Just got a quote for having my carb and ignition "tuned" with a dyno. The guy guarantees more horses and if necessary, he will change the jets in the carb for a leaner burn. The kicker is the price. Does $350 seem reasonable?

thanks
Bill

 

That's about the going rate...unless you've got a buddy with one in the garage

 

Surely it depends on how much time it takes and how many dyno pulls he needs to do. How good or how bad is the car running? Can you get it close enough on your own?

Although I have never had a car on a dyno I have had my Triumph Speed Triple on a dyno twice; once for most of an afternoon. My Kawa ZRX 1200 has had extensive dyno work; when changing cams mostly. Its been vital and expensive; but worth it. At least to me.

carbster

Oh and I will be putting the vette on a dyno post this round of engine work.

 

for about the same monies you can buy a LM-1 wideband AF ratio meter and then do the tuning yourself and constantly monitor your AF ratios from idle, cruise, and full throttle for max power, etc.

btw...you want a richer mixture for more HP at WOT...only a leaner mixture at cruise/idle for fuel economy

I did a dyno tune recently and it was kind of cool but a pain in the a$$....as I feel there is still a lot of room for improvement.

 

Dyno time usually goes for about $600-$700 for a full day, so the $350 quote is likely a 1/2-day estimate to set things up and do some basic tuning. If the dyno is properly instrumented, it will give you data to allow tuning more than just the carb: I was able to "see" oil windage at elevated rpm from the oil pressure data. By lowering the oil level 1 qt, I eliminated windage, improved oil pressure, and picked up 20 hp...

 

$350 sounds reasonable for a solid tune.

 

I was a service writer for a local dyno shop for a coupla years. Yes that is a fair price. Be sure to ask for BEFORE TUNE and AFTER printout results.

Also make sure you have at least a half tank of fuel before bringing it to them! You would be amazed how many cars run outta gas on the dyno.

 

Great tips! thanks!

 

Prices here run from $300 to $375, so it seems about right.