>I often hear people say that by doing such-and-such to their engine, they
>added x-amount of horsepower. But the question is, how can you tell? Is
>this guesswork, or is there really some way for Average Joe to measure
>horsepower?
Well, to measure horsepower "accurately" takes a dynomometer of some sort.
Then you get into the argument of flywheel HP vs. road HP and all that.
Forget it. Take your car out to a stretch of road, measure off a quarter
mile, and do a few runs from a standing start. Then make several
measurements of the time it takes to go from, say, 40 to 60 at full
throttle. (Pick a range of speed that will not require shifting gears.)
Make the mods to your car, then repeat this whole process under the same
conditions as before, i.e same roads, same directions. This will give you a
relative indication of the changes you've made.
Phil Barnes
Cortland, NY (nowhere near New York City)
peb3@cornell.edu
'71 TR6 CC61193L (20 year owner)
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