Suck, squeeze, bang and blow.
While it sounds somewhat naughty, those four words accurately describe the various stages of how power is made in the internal combustion engine.
Fuel and air delivery = suck.
Compression = squeeze.
Ignition via sparkplug = bang.
Spent gases out, or exhaust = blow.
It used to be pretty simple to tune an engine in order for these events to occur at the correct time. Everything was mechanical, and with a few adjustments here and there a gasoline-powered engine could be made to purr like a kitten.
Now, with almost all systems controlled by a computer, anyone attempting to tune a powerplant for optimum power needs a degree in computer science.
Matthew Puzey, owner of Calgary’s Tecmotion Chassis Dynamometer Service, earned his honours degree in computer science from the University of Alberta. He spent years working for Shell, and then operated his own software development firm.
But, in 2004, he decided to marry his passion for cars and computers. He traveled to Ohio, bought a chassis dynamometer, trailered it home and opened up his shop.
Currently, he puts his specialized knowledge to use every day, tweaking the software of computers that control various engine management systems.
“There’s a computer or a network of computers running all of the functions of a car,” Puzey explained. “And there’s a multi-billion dollar industry in the aftermarket parts business. People are putting these parts on their cars to increase engine performance, but if you change the hardware (air intake, headers, supercharger, etc.) you also need to change the software so it all works properly.”
The easiest and safest way to make these changes is on a dyno, a piece of equipment that is also sometimes referred to as a rolling road.
In essence, a vehicle is strapped onto the dyno and with the vehicle’s driven wheels in position on the dyno’s rollers, the powertrain can be brought up to full power in high gear. The dyno will provide power and torque figures, and Puzey can then modify the vehicle’s computer software to reprogram the engine management system – most often to work optimally with modifications that have been made to the vehicle.
A 1933 Ford hooked up to the dyno at Calgary’s Tecmotion Chassis Dynamometer.
Greg Williams, Driving
“Some customers also come to have problems diagnosed,” Puzey said. “The dyno allows a vehicle to be run under totally controlled conditions and allows you to directly observe it under fully loaded wide open throttle operation.
“For example, sometimes we set up cameras to record certain underhood items (like supercharger bypass valves) while the car is run on the dyno with the hood up. Directly observing the operation of an underhood item like that is impossible without the dyno.”
Puzey grew up on a farm in central Alberta, and has been around machinery his entire life. When he was young, he helped his Dad rebuild a 1959 International truck.
Then, in junior high school, Puzey said he took a math option class that included a bit of computer work.
“When the teacher rolled in an Apple II, it was a life-changing moment – I said ‘That’s for me’, and relentlessly pursued computers from that point on.”
But he also still tinkered with machinery, and, now 45, Puzey has owned, raced and shown a number of modified Ford Mustangs. In fact, he’s won over 15 shootouts with a Fox body Mustang in Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan.
“I ran 9.44 seconds at 143 mph in that car, and it’s a street legal all motor Mustang,” Puzey said.
The dyno allows him to dial in his own cars, and added that dyno-tuning isn’t all about performance.
“For example, if you put a different sized tire on a car, that’ll throw the speedo out,” he said. “And, if the car is an automatic and it has a different perception of how fast it’s going, all of the shift points will be off. There are tons of little changes that can be made simply by rewriting the software.”
Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have an auto related item to share for the column or What’s Next? Contact him at 403-287-1067 or gregwilliams@shaw.ca. Visit his website at gregwilliams.ca.
