Big Day at the Dyno!
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 1:05 am
With the “new technology vs. retro technology� debate raging on in another post, I thought folks might be interested in seeing one of the yet unmentioned benefits of running a modern engine. That benefit is the ease at which you can tune the engine for more power. So, lay down your wrench, your screwdriver, and your box full of carb jets, needles, emulsion tubes, and air bleeds. You won’t need them where we’re going. Folks, we’re heading into the 21st century. If you’re uncomfortable with this, please, stop reading now....
I dyno tested my SR20-DET shortly after installing it in my roadster and came up with this:
http://www.311s.org/phpBB2/album_pic.php?pic_id=49
Just shy of 170 HP and 150 lb ft torque at the rear wheels. Right about where a dead stock SR20-DET with 40k on the clock should be.
With NOTHING MORE than the addition of an electronic boost controller, my new dyno numbers are this:
http://www.311s.org/phpBB2/album_pic.php?pic_id=97
223 Hp and 222 lb ft torque at the rear wheels. That’s a gain of 54 HP and 74 lb ft torque. Assuming a typical 15% driveline loss, I’m right at 256 HP and 255 lb ft torque at the flywheel. The best part is, the boost controller I purchased has a HI and LO setting. My LO setting is stock turbo boost levels so I can cruise around town all day long with stock HP. When I need that extra kick, I simply press one button.
Not only can you control the maximum amount of turbo boost you want to run, you can also adjust how early the turbo spools up and how rapidly. This allows you to keep a maximum HP, but adjust the area under the curve. Notice how my HP shoots up early on and stays up there as opposed to slowly increasing up to redline as it did before the boost controller. Also, peak torque is available at 4,500 RPM. I’ve read a lot of “the SR doesn’t have enough torque� comments. BS! All I can say is, I have as much torque at 2700 RPM as a U20’s peak torque!
So, what did it take to make those gains? Countless late nights and skinned knuckles, fiddling in the garage? No. $250, 2 hours of installation time, and $95 for an hour of dyno tuning. I challenge anyone with a U20 to make gains like that for under $350 and 3 hours work! Though I will admit I burned my finger with the soldering iron....
I dyno tested my SR20-DET shortly after installing it in my roadster and came up with this:
http://www.311s.org/phpBB2/album_pic.php?pic_id=49
Just shy of 170 HP and 150 lb ft torque at the rear wheels. Right about where a dead stock SR20-DET with 40k on the clock should be.
With NOTHING MORE than the addition of an electronic boost controller, my new dyno numbers are this:
http://www.311s.org/phpBB2/album_pic.php?pic_id=97
223 Hp and 222 lb ft torque at the rear wheels. That’s a gain of 54 HP and 74 lb ft torque. Assuming a typical 15% driveline loss, I’m right at 256 HP and 255 lb ft torque at the flywheel. The best part is, the boost controller I purchased has a HI and LO setting. My LO setting is stock turbo boost levels so I can cruise around town all day long with stock HP. When I need that extra kick, I simply press one button.
Not only can you control the maximum amount of turbo boost you want to run, you can also adjust how early the turbo spools up and how rapidly. This allows you to keep a maximum HP, but adjust the area under the curve. Notice how my HP shoots up early on and stays up there as opposed to slowly increasing up to redline as it did before the boost controller. Also, peak torque is available at 4,500 RPM. I’ve read a lot of “the SR doesn’t have enough torque� comments. BS! All I can say is, I have as much torque at 2700 RPM as a U20’s peak torque!
So, what did it take to make those gains? Countless late nights and skinned knuckles, fiddling in the garage? No. $250, 2 hours of installation time, and $95 for an hour of dyno tuning. I challenge anyone with a U20 to make gains like that for under $350 and 3 hours work! Though I will admit I burned my finger with the soldering iron....
