"The Racing Edge" Is a dyno facility sporting a dynapack 5000 hub based dyno. We also tune in house many makes and models as well as the following computers : AEM Haltech Utec EcuFlash Greddy Emanage. ETC
How is a Dynapack different? The first and most obvious difference is the elimination of the tire to roller interface on a conventional roller dyno. The Dynapack eliminates this variable by using a hub adapter that provides a direct coupling to our Power Absorption Units. There can be no tire slip, no rolling resistance, and no chance of the vehicle coming off of the dyno at high speeds. Notice that we call this a variable. Sometimes it may be a problem area, other times it may not. Tire temperature, pressure, traction, etc, are all variables that can change - not only from run to run, but during the run as well. Throw an unknown variable like this into the equation and your data has now become subject to a potentially high margin of error. It is obviously better if these variables could be eliminated - which is exactly what we have done. There are other associated problems with the roller method as well. Take tie-down straps for example. Most roller dynos use ratcheting tie-down straps to attempt to hold the vehicle in position while being tested. If the straps are cinched down tightly, the tire has become loaded even further, in an unpredictable manner. While this may be good for enhancing traction, it changes the rolling resistance of the tire - skewing the data further. Since these tie-down straps aren’t perfect, the vehicle squirms around on the rollers - dramatically changing the tire drag during the run. If the vehicle is tested in two different sessions, the straps can’t be set exactly the same way twice in a row. Again, the data will be inconsistent. We have heard of cases where the ratcheting tie-down straps were loosened by two clicks and the measured power increased by ten horsepower. What if the straps stretch - either from run to run, or during the run itself? Wouldn’t it be great if all of these problems could disappear? With a Dynapack, they were never there in the first place. Another major difference is the effect of inertia. Street wheels and tires spinning at high RPM have a large amount of inertia. A large steel drum spinning at the same ground speed has much more inertia. What you end up with is a giant, heavy flywheel attached to your engine. The inertia is such, that just trying to accelerate the mass of the roller is a substantial load for the engine. That is the principle that some roller dynos (or “inertia dynos” as they are also called) operate on. Accelerate a known mass to a measured speed over a given time and it can be calculated to equal a certain amount of power. There is nothing wrong with this theory, but like many theories, its application in the real world can be troublesome. How do you think your measurements will be effected by being subjected to this large heavy flywheel phenomenon? Will small fluctuations be noticeable? In a word, no. The flywheel effect tends to take small rapid variations and smooth them right out - as energy that should be going into the dyno is being wasted trying to accelerate a large lump of steel. This is great if you want your power curve to look like a smooth pretty line, but it doesn’t give you much insight into what is really occurring. What if you eliminated the flywheel effect? While nothing that has a spinning mass has “no” inertia, when compared the total mass of the wheels, tires, rollers, and other associated hardware of a roller dyno, the inertia of a Dynapack is practically zero. This allows us to precisely measure and display tiny rapid pulses and oddities that you may not have seen before. Now you have a window into areas that no roller dyno will allow you to see. Another benefit of having virtually zero inertia is the ability to change the rate of acceleration at will. In many situations, you may want to accelerate the vehicle at a different rate to simulate a specific condition. With a few simple keystrokes, we allow you to make the vehicle accelerate very quickly, slowly, or anywhere in between. Because of our lack of inertia and total control of the engine speed, we give you choices that none of our competitors can even dream of - and as you know, choices are good! Repeatability: Our Dyno runs are repeatable to better than 0.3%. Other dyno manufacturers claim to be repeatable, but no other chassis manufacturer is even close to the level of repeatability we achieve. One large reason for this because we have eliminated the largest variable of all - the tire to roller interface. Rubber tires don't hold traction against a steel roller very well. Add a year or so of use, and the rollers become polished by the tires and traction decreases further. Some companies charge extra for special coatings on the rollers - which quickly wear off. When you have this variable link in your data chain, you cannot have guaranteed repeatability - PERIOD. Sure a roller dyno itself may be repeatable, but as soon as you put a car on it, all bets are off. Many people think that this slippage only occurs in high power situations, but we've seen it happen with 250HP Hondas - ask some of the import tuners who have had guys sitting on the hood and fenders trying to get the tires to hook up. With the Dynapack, we use a direct mechanical coupling to make absolutely sure that there is no loss, no slippage, and no inconsistencies in this area. We have virtually no inertia to mask small details and we use hydraulics for the ultimate in sensitivity and precision. The Dynapack is absolutely the most consistent and repeatable chassis dyno in the world. Sensitivity: We can reliably measure minute differences not seen on other machines. Some examples include: .010" change in spark plug gap Differences between various lubricants The alternator load when the headlights are turned on (in real time as well) A single step fuel jet change Different spark plugs Other Benefits: Simplicity: Ease of use: The Dynapack is Windows based and all of the software is pre-installed and tested on the supplied computer. Our software is very easy to learn and use. Fast set-up time: Two people can take a Dynapack from its "put away" state and have a vehicle running on it in less than ten minutes - four-wheel drive vehicles take roughly twenty minutes. Lack of dedicated shop space: Do you have room for a large platform? If so, will you have much room left? If you lease the building, will you be allowed to cut a pit into the floor? Do you want to "lose" that space to the dyno? What if you decide to move? With the Dynapack, none of these things are an issue. You can keep all of your floor space. we occupy a small storage space when not in use. The model 3000 can be stored in an area as small as two and one-half feet by nine feet. You can bring it out, perform the testing, then put it away when you are finished. Noise factors: Our dyno at speed generates approximately 40dB - much quieter than the engine at idle. This is especially beneficial if you want to perform NVH testing. Dynapacks are already in use in NVH labs - making detailed sound measurement possible. You will also find that you can now use your ears as an additional diagnostic tool, since all you will be hearing is the vehicle. Detonation, exhaust noises, bearing noises, belt slippage, etcetera are all easily audible now. Safety factors: Cars do come off of roller dynos, and when they do, it isn't pretty. People can get seriously hurt or even killed. We aren't trying to scare you, it does happen. Some of our sales have been to customers who have had employees jeopardized in this way and vowed never to let it happen again. What would happen if a car came loose from our dyno? So far, it hasn't happened - about the only way for this to happen would be if you were EXTREMELY negligent in your vehicle set-up, but if it did happen, it would just fall to the floor. So you and your insurance agent can breathe a big sigh of relief and sleep better at night. Your business liability insurance should be dramatically lower than a roller dyno as well. Portability: That's right, its portable. This opens up incredible opportunities. Need to move your place of business? No problem. Want to operate as a mobile dyno business? No problem. Take it to another shop when it may be impractical to move the vehicle. You could operate this dyno in a household garage if you want to. Notice that other companies charge extra for "portable dyno packages". This is a built-in feature of our machine, and is much easier to deal with when you transport it. Take it with you to the racetrack. You can test, tune, and diagnose your car under load right in your pit area. Picture this: You have used all of your practice sessions and you have to make a major change to your car before the race. You can now make sure that the engine and drivetrain are performing properly before going out to the starting grid. You can now enter the race with confidence instead of crossed fingers. Fixed Speed Mode (F3) In this mode, you select a specific RPM point where you want to hold the vehicle. The Dynapack will continuously vary the load to hold the RPM at that point within one RPM at the axle. As long as you are above the minimum throttle setting that is required to achieve that RPM, you can apply as much throttle as you want and the RPM will not rise above that point - all the way up to the full maximum rated torque capacity of the dyno. The dyno will then display the real-time torque and horsepower being absorbed, as well as other real-time relative data. The dyno can also displays the power and torque level in a continuously moving strip graph on the right side of the screen This display features a green tracer line that moves on a graph. You can then make any changes you like while the engine is running at the same RPM while you see the relative gains or losses in real time. For example, lets say you want to adjust the fuel mixture at 75% throttle and 4250 RPM. You would then input the RPM hold point (White box on the screen on the top left) and bring the throttle up until the dyno is holding the speed, and you have reached your throttle setting. The dyno will hold this RPM point for as long as you like. You can now gradually adjust your fuel mixture at that data point and directly see the results of your actions. All of this is happening even though the vehicle is not accelerating. If the power is increasing, the green line will nudge up the graph. If the power is decreasing, the green line will fall. Once you have found the maximum torque at this data point, you are ready to move on to the next data point. Tuning of fuel and timing maps that appear complex, are now easy to work through and can be optimized without guesswork. This can not be said about any inertia dyno. This is much easier and more precise than trying to make these adjustments while the vehicle is constantly accelerating, or by making a change and doing an entire acceleration run, then another change, then another run, as some of our competitors do. Our method is faster, easier, produces more consistent results, and can be precisely duplicated at any time. If serious tuning and real results are your goal, there is no other chassis dyno in the world that can compare with the Dynapack.
