Fuel Injection Systems Melbourne | Dyno Tuning Melbourne

Dyno Tuning Melbourne

- What's more important - Power or Torque?

We call it area under the graph.  Now, what that means is, if you have a power line going up to 200KW or 300KW, and a torque line that's, lets say, 500NM of torque, if you can increase the area under that torque graph, then generally, you will have increased in power.

Now, what that means is.  If I can bring that torque line up from 500NM to 600NM, and not necessarily have an increase in power, that car is going to feel like a different car on the road, as it will have more pulling power at lower RPM, even though the actual peak power number is no greater than it was before the torque in the lower RPMs was increased.

So, in my eyes, I believe torque is more important than power.

There are people who like to see a high power number.  They like to see the big figures.  That's great, but, to drive them at that top-end, at maximum RPM, at wide open throttle, the car is never going to get there on the road.

So, torque is more applicable to 99% of people on the road.

On a racetrack, torque is very important too, because when you are going into a corner and out of a corner, torque is the thing that actually gives you the pull.  So torque is going to pull you out of the corner faster.

If you ask me what's more important, power or torque.  I would say to you, torque would be more important than power.

Having said that, you can't have a power figure without a torque figure, so, if you increase the torque an engine is producing, you will have an increase in power in those same RPM areas.

Fuel Injection Systems Melbourne | Dyno Tuning Melbourne

Dyno Tuning Melbourne - Pre Dyno Tuning Checks

Things that you should check before bringing your car to a dyno tuning session

are things like:

Oil.  Please consider the condition of the oil, and the level of the oil.  If you've just had the oil changed, that's good.  If the oil is due for a change, you should do it just before the dyno tuning session.  It's going to help in terms of power figures.  Firstly, clean oil is going to make your engine  more efficient, due to less friction, so it can help you get a better power number off the dyno tune. 

Things like tire condition.  As a dyno operator, we are putting the car under extreme  strain.  We don't want to have tires that are down to canvas, or balding, or with pieces of rubber hanging off them.

Also, coolant leaks.  If there is any sign of coolant leaks, get them fixed before coming to a dyno tune.  The engine doesn't really get any hotter, but the ambient temperature around the engine will.

So, things like coolant leaks may be more prevalent on a chassis dyno.

Fuel Injection Systems Melbourne | Dyno Tuning Melbourne

Dyno Tuning Melbourne - Turbo Myths

There are some really big misconceptions when it comes to fitting turbos up to engines.
You can have two identical cars, two different turbos, both running 10 PSI of boost, and both producing radically different amounts of power.

If you're running too small a turbo, to get 10 pounds of boost out of, lets say, a 4 litre Ford, for example.  If you have a relatively small turbo, and that turbo was running so hard and so fast, that it was way outside of its efficiency curve, it's working too had to compress the air, and it is running very inefficiently.  That 10 pounds of boost pressure is really not going to be effective.

The air is going to be hotter than a turbo running within its efficiency curve.  You are going to have restrictions with compressor housings, and with ports being too small on the exhaust side.  Yet, it's going to spool up q

uickly and be nice off the line, but you are going to lose boost at the very top.
If you put a bigger turbo on, you've got very little exhaust restriction, and the air is not being worked as hard, so you now have cooler air going into an intercooler or straight into the engine, which is more efficient air, which gives you more power at 10 pound of boost.

Now, finding the fine line, or the sweet spot.  Is it too small, or is it too big?  Because too large a turbo may not come on boost until 3,000 RPM, whereas a smaller turbo may come on boost at 1,200 RPM.

As a dyno operator, this is where we start to go, "OK, we have a look at what engine package you have, what exhaust system you've got, what manifolds you've got, and try on match the right turbo with that car.

So, it's not a matter of just saying, "I'm going to put a 700 roller on, or  I'm going to put a 1,000 roller on, and I'm going to make a million horse power".
It doesn't happen like that.  You need to match that turbo to suit that car.

You can watch videos on Dyno Tuning in Melbourne.

Fuel Injection Systems Melbourne | Dyno Tuning Melbourne

Dyno Tuning Melbourne - Superchargers

The difference between centrifugal and positive displacement blowers, is that basically a centrifugal is similar to a turbo charger.  It doesn't rely on exhaust to push it around, but it relies on the engine RPM to spin it up.

The more you spin it up, the more boost you get.

Generally you find a centrifugal supercharger mounted off the side of an engine.  They're generally made to be mounted on the side of engines, away from the top of the manifold.  One of the advantages to a centrifugal blower (over a positive displacement blower), is that you can mount an intercooler fairly easily, so you can get more performance out of it.

The other advantage is that generally they are a lot quieter than a positive displacement blower.  And, placement of them is fairly easy.  You can place them above, below, in front, behind.  So, there are many places they can go, so long as they line up with whatever is driving them.

Positive displacement superchargers generally have to go on top of the motor, or at least on top of the intake manifold.  So, fitting an intercooler can still be done, but it is often more difficult than when fitting an intercooler to a centrifugal supercharger.  There is a lot more engineering and pipework needed to fit up an intercooler to this type of supercharger.

The main positive for a positive displacement supercharger is that the minute you crack the throttle you have boost, where with a centrifugal one, often you have to build up the revs before you start seeing boost, and you often won't see boost straight away.

There are two main types of positive displacement superchargers.  There is the roots type, and the screw type.  Generally you find the roots superchargers to be more noisy, and less efficient unless you put some type of intercooler on it.

The screw type, positive displacement, they are very good, but they are generally a long unit, so room has to be allocated for it.

If you see a boost curve when doing a chassis dyno tune, you will quickly see the difference between a centrifugal and a positive displacement supercharger.

Fuel Injection Systems Melbourne | Dyno Tuning Melbourne

Dyno Tuning Melbourne - Sparkplug Tips

Sparkplugs are a big part of a tuneup in a car.  Back in the early seventies, you used to replace sparkplugs every 10,000 kilometres.  Late model engines now, you've gone to 20,000 to 25,000 kilometres.  

Sparkplug materials have improved.  Engine efficiency has improved.  Now, sparkplugs can last a lot longer.

One thing to watch out for when removing the sparkplugs, and having a look at them.  Watch out for a warn or rounded electrode.  It shows that the sparkplug has done a lot of miles.  The color of the sparkplug might be quite good, and the porcelain may look to be in good condition.  

But, if the end of the electrode is rounded, it effectively opens up the gap between the electrode and the earth strap.  The greater gap requires more spark energy to jump the gap.  This can eventually result in engine misfires because the spark cannot jump the larger gap.

What a lot of people tend to do with sparkplugs as well, is, if they are modifying their vehicle, they want to go colder sparkplugs because they're putting a turbo charger in it, or they just feel that going to colder sparkplugs is a better option.

In some cases this is true.  You don't want to go too cold, because then, you will have an inefficient burn for the fuel.  When you have an inefficient burn on the fuel, you will have incorrect running at idle, incorrect idle properties, and other similar issues.

Another thing to look for with sparkplugs, (we've done heat range), is what type of sparkplug.  Do you want to use copper core, resisted, platinum or iridium.  What type of sparkplug is required for my engine?

The general rule of thumb, is to find out what the manufacturer of the engine has specified.  Failing that, most auto outlets will advise you on what you can use, and what you can't use.

One big thing to keep note of though.  In a late model engine that is running EFI (

electronic fuel injection

), resisted sparkplugs are a big thing.  You must use them, because the amount of electrical noise that can be generated when you don't have resisted sparkplugs, may create problems with your electrical system.

Fuel Injection Systems Melbourne | Dyno Tuning Melbourne

The most commonly asked question that I get regarding fuel injection , is, "If I convert my car from carburettors to fuel injection, what kind of power increase will I get"?

This is really hard to answer because, you are often talking about cars that were manufactured before 1985, and were not fuel injected.  They may not have been maintained or tuned properly in the past.

Back then, to tune a carburettor engine properly was approximately an 8 hour job.  Also, the control over the ignition system was a set of points, or a very basic electronic ignition system that had a mechanical advance system that was most possibly worn out.

So, to actually say truthfully, how much extra power converting an engine from carburettors to fuel injection is difficult.  But there is generally a power increase in the range of 8% to 15%.  That being said, it could be as high as 30% to 40% when you take into account that the original fuel and ignition systems on the engine may have been under performing at the time of the conversion.

The greatest gains can often be seen in terms of drivability, rather than simply an increase in power.  This includes making the car start well under hot and cold conditions, making it crisp on acceleration.  At the end of the day, this is often more important to customers than simply a high power number.

With fuel injection, we can set an engine to run at 14.7 to 1 (lambda 1) under cruise conditions, and still be very responsive under acceleration, plus get great fuel economy, and have lots of power.

To have that kind of tuneability is amazing, and to try to do that with carburettors was very, very hard.

Fuel Injection Systems Melbourne | Dyno Tuning Melbourne

Fuel Injection How To: Often Forgotten Pre-Dyno Checks.

The checks that you should do before putting your car on the dyno, are pretty much the same checks and maintenance that you should do to your car on a regular basis.

Do you have anything around or near the exhaust; as the exhaust gets the hottest on the dyno.  So, if you have wiring that is close to the exhaust system, there is a good chance that it is going to catch on fire, or melt.

So, you want to make sure that you have nothing hanging around near the exhaust pipe, whether it be material wrapped, or you might have rubber line that is in braid, you really don't want it anywhere near the exhaust.

Another thing to check are things like the condition of your engine's fan belts.  Condition of radiator hoses.  It might appear fine for you to think that you can run the car with that fan belt on the dyne, and replace it later, because at the moment, it's still spinning the pulleys.

But, once again, please remember, a dyno tuner is going to be getting the peak out of your engine, so, it's going to be pulled to a higher RPM.  If that fan belt is in bad condition, for the sake of a $50 (or less) belt, it could come loose and take out a lot more in your engine bay while it is on the dyno.

Another thing to check, that a lot of people don't realise, is oil condition.  If you haven't changed your oil in 15 or 20 thousand kilometres, it's going to be like slug.  Don't put it on the dyne.

These were just a few examples of often forgotten pre-dyno checks.

Fuel Injection Systems Melbourne | Dyno Tuning Melbourne

When doing modifications to your vehicle, like

fuel injecting

your engine, or doing an engine conversion, one of the considerations to take into account when you’re doing to the modification is under bonnet temperature.  If you are putting a bigger engine in, a bigger turbo in something like that’s moving it away from standard, your under bonnet temperatures are going to suffer.

One way to bring the Under bonnet temperatures down is to ceramic coat the exhaust,  Now by ceramic coating the exhaust, you are reducing the external heat from the exhaust from entering into the engine bay, keeping your inlet track cooler , your inlet manifolds cooler.  But it also helps by keeping the internal of the exhaust pipe hotter.  

Now in the case of a turbo charged car that’s actually beneficial because that will help to spur up the turbo a lot faster.  By ceramic coating exhausts and exhaust manifolds, it also helps in protecting paint and paintwork in the engine bay, you may have spent a lot of money on paint and wiring and rubber hoses.