To The People Losing Their Minds About My E36 M3's Dyno Results, Here's An Explanation
This video has caused a lot of confusion in the YouTube comments, with people saying stuff like “I thought he was a car guy… This dyno doesn’t measure bhp. It measures whp. 279 x15% loss is around 317” and “You guys are aware that dynos read WHP and not BHP?“
So to set the record straight, I Facebook messaged Charlie from Surrey Rolling Road this morning and asked for an ‘official’ response on the matter. Here’s what he sent back, which I’m hoping will clear things up for people…
What does the dyno measure?
WHP
Are the figures for Alex’s car at the crank or wheel?
Crank
Whoa… you just said that the dyno measures at the wheels!
It’s common in Europe for dynos to add the drivetrain loss to make a crank estimation graph. It is always an estimate but it allows the customer to relate to the manufacturer’s crank figures.
Does the dyno also plot in WHP?
Yes, it stores a WHP graph for every car, then depending on what the customer wants we can print out WHP or crank HP.
Why do I see lots of WHP figures around the internet?
America uses mainly WHP figures only, as does Russia and the middle East. Australia uses Wheel KW mainly.
So who’s right?
No one, and everyone. There is no wrong or right way of doing it. As long as you get a consistent number you can compare to when you’ve done some mods.
What do you think is wrong with Alex’s car?
Alex bought it. It was probably putting out over 300bhp before he got his hands on it…
So there you have it, ladies and gents. From the horse’s mouth, this is why my car was making 279bhp at the crank and not 279bhp at the wheels (that would have been incredible had that been the case!).
Next up, I’ll give the car a proper service, get those valve clearances and suspension issues straightened out, and will fit a new exhaust system and a Pipercross air filter that was donated to Colin just last week.
Then, it’ll be back to Charlie’s dyno to see if my E36 M3 can get over 300bhp (at the crank).
Comments
You know. It makes me wonder how stupid some people can be. They focused on you, but also fail to notice that it must be proper due to the trained guy who was doing the dyno..
Trying to get it over 300bhp…
That car is pure dyno-might!
isn`t the rolling road calculated power loss of RWD?
THE DYNO DOES NOT MESSURE HP!!!
It messures torque!
And then does this:
P = Power (in KW) [so; P x 1.3 = HP]
M = torque
n = revs
That’s what the dyno calculates for you and that’s why torque figures are more important than horsepower/Kilowatt figures.
probably just worn out cams? i would go for aftermarket performance ones (not race ones) and that car would turn into a monster.
Only care about the wheel hp.
Bhp is at the crank, hp is at the wheels
For me, WHP is all that matters 😁
So, how do you arrive to 15% drivetrain loss? It always amuses me how these “drivetrain losses are universal for all cars at any given dyno center”. Quattro? 15%, RWD? 15%. Flat tooth superlightweight transmission? 15%.
you forgot the CT stickers they add +50