s don't win races .

Compstall

I agree with Pete here, but I believe it has to be a balance between the two. Dyno for tuning and power numbers. The power numbers will give you a rough estimate of where your trap speed should be, but when running on the track you'll need the right combo of parts to get it there.