Taking your car to the Dyno

 We have prepared some help full advice regarding having your pride & joy dyno tuned.

Firstly how does the AVR Dynapack dyno work? It is a chassis dynometer known as a hub dyno. What this means is that rather than the car driving a set of rollers with its tyres (with all of the risks & inconsistencies) the wheels are removed & a set of adaptors are bolted up in their place. The dynos control pods then slide onto these adapters, one pod for each driving wheel - our dyno can accommodate 2wd or 4wd vehicles.

What then takes place to tune the car? Through its hydraulic control system the Dynapack can operate in a number of ways. A large proportion of the tuning involves what is called "steady state". Here the engine is held at a constant engine rpm while the dyno operator varies the load on the engine via the throttle. This allows the tuner to tune each point or site in the ecu maps for optimum performance/reliability. The other part of the tuning process involves what is known as "ramp runs" or "power runs". This involves operating the engine from a fixed starting point (say 2000rpm) to its redline under full throttle. The dyno automatically controls the run under a fixed rpm increase rate. This is what is used to generate the dyno graphs everyone is familia with. If the car is turbo charged the tuner will work thier way up from the lowest boost setting to the highest tuning each level.

So what is exactly "tuned" anyway? The two principle parameters are the fuel mixtures & ignition timing. To measure & assess the fuel mixtures a wideband Lambda sensor/unit is used. These are also known as mixture meters or oxygen sensors (O2). Via the ecu tables/maps the tuner can then vary the amount of fuel delivered to the engine & assess the effect on performance. A similar thing takes place with the ignition timing but this time some knock detection equipment is used to ensure that the engine does not operated under dangerous detonation conditions. In both cases the dyno is used to measure changes in power to optimize the tuning. Depending on your particular car other aspects that will be tuned are the boost control, injector timing, variable valve timing, drive by wire throttle setup, acceleration fuel control, etc

So what are the risks? The Dynapack chassis dyno is the safest type of chassis dyno to have your car on. There is a misconception that a dyno is harder on the vehicle than the race track. A power run is set at around the same rate of rpm increase as your car winding up to its redline in 4th gear with breaks in between, where as on the track it is punished for laps on end, so in this sense it is easier on things. It is also under controlled conditions & obviously the vehicle is not moving. The AVR dyno has a powerful cooling fan setup that ensures cooling air for the engine & drivetrain.

What do I need to do to prepare for the dyno?

>< The first thing to consider is that anything that causes a stoppage or interruption to the tuning process will cost you more money in dyno time. So prepare for a dyno tune in the same way you would prepare for a competition event. Make sure there are no fluid leaks, the boost control is working properly & there are no mechanical issues with the car, its engine or drivetrain. 

><  Bring enough fuel of the type that is intended to be used. Usually around 40L would cover it (for ethanol brews bring more!)

>< Ensure you bring any keys for wheel locking nuts and the wheel studs are not striped or damaged.

>< For the measurement of the fuel mixture a Wideband lambda sensor is used. This requires a M18mm x 1.5 threaded boss to be present in the exhaust system. In the case of turbo charged vehicles this is to be after the turbo. It is also important that there are no leaks in the exhaust system prior to or around the sensor as this will make the readings inaccurate. Let us know prior to the tune if your vehicle does not have a suitable boss & we can supply or supply & fit a suitable boss.

>< Bring your vid cam!