Lot’s of dyno talk going on.
What kind of dyno do you like to use and why?
I’ll start.
I’m a big fan of the Mustang load cell dyno. It gives the ability to fine tune in great detail. I like the ability to tune any throttle position at any rpm, and at any (or no) acceleration rate. IMO, it’s flatly the way to go for tuning.
I also like a gool ol cheap *** Dynojet inertia dyno. I really like it for comparison runs. With nothing but a big drum to spin up, it has minimal calibration issues, especially when comparing changes over time. I also like how it shows acceleration improvements from things like lighter wheels and tires. It really lets you see just how big an impact the new featherweight wheels make in terms of horsepower. Not worth a **** for tuning, but will let you know if you are faster in the ¼.
What say you?

 

Yep, mustang dynos for pure hp numbers must be calibrated properly, and very few are. But for tuning, they're the best. It's been a while since I saw a shop with a mustang dyno but when I did, those guys didn't really know how to utilize the load cell capabilities.

I love a calibrated dynojet for the only reason you said...comparison runs.


As a side note...I've been at least 1 shop, and on 1 mobile dyno where the guys didn't have fans....how can you not have fans on the dyno to provide more air? A car on the road at 60-100mph encounters a TON more air than a car at 60mph stagnant on a dyno......

After adding fans to the front of my old turbo 350z going back 11 years now.....added 40whp to the run.....the turbo was starved!

 

I'd pay double for a dyno that could move enough air to give my ram air a workout.

 

Mikeinatlanta, your original post hit the nail on the head. There's almost no further discussion needed.

I guess one more thing is that both are chassis dynos that occasionally can have wacky readings if you have a loose converter. The loose converters seem to sometimes trade a peak number for a much higher average output. I had an auto turbo camaro that that put 150 hp less to the wheels than other cars that were the same weight and pulled the same mph at the track.

 

I also like a Mustang if someone knows how to set them up.
For just screwing around, dyno days and crap like that a Dynojet 248H works very well.

 

Dynapak for control of any metric or ramp speed you wanna measure. Hub dyno so you don't spin the tires or see changes in power from wheel expansion or any friction from the wheels or anything else. Roller dynos I like more for a dyno day or casual "let's see what you this makes". Mustang or dynojet doesn't matter here.

 

Roller vs. hub. I'd rather have roller as the wheel and tire assy MOI most definitely factors into acceleration runs. IMO, taking all that flywheel off skews results more than the friction as the friction exists on pavement too.

 

I think the tune turns out better when tuned on the street with the real load of the vehicle. I know as I am driving if something feels wrong at a any throttle setting. Data log, change tune, rinse and repeat until it is right.

I like the Dynojet for horsepower numbers because it seems to be the most consistent for dyno to dyno.

 

dynojet is good for comparing across the country for sure, but the numbers are still fudge able pretty easily. And street tuning is a dirty word to many, not sure how people feel here, but on many other forums for many other types of cars it's "dyno tune or gtfo". I street tuned my last car myself along with at least 100 other people's cars, turbocharged, supercharged, bolt-ons and cams etc. Street tunes are always more driveable and with advanced ecu's, you are never in a situation where you don't know if what you're doing is wrong if you're not an idiot with a laptop that just busted it out and figured you knew what you're doing.

 

I don’t own a dyno so street tuning it has always been with a dyno run to prove or for bragging rights.