Total Performance Solutions

Dyno Tuning

Any dyno will spin the tires, do some figuring and print a graph. But some can do more than others... see what sets us apart from the rest.

If you have any questions about the dyno or tuning, email Benjy.

A basic dyno check of a vehicle is $100 for 3 runs with a paper and/or digital printout of horsepower and torque.

Our hourly dyno rate (you tune and drive) is $100/hr. A TPS dyno technician will assist you with vehicle preparation on the dyno and pulls.

For datalogging air to fuel ratio add $25 per hour/3 pulls.

For cars running leaded race fuel there is an additional charge of $15 per full throttle pull plus $30 for part throttle tuning. This covers the cost of replacing the sensor on our wideband Air/Fuel ratio gauge, which is harmed by leaded fuel. Dyno rates may vary for special applications, such as racecars requiring custom work, other brand vehicles, etc.

Typical dyno tuning costs are as follows:

Hardware:

SCT chip $299 or SCT X3 Flash tuner $379

Dyno Tuning:

Most dyno tune rates fall into one of three categories:

Each tuning package allows for a maximum of 3 hours of dyno time. If mechanical problems with the vehicle require us to go longer we will ask that you correct them or allow us to correct the problems at a shop rate of $100/hr. This allows us to keep high standards on the vehicles we tune and do every job 100% correct.

Dyno Tuning charges are in addition to the hardware cost of the chip or flash tuner (if required).

Dyno tuning prices listed here may include standard tuning procedures (as required) such as setting timing, adjusting fuel pressure, tightening supercharger belts, and checking 1 spark plug to make sure the correct type and heat range is installed. These prices do not include mechanical repairs such as changing clogged fuel filters, changing or re-gapping spark plugs, fixing supercharger belt alignment problems, or repairing other pre-existing mechanical issues.

Diagnostic "Checkup"

Wondering if your car is performing up to par? Curious to see if your tune is all it could be? Let us strap your Mustang down to the dyno and datalog the PCM to see how things are looking. We will evaluate your car from both an electronic tuning point of view as well as a mechanical overview.

The charge for this service is $150 and includes a printout of your horsepower and torque, access to the datalogs we capture and our professional opinion on the vehicle as well as practical suggestions on further improvements.

Dyno Tuning FAQs

Q. Do I have to buy a chip (or tuner) for dyno tuning?

A. 86-93 Mustangs primarily used as drag cars can usually be tuned fairly well with just an adjustable fuel pressure regulator and a timing light, provided the MAF is calibrated correctly and 30lb or smaller fuel injectors are being used. For street cars looking for milage, drivability as well as maximum power we recommend a custom tune. All other Mustangs require a chip or flash tuner to make proper tuning changes.

Q. I already have a chip (or Flash Tuner). Do I have to by a new one?

A. It depends on what brand you have. We can re-write SCT brand chips and X1, X2 and X3 Flash tuners. If you have another brand of chip we can not re-write it. You will have to purchase a new chip. If you have a Diablo Predator we can make adjustments to the Wide Open Throttle (WOT) fuel and timing using the on-screen adjustment in the handheld unit. More involved tuning will require a switch to the SCT XCalibrator.

Q. How long does it take to tune a car on the dyno? How many passes do you make?

A. The short answer is "As long as it takes".

Regardless of the combination, we tune the car until it is right. There is no pre-set limit on how many pulls we will do. That means that some cars are very simple to dial in, with straightforward combinations of parts, meters that are calibrated perfectly, fuel systems that are working right, etc. Those cars are done in about two hours with as little as three or four pulls. Other cars have more complicated setups (high stall converters, MAF transfer functions that need a lot of work, injectors or meters that are past capacity "pegged", FMUs that have to be recalibrated, fuel pressure that needs to be adjusted, supercharger belts that are slipping, etc). A really complicated car could take all day and 15 or more passes.

Q. Is the dyno hard on the car? What are the risks involved?

A. Running the car on they dyno puts no more load on the engine than going full throttle on the street (or track). In many ways running a car on the dyno is actually safer than running your car full throttle on the street (or track), because conditions such as air/fuel ratio, coolant temperature and ignition timing are monitored closely.

Any time an engine is operated at full throttle, whether on the street, racetrack or on the dyno, there is a small risk of something going wrong or a component failing. While this risk is actually somewhat smaller in the closely monitored environment of a dyno session, the risk still exists none-the-less. Total Performance Solutions, its employees and owners assume no liability for engine or driveline damage that may occur while the vehicle is operated on the dyno. All dyno work is strictly and expressly at the customer's own risk. All dyno services require a signed liability release form.

Q. What makes your dyno different from others?

Mustang Dynamometers are unique because they are loading dynamometers designed to duplicate real world operating conditions. The patented control system uses eddy current power absorbers to load a vehicle exactly the way it would be loaded on the street -- including wind resistance, which is significant factor in high-speed testing. Mustang dynos also feature a load cell to measure the power being applied to the rolls. Without going to a lot of theory, a Mustang dyno gives you a real world tune, every time.

The term dynamometer is commonly defined as - "an instrument for measuring mechanical force", with force being commonly defined as - "any external agent that causes a change in the motion of a free body, or that causes stress in a fixed body". In the case of the chassis dyno, the purpose at hand is to measure the rotational force of the driven wheels mounted to the vehicle under test. This is typically achieved via a series of rollers - which when coupled to a vehicle's tires resembles a toothless gear arrangement. In many cases, an absorption device is incorporated into the roller arrangement so as to allow for "steady state" testing.

It's true that any chassis dyno can spin your wheels and do some calculations, but only a Mustang dyno can give you a real world simulation every time. The patented control system uses eddy current power absorbers to load a vehicle exactly the way it would be loaded on the street -- including wind resistance, which is a significant factor in high-speed testing. Mustang dynos also feature a load cell to measure the power being applied to the rolls. Without going into a lot of theory, a Mustang dyno gives you a real world tune, every time.

Dyno Testing and tuning is available on our state-of the art Mustang MD250-HD Dyno. The Mustang dyno incorporates an eddy current load controller to simulate the actual load (combined aerodynamic, rolling friction, and vehicle inertia [weight]) the vehicle experiences while driving on the street or racetrack. This allows for more accurate tuning under conditions that match the real world. These conditions can not be simulated by an inertia-only dyno. This is just one of the reasons why a TPS tune is the best!

Horsepower gains and driveability improvements can be made on the dyno by tuning fuel pressure and ignition timing, and by custom tuning computer chips and/or flash tuners such as the SCT XCalibrator or Live Wire. We have experience with Anderson PMS, Hondata and other stand-alone fuel injection systems.

In addition to horsepower and torque, our dyno can datalog Air/Fuel ratio, boost & vacuum, and fuel pressure. OBD II vehicles are datalogged with SCT Live Link software. EEC-IV vehicles can also be datalogged using our twEECer datalogging interface

 

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