2016 Dyno Test

My nephew, Evan, spent part of his spring break helping me install an EFI system on my '73 Trans Am. As a "thank you" and for my own curiosity, we put his 2016 TRD Off Road Tacoma on my DynoJet.

I did some research and saw that 4th gear (automatic) is a 1.00:1 ratio, which is the ratio to get the most accurate and comparable dyno data. Two quick pulls told us that the computer pulls some serious power when the wheel speed reaches 110mph! So we let it cool for a bit, and dropped the tranny into 3rd for our next pulls.

Traction control was turned off, and Evan wanted to test both with the "power" button off and on - as most of you know, at full-throttle we saw ZERO difference with the button, identical power.

Another thing Evan had asked me about, was air filters. I told him about some testing I had done on carbureted motors. Once on the dyno, I looked at his filter. It is a stock drop-in, with 30-something thousand miles on it, rather clean looking but dust flew out when I tapped on it. For giggles, I left the filter element out and clamped the lid back into place - there is not any air filter that will flow more than NO filter!

Red line is no filter, blue is with stock filter element. Accounting for variability in testing, there is ZERO difference. The engine possibly being a few degrees different between the runs could cause the teensy differences between pulls.

Since these motors do not have actual spark plug wires, and require a special tach-lead connector (I had one, but it walked off), I was not able to record the RPM, only the wheel speed. If you do not have the RPM, then the computer cannot calculate the torque - so we only have HP vs. wheel speed.

Anyway, thought this may be of interest to some of you. Independent testing, not selling anything. If anything, this dyno reads 2-3% lower than some other DynoJets I've tested with.

 

Looks about right. Never convince the guys who spend $$$ on those "CAI" super special intakes though haha that there is no difference.

 

I was just reading about the redesigned 2019 Dodge Ram today, they changed from a Mechanical Fan to Electric Fan, a Heated Rear Diff to warm the oil, a Suspension that drops 2" in motion, and wider range of Cylinder Deactivation, they gained a whopping .5 MPG Highway! This ridiculous nonsense about just dropping an Air Filter in and gaining 3 MPG and some unfound Horsepower is just nuts!

 

Several years ago, I tested a few different 14x3 elements. The engine was a 427 inch Windsor, putting a bit over 470hp to the wheels at the time. I had one old paper filter with heavy pleating (which is more surface area) that performed virtually identically as a brand new K&N. A new paper filter with wide-spread pleats (less surface area) was down about 5hp throughout the test. Like you said, not much to REALLY be gained.

 

@LnL thanks for posting the dyno run. Curious if you have the torque readings as well?

 

Sorry, I do not (see the 2nd to last paragraph in the first post for explanation).

 

Oh geez...I was that guy...sorry about that.

 

^ No problem! I've been "that guy" more times than I want to remember ;-)

 

thank you VERY much for this! What a great test!

 

What everyone forgets is the ECU controls the air/fuel mix. If you somehow could get more air in the ECU will just reduce it to get the proper mix. It will not give it more fuel lol.

 

This needs to be higher up. Finally an unbiased dyno from someone that isn't trying to sell crap.

 

Thanks for posting this and the great discussion.

Exactly. I like it.

Also, that is a curve that is a lot smoother than seen in other threads, esp for a 2016?

 

Someone has a complete misunderstanding of how these systems work.
The computer will compensate and provide more fuel if needed--hence cooler air you get worse gas mileage(youre getting denser air which means the cylinder is getting more oxygen and it needs more fuel to burn properly)

The ECU does control air/fuel mixture, but it is in control of the fuel mixture while air is being crammed in.

 

Only at WOT man. The computer controls for efficiency.. both fuel and air. Just because you get more air the computer won't give you more fuel. Sorry.

 

So the dyno test where he removed the filter and gained absolutely nothing is wrong?

 

Yep. Throttle body just closes a bit if it gets more air flow to maintain maximum efficiency with it's fuel air mix. Only change is WOT.

 

Really? You know the inner workings of the ECU? I'm not being facetious, rather genuinely curious.

I'm more familiar with GM, FAST, and Holley EFI ecu's. They all vary the amount of gasoline being injected, in order to maintain the desired AFR. I have never heard of ANY system that varies the throttle position to adjust AFR. DBW systems use TP to limit torque and provide traction control, those uses I know about.

 

Thanks guys, glad you appreciate the info.

As for the smoothness, it comes with experience The truck was square on the roller before it was strapped down, it was strapped down securely and evenly, tires were properly and evenly inflated, throttle applied smoothly after the truck was running steady, and I have the "smoothing" factor maxed out at "5." There is a little bit of "tuning" that can be done to the dyno as well, making sure the sensor is position squarely and evenly spaced to the "tab" mounted on the drum. If that sensor is not mounted properly, you can get some funky results.

I also let the engine cool between runs. I try to make pulls with the engine at close to the same coolant temp for each pull. Minimize the variables.

IMHO, Toyota did a great job designing this package. I really expected to see about 5hp gain with no filter. Unlike a lot of GM offerings, I do not believe there is much/any "hidden HP" to be found on these. You are more likely to LOSE power/performance by installing aftermarket stuff on these trucks, than you are to have appreciable gains. If you want better MPGs and performance, install lighter tires and wheels.

 

No, but I understand logic and how to accomplish desired results.

Your results on the dyno run for example:
You definitely added more air with no filter right? If the ECU through the MAF output would have added more fuel due to the increase in air volume, then you would see more power. Simple right?
But, by not seeing any gains, logic says that the ECU is using the gasoline volume as the control, instead of the air volume. Correct?

 

No, it did not "add more air." The air is at atmospheric pressure. The only way to "add" air is to boost the pressure of the air entering the plenum (such as through a supercharger or turbocharger).

Removing the air filter only removed a POSSIBLE restriction. The engine is capable ingesting a certain amount of air on each stroke. If the air filter is not physically capable of flowing at least that same amount of air, then it becomes a restriction and bottlenecks (like a restrictor plate in some racing classes) the amount of air, hence the amount of power the engine can possibly produce.

My test only proved that the supplied air filter, even after use, has ample flow capacity to fully support the power production of the engine.

I've tested engines where the air filter DID make noticeable performance differences. I've seen over 30rwhp gains/losses due to air filters in my testing.

IMHO my test only proved that the factory air filter is more than sufficient in providing all the needed airflow these engines need. Now, I did have the airbox closed. There COULD be a bottleneck upstream of the filter, and THAT could be "restrictor plating" the airflow. I'll look at my nephew's truck again in the near future, and see what is there and determine if another test is justified.