Engine Performance question

chromebumpers

chromebumpers

solid fixture here in the forum
Staff member
I recently watched a TV car show where, with the aid of a laptop connected to the car and software, this tech ran the car and immediately got brake Hp and ft. Lbs. Torque in graphic form. Now keep in mind I'm not referring to some fill in the blank questioner software. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Where can I get this software and perhaps any necessary hardware? Oddly, I did ask Summit and the guy just laughed and said "if there was such a thing everyone would have it And you wouldn't be asking me for it!"
. . . . . . Nice guy.
I know this is available, It's just a matter of where.
 
horsepower is a calculation of torque x rpm /5252=hp
you must either know the engine torque and rpm or calculate the work being done by knowing the rate of acceleration of a known weight over a measured distance.
with todays GPS equipped lap tops and phones position and speed or changes in acceleration of the location of a device can be fairly accurately plotted but you must still know the cars weight accurately, with you in it, to do calculations
engine torque can only be measured with an accellorometer against a known car weight or engine load brake device and hp calculated from either speed or rpm/& torque

these may help, but be aware the data could be tracked,
technology is a sharp DOUBLE EDGE SWORD!
so your cars performance stats might become public knowledge.
accessible, with blue tooth or on-star
so a dyno run on a vacant public street could in theory could be used to give you a ticket or cause your insurance to be dropped, or cars warranty to be void


http://www.auterraweb.com/dashdynodynosoftware.html

http://www.auterraweb.com/dashdynohpandtorque.html

http://www.nology.com/laptopdynoscreens.htm

http://www.nology.com/laptopdyno.html

http://www.ontrackdigital.com/

http://www.auterraweb.com/dynoscan.html

http://torque-bhp.com/wiki/Horsepower

http://www.cnet.com/how-to/monitor-your-cars-performance-with-the-torque-app-for-android/

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/Accessories/AVG-VDP1

calculators
http://www.wallaceracing.com/et-hp-mph.php

http://www.nitrousexpress.com/oldwebdocs/hpcalculators.htm

http://www.race-cars.net/calculators/et_calculator.html
 
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There is still no substitute for the Drag Strip 1/4 Mile.
The Boss has a 9 - second TURBO drag car. 50 psi Boost.
We don't use the Mustang AWD dyno for peak HP numbers.
Just to refine EFI Tunes., custom tune.
 
I was actually thinking of the engine stands that you can run an engine by a set of controls and view performance data. However, instead of the engine stand I thought it was possible to run the engine without being on a chassis Dyno setup. Am I to understand that Torque measurements require resistance on the drive train?
 
Its $15-$20 to get into the Dragstrips here in Illinois .
You can make 50-100 1/4 mile passes in a day if you want to.
The MPH Trap speed at the 1320 light beam tells all.
Do the Race math. Will know true HP.
 
87vette81big said:
Its $15-$20 to get into the Dragstrips here in Illinois .
You can make 50-100 1/4 mile passes in a day if you want to.
The MPH Trap speed at the 1320 light beam tells all.
Do the Race math. Will know true HP.
Click to expand...
Brian, I live in the center of a triangle of 3 famous 1/4 tracks - Atco, NJ, Maple Grove, Pa and Englishtown, NJ. Been racing cars at those tracks since 1978 - easily over 1,000 times. I stopped 3 years ago. I was seriously into racing between 1994 to 2007. I bought a brand new 1994 Firebird and raced it every Friday and some other days from spring to fall for the next 3 years. I had my own professional set of trap lights and towed a small trailer with DSlicks, jack, air comp., weather station and plenty of parts. I Took a stock Firebird that ran consistent 14.50 from the factory and by the end I was bracket racing on Saturdays and traveling between the 3 tracks running consistent 12.75 from just what I did in my garage on my own. I use to piss the guys off at SLP blowing away their $50,000 FireHawk. I got the new Z06 in '06 I was racing again this time in MD with Ranger and a half dozen others on the CF. Real money was riding on these weekend races until I caught a couple of them cheating and I lost interest.
Since no one understands what I'm talking about, case closed.
 
grumpy answered your question there rich, the laptop software uses the VSS vehicle speed sensor to calculate acceleration and distance, the curb weight of the vehicle is known and it gives you a hp/torque figure based on those work variables... you cant do this electronically just free revving the motor on an engine stand because it doesnt know how far its traveled and therefore cant measure the work and wont be able to compute the equation. you cant measure the torque output of something unless that something is acting on a load be that a water brake on a dyno or the weight of the vehicle its riding in...

brian is right in saying that the computer is only giving you the numbers you could calculate yourself if you have a drag strip, you have a known distance, a time, and a trap speed, and most tracks have a scale, if the weight is a mystery to you... this will give you wheel horsepower exactly like the software will....

what it wont do is give you a graph... the software creates the raph based on the different rates of acceleration throughout the rpm range... also since its maried to the car it can actually tell you how much power you are making and where you are making it.... basically if the sofware and the computer aree powerful enough they could calculate a horsepower/tq point to plot on a graph every few milliseconds based on the data... map it out in graph form and voila! a dyno
 
furthermore, if equipped, the software could give you a graph of you air fuel ratio, injector duty cycle, temperatures, posiibly more data than a dyno session or a pass at the track could tell you. simply because its already reading all that data thru your on board diagnostic port.
 
Nostalgia Super Stock Racing in the 1990's into early 2000's my Favorite from the past Richard.
No Cylinder head portung allowed .
No ported Intake.
Stock block and crankshaft used.
Could not even gasket match.

All steel carsn
No Race 4-link rear.
Stock based suspension.

10's & 9's had from Pontiacs with Pure Pontiac V8 power.
Factory iron heads used.
Most records set with RAIV heads.
 
Normal aspirated.
No Nitrous.
No Turbos.
No Supercharger used.
 
87vette81big said:
Normal aspirated.
No Nitrous.
No Turbos.
No Supercharger used.
Click to expand...

I agree Brian. True talent is running and winning a heads up race with pure factory power. Tomorrow the town that is home to WD-40 and Pypes Performance Exhaust is closing off the shipping terminal road that is 90' wide by 6,430 Ft. long. A long and beautiful flat concrete road with a uniform 40 Ft. rise in 6,200 ft. For this fall's Vintage Car Show and Muscle Car Run. It's pre-registration and factory correct with 12.50 second limited. A funny story from the events coordinator. 35 entrants with "Survival" and "Factory Original" cars withdrew their cars on the complaints that 12.5 is too slow for stock muscle cars of the '60's and '70's.
All those mags from back in the day, they out and out lied to us readers when they track tested the Fords Vs Chevy, Mopar Vs Pontiac and so on. Lol
 
chromebumpers said:
I agree Brian. True talent is running and winning a heads up race with pure factory power. Tomorrow the town that is home to WD-40 and Pypes Performance Exhaust is closing off the shipping terminal road that is 90' wide by 6,430 Ft. long. A long and beautiful flat concrete road with a uniform 40 Ft. rise in 6,200 ft. For this fall's Vintage Car Show and Muscle Car Run. It's pre-registration and factory correct with 12.50 second limited. A funny story from the events coordinator. 35 entrants with "Survival" and "Factory Original" cars withdrew their cars on the complaints that 12.5 is too slow for stock muscle cars of the '60's and '70's.
All those mags from back in the day, they out and out lied to us readers when they track tested the Fords Vs Chevy, Mopar Vs Pontiac and so on. Lol
Click to expand...

Its an unspoken secret.........Getting the rear diff gears correct, right camshaft, Very good headers & exhaust system....Modern tires are much better overall, Drag radials.....modern traction bars help tremendous.
The Fastest Super stock guys from the 1960's used home made traction bars....some are 3- 4 feet long.
Arniw Beswicks 1962 SD 421 Catalina was on display at a Cruise night car show around 2005 in Oswgeo - Aurora IL . I attended.
Slid down on 1 knee and a pair of 4 feet long traction bars installed....The floor pan was the Bump stop.... !
 
yeah, the understanding of what actually happens as the shock of a sudden rather massive application of torque to the drive train and tires is applied and the physics involved in applying that resulting weight transfer and traction changes has improved dramatically, with the better tires, shocks, and traction control bars.
there have been numerous changes in suspension designs and traction control
and tires

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