Autoblog

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We are inundated with safety reminders every time we get into our cars and turn the key. Your car reminds you to fasten your safety belt with incessant beeps and warning lights fill your dashboard when brake or airbag sensors think something is wrong. But, as the video pasted after the break proves, even standing next to your car can be dangerous under the right circumstances. Dynamometers, or dynos, can be awfully dangerous and are usually surrounded by some sort of guard rail, but not this one in Russia Serbia. While it's hard to ignore the guy in the red pants, keep your eyes on the older gentleman at the rear of the room.

While our first inclination was to laugh, the reality is that this face-plant could have been much worse. We're glad that the man in the video appears to be alright. Papa!

[Source: Dragtimes.com]

Japan's BestCar buff book grabbed the keys to a new Nissan GT-R and made for the nearest Super Autobacs. Once they arrived, they mounted Godzilla atop a Dynapack chassis dynamometer, removed the wheels and laid down a few runs to get power figures straight from the axles. The numbers are due for publication in the mag's December 25th issue, but our new friend Jeff made Christmas come early.

The dyno chart shows a peak output of 475 hp at 6,115 rpm and 428 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,130 rpm. Those numbers are incredible close to Nissan's claim of 480 hp and 430 lb.-ft. of twist, but we'll have to wait until a few lucky souls slap the GT-R onto a set of rollers to get some idea of wheel horsepower and torque figures.

Looking over the chart shows very little happening before 3,000 rpm, which is contrary to a number of driving reports we've read so far. Turbo lag has virtually been eliminated on many new models, the GT-R included, so we're assuming that the Dynapack at Super Autobacs wasn't paying attention until later on in the rev range.

[Source: NAGTROC]

Lexus is billing the IS-F as "Everything you thought we weren't," and the potential is certainly there. The engine bay is filled with 5 liters of 4-valve V8 putting out 416 horsepower and 371 pound-feet of torque. The Minilite-esque wheels hide a Brembo braking system with six piston front calipers and cross-drilled rotors 14.2 inches in diameter. The sill extensions wrap up the front fenders to form a styling detail reminiscent of extractor vents, and the rest of the body has been tweaked in the wind tunnel to improve high speed aerodynamics. It all sounds good when you read the spec sheet, and the car does at least look aggressive . What everyone's dying to know, though, is "has Lexus done it this time?" Automobile magazine had the same burning curiosity, and they just also happened to have an IS-F sitting in their lot.

In no time, they headed over to their local Dynojet. The result? Well, they're a little disappointed, and they're calling the torque delivery peaky. Looking at the dyno graph, we're not sure we'd agree entirely with that assessment. There's at least 225 lb-feet at the wheels from 1,800 rpm, topping out at 318 lb-ft. First, let's point out that 15 percent torque loss through a drivetrain including an eight speed automatic is pretty phenomenal. Secondly, the torque curve is pretty fat below the peak. What is surprising to everyone, though, is the way the power drops off precipitously on the other side of the 5,200 rpm peak. You'd think an engine with 4-cams and Yamaha-designed cylinder heads would be a revver. Of course, there are lies, damn lies, and statistics and these dyno results are sure to kick up some debate. What still remains to be seen is how the entire package works when pitted against its bogeyed competition. For that, we must still wait.

[Source: Automobile, photo: Automobile]

Infiniti hasn't announced its official peak power numbers for the 2008 G37 coupe, so the impatient folks at Automobile threw one on a chassis dyno to see how the power it puts down at the rear wheels compares to the 330 hp and 270 ft-lbs. of torque the Japanese automaker estimates the car will make. It turns out Infiniti wasn't exaggerating about how powerful the G37's new 3.7L VQ37VHR with infinitely variable valve timing is, and the new engine blows away the previous 3.5L motor in every way.

According to Automobile's dyno graphs, the new 3.7L produces 287 hp and 236 ft-lbs. of torque at the rear wheels, which means friction in the drivetrain accounts for about a 13% loss in power from the flywheel. The previous 3.5L VQ V6 used in the 2007 G35 coupe produces 236 hp and 218 ft-lbs. of torque at the wheels. This means that although the new engine is only 5.6 percent larger in displacement, it produces almost 22 percent more power than the engine it replaces. Automobile does note that it can't be sure if such a large increase in power is due to the new engine or reduced friction in the drivetrain, but suspects that since the drivetrains of the 2007 and 2008 model are similar that the gains are mostly from the motor.

You can check out all the dyno graphs from Automobile by clicking on the Read link and videos of the new Infiniti G37 being dyno tested after the jump.

[Source: Automobile]

After spending an unhealthy amount of time around a dyno in recent weeks (more on that soon), the benefits of such testing is hardly lost on those of us looking to eek out every last ounce of propulsion potential. But they don't tell the whole tale. Neither do wind tunnels for that matter, as even air traveling upwards of 200 MPH doesn't accurately reflect real world conditions. Enter Haas CNC Racing.

The NASCAR team, owned by Gene Haas, worked with Jacobs Engineering to develop a combination rolling road/wind tunnel that uses a steel belt to run the team's vehicles up to 180 MPH, while at the same time, gaining readings from each individual wheel. Coupled with wind tunnel technology, the system can not only get the car's wheels spinning, but can also thrust 2.85 million cubic feet of air over the vehicle every minute.

According to our friends at Jalopnik, the facility is due to open sometime this year and it will be available to rent to well-funded teams. Be sure to click on over to see another pic that gives you a better idea of the size of the Haas/Jacobs creation.

[Source: Haas CNC Machining Magazine via Jalopnik]

In an effort to reduce emissions, increase drivability and/or prolong the life of the engine, most automakers spend an exhaustive amount of time balancing performance and usability on the factory engine computer. Before jumping headlong into modifications, one of the more effective ways of boosting output, particularly on turbocharged engines, is to have a reputable shop perform a reflash on the factory ECU or to install a piggyback computer to eek out any extra power left on the table by the OEM.

Naturally, tweaking some of these parameters may bring an otherwise law-abiding engine out sync with local regulations and this fact has garnered the attention of German authorities.

[Source: MotorAuthority]

Coming up on nearly twenty years old now, some would be mistaken to consider the legendary Ferrari F40 a bit of a dino – not because it was part of the series named after Enzo's dear departed son, rather because, as far as supercars go, the F40 seems is a bit of a relic, dating back to an age before modern developments like electronic stability control and paddle-shifted transmissions roamed the earth. And yet the F40 can still thoroughly devour almost anything and everything on the road today. What better way, then, to take in the brutal monstrosity of the dinosaur that is the Ferrari F40 than spooling up its turbos on a dyno. Better not let it loose....

This video, which has been floating around the internet, was shot after an F40 was fitted with a custom Tubi exhaust. Check it out after the jump.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Someone help us understand what's going on here. In the latest episode of Top Gear, Richard Hammon revisits the Ford Shelby GT500 that the British motoring show tested late last year. For comparison's sake, Hammond brings along his own classic Shelby GT390. We're used to Top Gear bashing our U.S. ware at every opportunity, and the GT500 again takes a licking for having a suspension that can't handle the car's power. But when Hammond wheels out a portable chassis dyno to accurately measure the GT500's horsepower, he seems surprised to learn that the car produces 447 horsepower. Of course, that's 447 wheel horsepower, meaning the horsepower is being measured at the wheel where parasitic drivetrain losses are in effect and reduce the manufacturer's flywheel horsepower rating a good 10 to 20%. In fact, if you factor in a 10% drivetrain loss on Ford's flywheel horsepower rating of 500, you get 450 wheel horsepower, which is pretty darn close to the 447 achieved by Hammond's "rolling road". For some inexplicable reason, however, Hammond and his comparitavely giant co-host, Jeremy Clarkson, ding the GT500 for producing 53 less horsepower than advertised. Huh?

You can view the segment after the jump for the time being (until it gets yanked off YouTube) and make your own judgment, but from our perspective the segment appears highly misleading to viewers who don't know the difference between horsepower ratings at the wheel and the flywheel. What's up, Hamster?

[Source: Dubspeed Driven]

Last month, Automobile Mag generated some chassis dyno numbers with a turbocharged BMW 335i coupe that were a bit healthier than one would suspect, given the factory's rating of 300 HP at the crankshaft. In a follow-up, they're now stating that the 275 rear-wheel horsepower number that was reported was actually the lowest of four pulls; one even generated 283 ponies. And all of this was with 92 F ambient temps - the sort of air that usually kills the output of boosted engines.

The publication then strapped a second sample to the same dyno, but this time in 78 F weather. Three runs yielded an average of 285 RWHP, with the other two varying from that by a maximum of three HP. Such consistency in the static air environment of a dyno is downright amazing and attests to the effectiveness of the Bimmer's intercooler and engine management system.

[Source: Automobile Mag]

Even with Ford's GT making 550 HP (somewhat underrated) courtesy of a supercharger, of course we all know that there will still be owners out there who seek more power. Once the route of pulley swaps has been explored, where to go next? Stage 6 Motorsports thinks that it has the answer in the form of a twin-turbo kit.

The stock Eaton blower is replaced with a pair of Garrett GT35R scrolls from Precision Turbo, which are mounted behind the engine and inboard of the shock towers. Custom exhaust work brings up the hot gases from the low-mounted stock manifolds, and new downpipes dump the spent exhaust through the stock bodywork opening. A custom "hat" adapts a 95mm throttle body and routes compressed air through the stock intercooler (which is built into the intake manifold), and the OEM fuel system remains intact.

The video shows the car putting down over 830 HP on the dyno, and Stage 6 claims that this same vehicle has put down 1012 RWHP with further work. A kit involving fuel system upgrades and internal engine modifications is said to be under development, with potential for several hundred more HP.

While not all of us can identify the effort it takes to fabricate a twin-turbo install for a Ford GT in five days, the terse "I'm staying at the shop and won't be home until much later" phone call with a significant other that occurs at the 9:30 mark in the above video is something to which most of us can relate.

[Source: Streetfire.com; a hat tip to Dubbedinenglish]

Warning: a bit of NSFW language is sprinkled throughout the clip