hard_charger

In celebration of its sixth anniversary, Z Car Garage in San Jose, Calif., opened its doors and Dynojet to the public. My best run is attached. As something of a hopeless noob, I'm hoping for two things with this post:

1. An opinion of these numbers
2. A clear explanation of what they mean

I've done several hours of Internet research and believe that I understand how a Dynojet works and what it measures. The trouble is, a friend asked me to explain my graph to him and I just couldn't seem to do it in an intelligent way. Can the wise minds of my350z.com help?

winchman

I'd say that's pretty good. If the stock engine is rated at 306HP, and you're getting a max of 269 to the ground, the drive train loss is only about 12%.

I laugh every time I see stuff like this. I've never run the engine in my '08 5AT coupe over 3000rpm and it's never been anywhere near full throttle. Based on your chart, I've probably never used more than 30% of the engine's potential. No matter, it's lots more fun than the Silverado for delivering 80 pounds of fertilizer to my friend's house.

Swimminggerman

It means you drive a super sweet car with a crazy amount of power and should never put the pedal to the metal.
Dynos are used to measure power(HP/TQ) increase/decrease based on what variables you change to your car. This being your stock and base dyno to compare the (future) others to. Albeit you should use the same dyno for your marks so there is no discrepancy between dyno readings (which there are ). As well it can show you where your power lies and assist in giving you an idea of (if any) what modifications to do with your motor.

Swimminggerman

Ill trade you my 85 camry 4banger for your HR. Youll never notice it gone, trust me. Plus ill throw in a bag of chips and pop.

davidv

iTrader: (2)

You have been a member for 3 years - not certain why you refer to yourself as a “noob.”

a. Horsepower curve is typical. Very linear. No bumps - no dips. Almost a straight line to peak.

b. Torque curve is a little disappointing. Falls after 5,000 RPM. Perfectly flat is next to impossible, but would prefer a less drastic drop. A good tuner can help with this.

c. Peak numbers are of limited value. Not comparable to other Zs on other dynos. But a good diagnostic and performance tool. For example if you take the car to a different dyno, peak horsepower may vary plus or minus 10 percent. So the Z runs 242 to 296 horsepower.

hard_charger

Thanks for the feedback. While I've been a member for nearly three years, I have just 10 posts to my name. That's why I referred to myself as such. Also, while I'm hopelessly in love with the Z, I'm not all that mechanically inclined. I'd hoped to do more with my car by now, but life/career sort of got in the way. With my factory warranty set to run out, I figure now's as good a time as any to begin again.

scotts300

iTrader: (46)

HP/TQ curve looks very good. ZCG dyno is conservative, if anything, in my experience to two other dynos. There was an HR - with mods - that made 264rwhp later in the day. Your car is good. There is another - also with some mods - that made 296rwhp, so you could certainly add power if you can justify it.