who's ultimate goal is an E.T? its surely not mine as i could really give a **** about drag racing. everyone has there own asperations and goals for a given setup. i personally like seeing dyno numbers to see what can be had out of a given package and how attention to detail and specifications can lead to a 40rwhp difference on the same combo in a different car.

fast E.T's are nice but anybody can gut the **** out of there car, run a 4k+ stall, big sticky tires, some basic bolt on's and suspension work and cut a 11 second E.T quite readily. that doesnt really impress me

 

I ran 8.02 at 90.99 mph with 299 whp in my 95 camaro. I took my 01 formula that dyno's 32x and couldn't trap above 85 or so. It's all about the car and the setup.

But it is nice to get a cool dyno number. Maybe one of these days I'll actually do it.

 

Exactly. If I had a track worth a **** a little closer to home, I might feel different.

 

It's not that easy with a dyno either... I can have the same setup powertrain-wise (cam, heads, exhaust, intake, etc) to someone else, but could come up with totally different numbers. Why? Because the complete setup still comes into effect... the guy with high dyno numbers could be on stock 3.42s, stock 16" wheels & tires, stock driveshaft, etc., while I could be running a 9" with 4.56s, a heavy aftermarket driveshaft, and 28" slicks... which would account for a big difference on the dyno.

Fact is, a dyno won't tell you what car is faster... no matter what the numbers say. Same as a time slip won't tell you how much HP you're putting down, no matter what the ET/MPH says. It just is a matter of what you care about most...

 

Uh, mine (isn't that all that matters?). Sorry, but I don't see the dyno as a performance indicator, it's a tool. I see the track (drag or autocross or whatever), as showing what your car is capable of. Anyone with enough cash can buy as much HP as they want. I like figuring out what makes my car go down the track quicker. Not that I won't be impressed with a car putting down 600hp on the rollers, but if you can traslate that into a good et, that will impress me more. I guess the dyno is a measure of the engine, and the track is a measure of the car.

 

Isn't that what drag racing a 4th gen LS1 is all about?

I guess there are different goals for different people.

 

if your into drag racing, again, im not.

i have more respect for the guy that builds up a 11 second car but makes little to no compromises; full weight, nice stereo, pump gas, a/c and power steering retained, and can still drive to the grocery store and get decent gas mileage, ect.

 

Umm... WRONG! Your trap speed will indicate your hp if you know your race weight.

 

Thats true, but people shop around for the right dyno, then do all the dyno tricks and get a good number! That doesnt impress me. To each their own, but I feel dynos are meant as a tuniing tool. Dyno racing is like bench racing. Ive never understood why when I have dynoed in Fl. in hot and humid weather the sae is always corrected down? Has anyone ever seen a correction add hp/tq ?

 

That's me.

 

Not always... there's still track prep/condition/grade, density altitude, air temp, etc. to account for, and those things can effect MPH.

Hell, having too much tire can lower your mph... doesn't indicate at all what hp you'd put down on a dyno.

My point was, there is still too many variables to account for to say certain dyno numbers = ET/MPH, or ET/MPH = certain dyno numbers.

 

did you go down to gateway? was it a c5 vette? the new gto (350hp ones) have good top end but i think they might be a little slow out of the hole....(i raced one on the highway )

 

I can relate to that. I'm into as low an ET as possible with the goals of the car in mind. Keep it nice and make the ET as low as possible, cool. Gut it and make it as quick as possible on a 10.5, cool. Turn it into an all out drag car, cool.

 

I have to agree with this. Those 1/4 mile calculators are best for average cars with average traction. Once you have a really light or really heavy car, or a car that hooks like crazy b/c of suspension mods, it can throw things off.

 

no. i haven't. i pretty sure i picked up 5 hp on the dyno and 3 mph at the track i give up on the dyno. i went 119 with 400hp. 120's with 407hp and the 236/243 cam. then with the t-rex i went 121 most the time with 403 hp. yes lost hp somewhere. and the 90/90 i am close to 123 with less DA. with the DA for the 123 it was +988 with the 121 it was in the -400's. so i prob gained 5hp

 

have tried and tried the 1/4 calculators and they have never even bn close to what i run. but hey if u want a dyno queen that looks cool. i can appreciate that because thats what u like so good for u. personally i want something so when i c that 600 plus horsepower car on the road, i can smoke it with less horsepower. but to each his own. so i guess it all comes down to what u want.
yes i have seen dyno numbers increase by changing the correction factor.
have seen some shops lower it when car first comes n. then after they put performance parts on it. they jack correction up so it makes it seem like it has gained a **** load of hp when it didnt gain nearly that much.

 

Sounds expensive and like it would break a lot of parts.

 

There's my goal right there... I could go a lot faster if I gutted my car and all that... but I want to get as fast a timeslip as I can and still stay on stock heads, full weight, naturally aspirated.

 

i just like to know that i have high numbers. i dont care about track times or anything like that unless i go to the track which is maybe once every couple years. i would rather just know i have 500hp even tho im only gunna use it on small occasions.....

 

Not all of us have late model F or Y body cars either. I'm building mine for show and go. Unfortunately, without a cage I'll see maybe one pass before the tech sticker gets pulled. And some cars just don't blend into the crowd to be able to come back under the radar. Try being anonomous in a Studebaker!

I do agree that first, and foremost, the dyno is a tuning tool. It allows you to maximize what you have and to test the results. But on a track car, the E.T. or lap time is all that matters. Total power is just part of the equation.

In my case, stuffing modern technology into a 40 year old street machine built to be driven on the street without the use of a cage or 5 point harness limits the ability to ability to let it all hang out at the strip or a Solo 1. It is essentially a toy. In these cases, the only numbers that we can hang are hat on is the dyno numbers. When I'm done with the car, and if I get my 500-550 wrhp then I have won my race.