Strike Force Chassis Dyno

Test One: Chassis Dyno
0:01 Optimistic power claims from tuners make for splashy headlines, but what's really being delivered to the pavement is a whole different story. Thus, we caught our group off-guard with a surprise visit to Westech Performance for testing. Using an industry standard Superflow AutoDyn chassis dynamometer, we allowed each competitor two runs (without engine tweaking) to prove real-world power output.

First up for testing was Accufab's Ford GT. With the fewest engine modifications, the question here was how effective simple boost and exhaust changes would be. Accufab estimated the GT's 5.4-liter supercharged DOHC V-8 would deliver 640 horsepower to the rear tires, and the Superflow confirmed a solid 635.5 ponies at 6564 rpm with 623.6 pound-feet of torque.

Next up was the 522-cube twin-turbo V-10 behemoth from Hennessey Performance. With quiet exhaust and a stock-sounding idle, the Viper Coupe barely raised an eyebrow when it crested the dyno rollers. Yet, once the twin ball-bearing turbos spooled up, Westech was filled with a high-pitched roar equivalent to a jet fly-over. Despite a stellar 983.5 horsepower at 7472 rpm (and 981.2 pound-feet of torque), Hennessey grinned as he noted there was a sizeable amount more boost (and consequently more power) on tap if competitors got too close.

Third for testing was the Mustang GT from Michigan-based Livernois Performance. We'd originally invited another tuner Mustang to participate in our test, but two weeks before the event the company backed out. With 10 days' notice, Livernois built from scratch a 4.6-liter SOHC V-8 that ingested massive quantities of air thanks to an intercooled Procharger centrifugal supercharger system. Livernois is the same company that owns multiple world

Championships with its "Street Outlaw" Mustang capable of 7.09-second quarter-mile times. On the dyno, the docile-looking black Mustang roared when full boost hit. Once the noise subsided, the Superflow numbers showed a stout 740.8 rear-wheel horsepower at 6977 rpm. Despite being the smallest engine in the group (nearly half the size of the largest engine in the test), the 4.6-liter also served up an astonishing 962.6 pound-feet of torque.