Dyno Differences and Understandings

It’s not everyday you get a dyno. Not all dynos are created equal and not all dynos read the same. After a little bit of research we decided on a Dynotech, a widely recognized chassis dynamometer. Dynotech uses a large drum of mass to measure the amount of force a car can exert on it. It takes this information and calculates the horsepower and torque of the vehicle. In order to do this calculation it also needs a tach signal. The reason for this is that the calculation is a relationship at given rpms. (HP = Torque x RPM ÷ 5252)

The true torque of a motor can only be seen at the engine as torque is a relationship of distance from the center line of the crankshaft. If the transmission was truly 1:1 you could measure this at the wheels but since most transmissions have no gears that are exactly 1:1, we chose a gear that is close to 1:1. This gear is generally 3rd or 4th. As an example the mazdaspeed 3 uses gearing of 1st 3.21, 2nd 1.91, 3rd 1.37, 4th 1.03, 5th 0.95, 6th 0.79. As you can see 4th gear is the closest to 1:1.

Dynojet

The dyno dynamics dyno we chose uses an electromagnetic force to measure power. This makes the unit smaller and more portable. It also makes the dyno able to change loads. You can literally apply a certain load and very the rpms or very the load and keep the same rpm. This is great for load based tuning and limits the need for a “Road Tune” as you can create real life conditions on a dyno.

The downfall of the dyno dynamics is that it is often called a heart breaker dyno. The actual reported numbers are some of the lowest numbers out of any dyno. This fact makes it important to understand that increases in power should always be measured in percentages. That way when you compare numbers, the percentage gained should be about the same while the increase in actual value might be less. You can see this below in the graphs.

Dyno Chart

The lower powers are with a stock Mazdaspeed3 and the higher values are with the exact same mods. The left dynojet graph shows a 30hp difference at one point . This is about a 14% increase in power. If you dyno the same modifications on the dyno dynamics and you see about 25hp difference which is also a 14% difference. Even though the dynos show a 5hp peak difference we know the modifications increased the same amount of power. This is shown in the percentage difference. Horsepower numbers can be shown to be a higher value but the percentage should always be similar. A point not missed when we recently dyno’ed a mazdaspeed3 that made almost 700whp (~+206%) on a dynojet but 580whp (~+204%) on our dyno dynamics. The percentage change was the same but peak difference was massive.

With the power of our new dyno literally at our fingertips, we have complete control over the test and the demands placed on the vehicle. Utilizing the dynotech software will allow us to evaluate the entire drive-train condition for the purpose of all-out performance development. Stay tuned for more rock solid, well engineered products that will take your Mazda to the next level.

Brydon-

Hello 2012!

As we usher in the dawn of a new year, CorkSport looks forward to what’s to come in 2012 and covers some highlights Mazda enthusiasts and CorkSport customers can expect to see in the coming months!

A New Website for CorkSport.com

In the relentless quest to provide our customers with the best online shopping experience possible, CorkSport will be launching a brand new website. Our newly designed website, scheduled to launch late this month, will feature improved navigation making it easier for our customers to find the parts they are looking for, a mobile optimized shopping experience for Android and iPhone users, easier to access content, photos and video clips along with a fresh new look. So be ready CorkSport fans because your shopping experience is about to get even better!

Suspension Packages
CorkSport is gearing up to offer a new line of staged suspension packages that will simplify handling upgrades for many of our customers. Our staged suspension packages will accomodate many levels of suspension upgrade needs starting from street performance through racing. We will be rolling out the the new suspension packages beginning with the Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed 3 with our top package including a new coilover kit for Mazdaspeed 3 with amazing features for the price

SkyActiv Technology

We have blogged about this several times throughout the last year and now we are happy to say that Mazda has officially started rolling out its new line of SkyActiv technology for the Mazda 3 and will continue this trend into 2012 with the launch of the new CX5 platform to combine their legendary drivability with fuel efficiency.

B-Spec Race Series
For 2012 a number of sanctioning bodies have created a new segment of race cars called B-Spec that target the sub-compact market. The aim of this series is to provide more access to racing with the intention of the sanctioning bodies to maintain a single “spec” for the cars. Mazdaspeed Motorsports will be using the Mazda2 as their respective platform for this growing segment of the automotive industry.

CorkSport will also be continuing to compete in the SCCA ST-F class and we will be providing regular updates on our successes as the season evolves.

This represents just a small segment of what is in store for CorkSport and Mazda this year. We will continue to grow our product line and continue our unparalleled support for the Mazda community.

We are looking forward to a successful and exciting 2012!

Gwynne-