Kermit Racing, Inc. has the only Dyno Dynamics Dynamometer in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. Why did we choose this machine over the others? In our experience it is the only machine to use for proper tuning. I have traveled across the United States and used Dynojets and Mustang dynamometers; but what sealed the deal for me was when I was attending the EFI 101 seminars in Georgia and California. At one shop, the Dyno Dynamics Dynamometer we were using was over 15 years old!!! The control unit had been updated, but the rollers were the originals. Obviously the design has stood the test of time.

Let's first describe the differences in how this Dynanometer operates. A Dynojet is an inertia dyno which means it calculates torque and horsepower by accelerating a large roller of a known mass. By measuring the time it takes to accelerate the mass, the computer calculates torque and horsepower. Pretty slick but there is a huge problem with this...What if you are not accelerating? With no acceleration, the machine says you are making zero horsepower. The inertia dyno is also incapable of applying a specific load and holding the engine at a specific rpm. This means you can not tune a steady-state situation. Also there is the issue of strapping the vehicle to the dyno. The vehicle's traction is directly proportional to the force on the straps. And traction? Have you ever seen a high torque vehicle on a Dynojet spin its wheels on the roller? Obviously the roller isn't accelerating as fast as it should if there was sufficient traction, so the vehicle is actually producing more torque than is calculated!!! Besides I can't afford to hire three trunk monkeys to sit on the vehicle to aid in traction.

I know people who say the Dynojet is the industry standard. "You can't do coast down tuning on a Dyno Dynamics dyno because the rollers don't have enough inertia and the vehicle slows too quickly!" I've even heard a guy proudly proclaim he got his vehicle up to 200 mph on the dyno. If you take a look around at what the "industry standard" is you will find that it is really not accurate and just an expensive toy. A true inertia roller dyno designed to give accurate readings would have a roller with the same mass as the vehicle. Can you imagine having to change rollers for each vehicle? Coast down tuning is really just correcting the enleanment and enrichment correction maps, something that can readily be tweaked quickly on the road. There should also be a good technical way to measure the slippage of the tires on the roller. But there is not with this machine. There is a universal factor the computer plugs into the formula. It's not even based on tire compound!! Imagine how much different race tires slip on a roller versus over-inflated street tires!!! And to those brave souls who want to see their vehicles wheels spinning top 200mph, I give the same advice to those who believe their  150 mph speedometer means their Mini Cooper S goes 150: Speed is drag limited!!!! If there was no air in front of you, then hell, you could go as fast as your engine can spin the wheels. "Let's just make it a 16 speed!!!! But we live on Planet Earth and on this planet the drag your vehicle produces increases exponentially with your speed. To go twice as fast, you need at least four times as much horsepower. Look at the Bonneville cars that produce 600 hp and only go 200 mph. Aero is much more important.

The other big problem with the industry standard is the standard itself. The dynojet was designed by a motorcycle tuner. I don't know anything about his abilities, but I have read a lot of about the machine he produced. He created the dynojet to sell his carbs and tuning. At the time he built it, the big motorcycle was the Vmax. The factory advertised that the engine made 145 hp, but whenever he tested it he could only get 90 hp. All of the industry information at that time indicated the engine should produce about 110 hp at the tires. After exhausting every option, he told his software designer to fudge the math so the 90 hp he was reading became 110 hp. He was happy and went out selling his machine to the world...well to the united states market. As the performance industry developed there came a need to verify performance claims of bolt-on products. He was able to sell his dyno to the speed shops mainly because of its low cost, which was about half of what a traditional engine dyno would cost. The machine became the standard because of a lot of people could afford to buy it. These people assumed that the product was accurate because no one else told them different.

The problem is that a Vmax does not produce 145 hp and a good dyno will indicate it produces about 90 hp at the wheels. Which shows just because a manufacturer says something, it doesn't make it so. The Dynojet needlessly fudged the numbers to make people feel better and didn't give a true measurement. Other dynamometer companies tailored their machine to give numbers comparable to the dynojet, creating a false "industry standard."

If you go outside of the United States, you will see a completely different criteria in place. The people who tune their vehicles do not necessarily get in "horsepower number" contests. For the most part, the rest of the world drives smaller cars with turbocharged engines and sometimes four wheel drive. Their needs dictated a different kind of machine and thus you will find Dyno Dynamics in every corner of the globe.

WHAT IS HORSEPOWER
           
            Horsepower is the ability of an engine to do work, which is generating force over time and distance.

            1 horsepower = the force required to move 550 pounds 1 foot in 1 second.

            In the real world a horsepower is a horsepower, but as I have already shown you a Dynojet horsepower is not. Let's be creative and give the formula for dynojet horsepower:

            1 Dynojet horsepower = 1.222 times (real horsepower)

If I tell you your car will make 20 percent more horsepower with a particular modification and your car starts out with 100 hp, then you will make 120 hp. But if you went to a dynojet, then you would show an indicated 148.4 horsepower (100 hp = 122 dynojet hp, 20% more is 148.4 hp.) Now which number makes you feel better? But then it's the same car isn't it and it feels the same on the road. Now if a 120 hp car waxes your 148.4 hp car at the drag strip, Who's pissed now? If I can't show you what one horsepower feels like, then why should it matter if the numbers are different. You want results. Period.

I believe in the future, most of the performance industry will go to showing percentage improvements rather than actual horsepower improvements. Otherwise they will have to establish industry standards and testing procedures including dynamometer testing and verification. There's no way all of the companies want to open their machines to real criticism.

The Dyno Dynamics dynamometer uses eddy current generators to resist to the torque produced by the wheels. Because it can accurately measure the current used to hold the torque produced by the wheels, it can accurately measure torque. There is no calculation!! The torque generated in resistance of the roller is what the vehicle produces and their is no fudge factor in the math. The number is what the number is!!!

The DD can hold the vehicle at any rpm and speed I wish. That way I can verify my maps are perfect! I can isolate that high rpm miss or even the enrichment correction map. The dyno is like a laboratory for the vehicle. I can remove every other factor except the one I am testing for.

The DD uses a different system for maintaining traction. There are two small diameter rollers that the drive wheels sit between. The straps are then used to prevent the vehicle from going forward or backward, not up or down. As the wheels generate force the tires are driven into the roller, creating more traction.

There are other eddy current dynamometers including the Mustang and DTS, but they use large rollers and bring the same traction problems as before. As a result all of these machines are big and cumbersome. Some are portable, but are not something you'd want to have to set up.

WHY DYNO?

The Dynamometer that I have purchased can handle vehicles up to 1200 hp. It can handle ATV's, Motorcycles, Street Cars, Diesel Pickups, Race cars, etc. I have a tail pipe Air/Fuel Meter for your use. If you are a racer, I guarantee to save you hours of testing time at the track by using my machine. You can make small or large changes while on the dyno and see the immediate effects. No more making numerous runs down the strip to see if the modifications you performed are what makes your ET go down. A spinning clutch will make itself apparent on the dyno and that staged nitrous system can be triggered perfectly. Many times problems that are not apparent will be readily viewed when the car is on the dyno. Got something vibrating on the chassis and can't figure it out? We can simulate almost any load possible for your vehicle. I can even test the operation of your Speedometer for accuracy!!!

Everyone who is interested in the performance of their vehicle can benefit from the dynamometer. Engine builders can see the actual numbers produced by the vehicle at the wheels, guaranteeing customer satisfaction. If you are designing performance equipment, I can test and certify the results as an independent laboratory. I can simulate loads including a trailer load. I can do all of this quickly and efficiently!!! Want to verify the results of that chip or exhaust? I sell baseline and after packages!!!

Ultimately putting a vehicle on a dyno is useful because it is legal and fun. You can drive your own vehicle on the dyno and rev it up to redline and let those horses run!!!! You can't do that anywhere else, except on a track or without the threat of bodily harm and legal problems.

DYNO RATES

BASELINE    ........................................................................................$75.00 with Air/Fuel meter, three pulls (included printout of runs)

BEFORE/AFTER..................................................................................$130.00 with A/F Meter (first run three pulls and two weeks to complete 2nd set of runs)

HOURLY................................................................................................$125.00 Kermit Racing employee operates the dyno, customer tunes the vehicle

DAILY RATE.........................................................................................$750.00 weekday; $1500 Weekends

RACER PACKAGES.............................................................................available in packages of 10, 20 and 40 hours, available on weekdays only, for special rates

TUNING..................................................................................................$200.00 per hour (Kermit Racing employees tune vehicle and operate dyno) 

PRODUCT TESTING.............................................................................Call for pricing

DYNO CERTIFICATION......................................................................$250 this is an instruction program for racers who want to learn how to use the dyno properly and                                                                                                                                be able to operate the dyno to save $25.00 per hour on dyno time.

EFI CERTIFICATION............................................................................$2000 In conjunction with EFI University, Kermit Racing will provide a vehicle with a stand alone                                                                                                                         ECU and sufficient hours to complete logbook for Certification Program. Approximately 20 hours                                                                                                           of dyno time.

MOBILE DYNO DAYS...........................................................................Call for pricing. Varies with location and date.