DragStuff

Randy,
Some of the pro guys use a torque sensor on their driveshafts that turns the car into a rolling dyno.

What can be learned from these in relation to all the other sensors that we can employ and the track itself?

What would one look for on a strip chart that might be enlightening?

I know that this is a bit of an open ended question but fire away.

Thanks
Dave Koehler
www.koehlerinjection.com

Dave,

I am not an expert on the driveline torque sensors, but we did spend some time researching them last year.

The readings would be very interesting, and would provide power to the ground readings similar to a chassis dyno. Also, you would be able to see if tire slippage was was a problem. If the car unhooks, the load would decrease, and the torque reading would go down. You could also determine accurate shift points and get indications that would help zero in on fuel system tuning.

Basically, you can get similar information from the drive RPM and the accelerometer since acceleration is proportional to driveline torque, but the torque sensor may provide a finer resolution reading.

Also, the torque sensor, when evaluated with the accelerometer, could provide indications of aerodynamics and rolling resistance. One example would be if you ran slower due to a headwind, the driveline torque would show the same power, where the accelerometer would show less acceleration. You would know that you weren't down on power, and that some other factor was slowing you down.
One of our Alcohol funny car customers really wanted one of these for a clutch tuning tool. He felt it may help determine the point where the track would no longer hold the torque, and he could tune to the edge.
I haven't seen the actual output from these, so I don't know how much real value they provide. If you have access to some data, I would really like to see it.

Regards,

Randy

Thanks, That gives me some stuff to consider/ponder/fret about.


Dave Koehler
www.koehlerinjection.com