13 Aug 10...... Power test at TDI

Full Power test at TDI

Just a few days after the trip into Norfolk to get the K6 mapped, the car was back on the trailer this time heading south down the M11 into Essex. Thurrock to be precise and the premises of TDI who are the ET series official power testers. An official full power test has to be undertaken by TDI to confirm that you are below the 151bhp @ the hubs limit befoere you can enter a race.  The series organisers also arrange random tests during the year to catch out theless scrupulous. I wasn't too worried about being over the limit as my VVC is stock part from the hurricane induction, Janspeed manifold, silenecd de-cat and Emerald K6. I was more worried that it was way short of the upper limit.

The power testing kit at TDI looks pretty sophisticated and well able to cope with the sort of power the K series puts out. The TDI guys took over once the car was off the trailer and in the large soundproofed booth they have at the end of the workshop.

After jacking up the rear and removing the wheels, a large hydraulic unit is attached to each hub. I don't pretent to know how it works but once all bolted up and the computer logging unit connected, the car is run up through the gears to max revs as the resistance is increased. After a bit of magic, the LCD display shows the results. It didn't take that long and I think they did 3 full power tests in total. 

By the time that the hydraulic units had been unbolted, wheels re-fitted and the car back down on the floor ready to go back on then trailer, the results were printed.

The guy who carried out the test (sorry I forgot your name but he is the one who carries out all the tests at circuits during the season), gave me the nod to say it was under the 151 limit. I was really surprised to see that the results showed that it was pretty close at 149.5bhp. Definately where you would wanty to be, no closer!............. 149 tomatoes and 128 torques

I was pleased with the overall power it is making, no complaints there! and I was also pleased with the smooth power curve with no flatspots. I have read many times that the K series has an inherent flat spot between 3 and 4k which good old Mr Walker has properly sorted. The torques are a bit lower than I had hoped but I wasn't too surprised as the VVC does like a bit of back pressure and the fitting of a janspeed big bore exhaust and particularly the de-cat pipe don't help! But it's enough and it does mean I can't use lack of power as an excuse for being Captain Slow!! 

The full results of the test are shown in the power curve and data sheet below:-

One final note of interest is that the power and torques from the Emerald dyno session were different to those from the offiocial TDi test. Was it a case of one is wrong in which case is it Dave Walker's kit or more worryingly is it the TDI setup? ........  or is there a reason for the difference that becomes evident later.......... mmmm, watch this space!