Dyno Day at Marken Performance & Restoration Inc
May 31, 2008
Dyno days give a chance for everyone to claim bragging rights on the most powerful vehicles. Most often enough, the horsepower ratings in that sales brochure can be highly optimistic or truly conservative. What counts in the court of public opinion is the power ratings at the wheel. But dynos are more than just numbers - they are a tool. Dyno readings are often used by car and truck enthusiasts as a "base line", the starting point for modifications. Once owners add in intakes, exhausts, and other mild to extreme engine modifications, they can use new dyno readings to see what performance gains actually received and which modifications got the best value for the money. Dyno readings can also indicate any potential problems with your vehicle, such as having a really dirty air filter or a bad tune.
This year, SVTOA-Toronto visited Marken Performance & Restoration in Kitchener, Ontario. Our members were itching to get on the dyno to see what their cars and trucks can do. Word had spread about our event, and we welcomed our members' friends and family, and other car clubs in the area. One by one, our eager participants handed their keys to the staff at Marken Performance and watched their vehicle spool up maximum power as the computer spat out the numbers.
To quench our thirst and hunger, Marken Performance were gracious hosts offering a barbeque lunch and drinks. In the background, SVTOA-Toronto members Andy and Kevin Scultety (the Canadian Car Guys) were busily filming the event.
At the end of the day, it all came down to the printouts given to our participants. Here are the results:
Participant (Vehicle) |
HP Guess (bhp) |
Best HP Rating #1 |
Best HP Rating #2 (bhp) |
| Guy (2003 Mustang SVT Cobra) |
375 | 417 | 412 |
| James (2003 F-150 SVT Lightning) |
425 | 427 | 438 |
| Nigel (2003 Mustang SVT Cobra - 10th Anniversary) |
360 | 404 | 400 |
| Andrew (2001 F-150 Harley-Davidson) |
360 | 340 | 339 |
Stratis |
425 | 391 | 411 |
| George (1995 Porsche 933 Carrera) |
246 | 219 | N/A |
| Marc (2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP) |
195 | 199 | 195 |
| Stuart (2004 Mercury Marauder) |
247 | 262 | 264 |
| Jim (2003 Mercury Marauder) |
262 | 270 | 268 |
| Dan (2003 SVT Focus 5-door) |
153 | 150 | 152 |
| George H (1994 F-150 Inline-6) |
138 | 126 | 126 |
| Jason (1998 Volvo S70 T5) |
218 | 215 | 228 |
| Craig (1995 Mustang LX 5.0L) |
290 | 276 | N/A |
Special thanks go out to the following groups for their participation and support:
- The staff at Marken Performance & Restoration (Mark, Dave, Shawn, and anyone else we may have missed), for hosting our Dyno Day
- SHOpower.com (special congratulations to Marc who won our Guess The Ponies Contest, and special thanks to SVTOA-Toronto's own Stacey Morley for helping spread the word about our event)
- Porsche Club of Canada (special thanks to George Christie for promoting this event to our Porsche friends); and
- KW Mustang Club (special thanks also go to John Ross of Mettetech Automotive for promoting this event to our Mustang friends in the KW area)
Last, but certainly not least, thanks to Nigel Grinsteed for putting together this event.
