The dynos seems to be all over the map. Screw the dynos. The alternative is compare time slips but we can't all afford nor want to abuse our Minis at the drag strip. I'm not condoning street racing but we've all tested our cars out on the street and the most reliable measurement has been the stop watch. Do it safely and under proper conditions, you'll be within the confines of the law. So lets try this, if the moderators will permit



1-find a proper straight stretch of road without intersections/pedestrians and homes...ie, boonies.
2-speed limits which allow between 45 and 80 mph. The typical two lane black top has unmarked speed limit which usually means 55 so 80 is just fudgin a little.
3-in third gear, begin the run at 3500rpm and cease at 6000rpm (I set my cruise control at the proper rpm).
4-time the run with a digital stop watch and average three run times.
5-record the ambient temperature and altitude
6-if you've never tested your car like this, don't try it until you've given up your virginity.
7-lie if you must with your results...we'll find the truth

RW has posted a time of 6.6 from a 210whp Mini at 6100ft (unknown temp) so lets hear from the rest of you

 

But remember some of us drive are cars differently then others. That is why (at least I feel) the Dyno is a simple way to determine power. Right?


Just my $.02

 

Huh?

 

I like this idea.
some ??'s
..is there a passenger in the car?
..are they timing it outside?
..are you timing it while driving w/o passenger?
..Should I get video of mine and post it online so its cooler?
..should i have a passenger ride and get video?

 

Gonna give it a whack during our drive to Vegas this week.

 

Oh...you meant drive our cars differently? That the point of this excercise...everyone knows how to step on the gas right? Just step on it at 3500rpm in third gear, start timing and stop when you reach 6000rpm. How hard can that be?

 

.preferably no passenger(s)
..time it your self
...video would be make you look faster and proof positive that you didn't lie
....oh...I don't know...you decide...we'll debate your results later

Listen...I trust Randy Webb's number enough that if I were at 6100 ft and got the same results, then I'm confident that I have the same whp

 

OK, I bet I'm in the lead, I just ran out and tried this in a 93 Geo with a 1 litre 3 banger. Took me 20.9 seconds to get from 3500rpm to 5000!!!

 

I call for this test to be inconclusive as you never reached the top rpm of 6000 rpm

 

The only problem comparing cars then is how varying weights and tires can effect the outcome.

 

Isnt that the whole POINT? I think he mean that dynos dont mean squat because the are all different. No standard.

 

Yes but that's not the point. We're just determining acceleration times between Minis as would be if we were side by side in the real world. It doesn't matter if you have a 2000lb Mini with 150hp or a 2900lb Mini with 300hp. This is just a good benchmark to measure your Mini against others. Sure beats the wildly different results from dyno to dyno

There are enough nerds in this forum to figure out how much power you're laying down if you also provide your weight. At this speed and gearing, traction should be of small consequense unless you're using nitrous which has a BIG on/off switch

 

I don't know how to say it

 

Oh okay, I guess I missed the POINT

I thought you were trying to compare cars better then a dyno might and thought making the cars as equal as possible in those things would help. Have fun tho, good luck and watch out for the popo..

I have never trusted or relied on dyno results, never knew why people made such a big thing about them. Best you can hope for is some idea of before and after mod runs to see if you can discover a result from the mod IMHO.

 

Is there any way the top of this thread can have a list of all of the entries in it? I imagine there is going to be copious banter here making the thread less of a resource for people looking to compare cars and mods.

Also - if your mods aren't in your sig (tires, sizes, too) can we all post them along with the run times?

I think this thread is going to be great fun, as now everyone can play! Not everyone has access to or the desire to dyno their cars.

I've got a date with a stop-watch and the NJturnpike tomorrow at 6:30AM!

mb

 

hey, i just got back from a run to mcdonalds..

I will try to find a stopwatch and do this more accurate tomorrow, but I have voice record on my phone.

So I did the test with the voice record, played it back and it ends at 6 seconds...there are no like decimals on my phone lol

I have a 2003 JCW..mods: 62/65TB, OCC, everything JCW; Interior: Recaro Pole Positions, Autopower 4 point cage

 

This test couldn't get simpler than it is which is why I believe RW is using this method. Not to mention how cheap and practical this is. Get on the same stretch of highway, do a delta run. Change A, repeat run and check time difference. Time for test? Depends how far you have to go. Price? A few gallons at most? 3500rpm to 6000rpm in third gear? Even I can manage that in the suburbs. Compare that to spending hours and hundreds of dollars to see if your crank pulley made X hp or if it shaved off a tenth off your strip time next month when you can afford to race. DOH!

 

That's pretty good. Try and do 3 runs and do provide your altitude and ambient temperature also

 

sea level @ 55F I need to find a stopwatch lol

 

mmmmm....55F...I'm jealous Look forward to your run tomorrow with a stopwatch. I did 5.7 and 5.8 tonight but the temps were lower at 30F/900ft. I wonder what that translates to at 6100ft?

 

with or without the nitrous?

 

No nitrous I don't use nitrous until 4200rpm anyway. If I had, it might've been closer to 4 seconds

 

Remember to note whether your vehicle is an 02-04 or 05-06 so that we can account for the difference in gearing.

 

Next time I head out to visit the girlfriend, read 2 hours on 94, I will try and remember to bring a stopwatch. This should give you a good baseline estimate, since my car is performance mod free. Not really going to prove anything, but will be fun to have.

Oh and 94, like most highways in michigan has a 70 mph speed limit through the boonies, so no real fear from the popo.

 

I really like this....good cheap fun.......

Thanks for the idea Sid.....

I will post tomorrow