My car makes 295 hp on a Dynojet, but I lose about 20 hp on a Mustang." How many times have we heard this one? Do you really think horses are falling off your power curve as you drive to the Mustang dyno? The engine is making the same power, no matter the dyno, but the different dynos just read the power differently.
The Mission
The "Dyno Dash-AWD" will illustrate the variances between different dyno brands. We ran the same car on four different types of dynos on the same day, and the Dash, conducted in the Seattle area, enlisted the following shop/dyno entities: Fame Auto Service/Mustang, Pina Motorsports/Dyno Dynamics, Drift-Office/Dynojet and Speed Factory/Dynapack. A run made on English Racing's Dynojet a few weeks prior to the dash has been included as well.
We asked to be treated as a typical customer coming in for a baseline. All testing procedures were left to each shop's dyno operator's discretion, including which gear to make the pull in and the amount of cool-down time between pulls.
We have denoted the time of arrival, time of first and last pull as well as the mileage between dynos to provide a chronological picture of how this "Dawn of the Dyno" day unfolded.
The Car
The star of the show is an '06 Mitsubishi EVO IX SE. It has been modified with a Buschur cone intake, TiTek Innovations Power Pipe (an 02 housing downpipe combination), a GReddy Ti-C exhaust system and a Hallman manual boost controller set to spike the turbo to about 25 psi. We saw max boost readings from 24.6-25.8 psi during the dash. The variation was likely due to how quickly the engine was brought up to speed on the dyno.
The EVO rolls on Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 and Rota G-Force wheels. While supremely grippy yet quiet, there is a degree of relevancy of the tires in dyno testing since different tire circumference can possibly skew the comparability of back to back results.
Ready, Set, Go!
The dash started with an early morning ferry ride across Puget Sound and wind around the Seattle area. Dyno weather stations pegged air temperature at 61 degrees Fahrenheit in the morning and 58 degrees at my last stop. Relative humidity was between 65.4 and 74.9-percent, and the barometer ranged from 29.88-29.53 in-Hg during the dash, which is quite consistent. It was raining. All runs were made using SAE J1349 correction factors.
The Mustang, Dyno Dynamics and Dynojet units are eddy-current dynos that provide load via magnetic resistance (like a giant electric motor). In most eddy-current setups, metal windings are subjected to magnetic fields generated by variable-strength electromagnets.
Dynapack dynos are hydraulic-load dynos that use a hydraulic pump and an adjustable valve to dictate the pressure, i.e. resistance or load of the dyno.
Mustang: 292.7 WHP
Under its "DE" designation, Fame's dyno has dual eddy-current absorbers, which allow it to handle more power. Options include an air clutch and cooling fan. The Mustang-spec fan is rated at 5,000 cfm, but Fame has a collection of additional fans that can provide up to 30,000 cfm.
Fame's dyno operator, Tim Hadfield, knows his Mustang inside and out and was quick to say trust is a key issue in any tuner/customer relationship. He went on to illustrate how dirty dynoers can sandbag results by preloading the rollers and/or changing the load between before and after runs to show nonexistent gains.
Shop
Fame Automotive/Dyno Authority
425-502-5850
www.fameautomotive.com
Time in: 8:58 am
Time of first pull: 9:19 am
Time of last pull: 9:27 am
Mileage from last dyno: N/A
Dyno: Mustang
Model: AWD 500DE
Type: Eddy current
Age: 10 years
Purchased: New
Software: MD 7000 V2.39
Options: Dual eddy, clutch, 5,000-cfm fan
Run 1: 284.6
Run 2: 297.6
Run 3: 296.0
Average: 292.7
Variance: 13.0 whp
Test gear: Third
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