Engine dyno vs chassis dyno

ENGINE DYNO OR CHASSIS DYNO, Which 1 would you pick and why???

  • ENGINE DYNO

    Votes: 56 29.5%
  • CHASSIS DYNO

    Votes: 134 70.5%

  • Total voters
    190
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besides with a chassis dyno you dont have to pull the motor (if its in the car already)

also have you tried one of the desktop computer dyno's? dont know how accurate they are ive never used one but ive heard good things. maybe someone else who knows more about these can chime in.
 
A few years back I had a bike dyno tuned. Unless you were full throttle the bike was a nightmare to ride. Trying to cruise in traffic at 1/8 throttle just resulted in a boat of bucking and stumbling. Took it back to the shop. Guy put it on the dyno in front of me and claimed it ran fine. He would not ride it. It took me 12 hours of juggling needles/jets and just general screwing with it. Took it back to the shop and ran it on the dyno again, only cost 2 hp on the top but had a much broader, smooth power curve. Take a dyno for what it is, a number. I do not think there is any replacement for real world tuning. Just my opinon of course.....
 
I used to work at a shop with a chassis dyno. First question after dynoing just about everybody's car was "So, what's that at the flywheel?" Wouldn't you rather know the actual measured power at the wheels than a guesstimate flywheel hp?
Our dyno was an eddy-current machine so we could do part throttle tuning, combine that with the wide band a/f meter, and we could find power for just about any car. And not just peak power, all through the powerband usually.
Our biggest problem was that the Mustang Dyno was very accurate. (read: lower than expected numbers) Nobody wanted a realistic measurement, they wanted "magazine horsepower".
 
After working with Mustang Dyno, and the grossly over priced maintenance parts (bot dyno and 5 gas analyzer) I'd go engine next time for the R&D we were doing, but it all depends on your business. Do you build Cars or Engines? They both have there place, strengths and weaknesses. I'd personally like an engine dyno just for cam/engine break in and basic tuning.
 
chassis, i'd rather know the rear wheel HP than the crank. that could just be me though.
 
A few years back I had a bike dyno tuned. Unless you were full throttle the bike was a nightmare to ride. Trying to cruise in traffic at 1/8 throttle just resulted in a boat of bucking and stumbling. Took it back to the shop. Guy put it on the dyno in front of me and claimed it ran fine. He would not ride it. It took me 12 hours of juggling needles/jets and just general screwing with it. Took it back to the shop and ran it on the dyno again, only cost 2 hp on the top but had a much broader, smooth power curve. Take a dyno for what it is, a number. I do not think there is any replacement for real world tuning. Just my opinon of course.....

Sounds to me like the dyno operator issue. He didn't know his beans if you tuned it to within 2 hp and it was a lot more streetable.
 
the answer is neither....... seen several people make HP on the engine dyno and have to re jet on the chassis dyno. the REAL dyno is th track dyno.... just sayin
 
Engine dyno is great for intial engine break in and tune. Good time to fix small problems before engine goes in the car. Also shows you best RPM to shift. Test and Tune night is the best chassis dyno there is and it's cheaper and more fun.
 
I too prefer the chassis dyno. I want to know what the true RWHP is. Plus you can tune the engine to get the most HP out of it.
 
engine dyno right after the motor is built you can set it up exactly and drop it in good to go then....
 
I like both...Engine dyno after a freshly rebuilt engine/stroker motor, to figure out all the quirks, leaks, best tune, and cam break in...

Then chassis dyno once it's in the car...I had my stroker motor broken in on an engine dyno and was glad I did because a couple roller lifters failed...quick call to hughes engines and a new set was mailed to me...

Once I have the engine in the car, I'll have it chassis dyno'd..I'd like to know the actual RWHP. It will be interesting to see how much power a 4 spd, and Dana 60 with detroit locker takes up...
 
Chassis Dyno. Drive it home when done! Make changes that simulate closer to real world driving + loads (like shifting through the gears...etc).

Was at the shop once and they found about 150hp (RWHP) on a Chevelle....had to be a totally different ride home!


Couldnt have said it better myself!
 
chassis for the reason of knowing the real power, but the reason people go to track and run slower is because of the different conditions then what was when being dynoed....
 
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