Dyno Setup and Operation | Mainline Chassis Dyno 

Bonnet up 99% of the time. You're never going to get the same airflow as on the road from fans unless you're tuning in a wind tunnel. The main thing is to watch your temps and see for yourself as some cars need more care with this than others, and your location will play a major part as well. For example in the winter here we have had issues getting a car up to temp with the fan on, and in the summer the same car needs all the air it can get. The only way we know that is by watching the temps. If we just did what suited another car without checking for a fact and then monitoring further we'd have issues, no question. The fan used is just a mainline one, and we have an extra one (not sure on brand, it's bright orange and looks horrible if that helps 😂) we put on top sometimes if we need extra airflow or for the airflow to be a little higher - Taz

Especially, because you are not keeping back information, what others even not trying to mention. Fair approach. I am also doing dynoing, I zend to agree that "flywheel" power is very difficult to revert from rolling road dyno. For comparison purposes it is a very quick tool.

It doesn't change how it works, you can do whatever suits you. I guess the main 2 things you need to consider are exhaust fumes and noise. Everything else can be made to work around those key points. We did lose a lot of workshop room to have ours setup like this and have since gone to a hub dyno setup in the same position (you just wheel them out of the way when not in use). Before you ask (fair question too), sinking the dyno into the ground wasn't an option for us as the concrete is too thin and we don't own the building, so for the dead money paying to sort that it was better to just get a hub dyno when we started running out of room after a few years - Taz.

What specifically would you like to know about automatics? Cost down is very much a dyno-specific aspect which the mainline doesn't support hence it isn't covered. The dyno provides power at the wheels and doesn't seek to provide a flywheel figure - Andre

@@hpa101 Just the main differences between automatic and manual when it comes to the general approach, setting up dyno, steady-state, ramp run safety measures, etc. What can or cannot be done if there are such things. My guess is that torque converter design and trans fluid temp have an influence on final numbers, just not sure how much. If all extra features like coast-down depend on the dyno manufacturer then it's clear enough, no need for further explanation.

@@V8interceptorChannel for the most part tuning with an auto isn't much different than a manual. The key difference would be that the torque converter will understandably slip at lower rpm so this can make it impossible to fill out the low rpm/moderate load cells in steady state like you can with a manual. You'll generally see a higher level of drivetrain loss with an auto too, all other things being equal - Andre

There's significant differences between different dyno brands and hence the technique of using a particular brand also needs to be considered. You'll note that this is a video specifically on the Mainline rolling road. This brand of dyno doesn't perform coast down measurements hence including this in the video would have been difficult at best. I understand the principle of the coast down test determining drivetrain losses, hence supposedly being able to provide an accurate 'flywheel' number. Thats has not been my experience with the dynos I've used that provide coast down tests. I prefer to use the dyno as a comparative tool and frankly I don't care whether it displays wheel power, fly wheel power, or fluffy unicorns - What I do care about is consistency/repeatability so that when I make a change and see the power change I can be confident of the correlation. With regard to allowing the car to climb onto the knurled drive roller, this is as per Mainline's recommendation, and given my own experience running the dyno with a wide variety of different vehicles, and a wide range of strapping techniques, it's also the best way of getting consistency (and avoiding wheel spin on more powerful cars). Again the demonstration here is specific to the Mainline brand so please don't assume this information is applicable to every dyno. We do work very closely with the manufacturer to ensure we're providing accurate and reliable advice specific to their product - Andre

@@hpa101 ~Thanks for taking the time to reply. Appreciate it. I respect the video's and sharing you do, and as a tuner with dyno myself its nice to see others professional approach.. When it comes to dynos, and those that read atw only but still report flywheel figure also from only a calculation (dyno dynamics, dyno developments in the uk to name a couple I'm familiar with), those that allow the roller climb always overstate the power. The transition from sat in both to rising up onto the front, has to have a measurable effect, even that of not having 2 x contact patches, and 2 x roller inertias to spin up, to then 1... I know you know what I mean. I'm fortunate to have bought a dyno I too am confident in, and as with yourself, is super consistent in its measurement, and makes for an excellent tuning tool. (VTECH linked 4x4 dyno from Poland for ref). Keep up the great work and videos. Many thanks. Bill

@@hpa101 where did you get the strap system for between the rollers? I run a mainline dyno and this would help massively with some of the bigger power stuff I dyno.