Spinning Your Wheels: Here's Why Dyno Results Are Incomplete and Useless

The release of the Civic Type R has created a lot of buzz. The recent media launch generated plenty of opinions as to its performance, including some reviewers who believe Honda has underrated the CTR in the same manner it has done with the Accord V6 in the past.

Their speculation seemed to be proven true as a video released from a shop in Puerto Rico showed the car making 301 wheel horsepower. Many outlets reported on the dyno test and, while some showed the data with a little skepticism thrown in, others went all in and told us that the CTR has hidden horsepower.

The real truth behind the dyno test is that it is valueless. We do not have any data on its calibration or the weather, and the dyno operator could have applied any correction factor on the data to boost the results. This is not an isolated case in reporting sketchy dyno results, as I see it multiple times per month from various outlets and, in just about every case, the data and reporting are meaningless.

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  • Scott I'm afraid of Clickbait, as it's so annoying..(And don't ask me about autonomous car clickbait)
  • ToolGuy Nice writeup. Good photography.
  • Detlump I almost bought a dark red one of these when I was cross-shopping Volvo wagons. I didn't like the frameless glass of the doors but it was a close call. I wanted a wagon for my hockey gear and also carrying parts as I was an engineer at the time. SUVs weren't a thing at that point and I wanted an enclosed, secure cargo area.I ended up going with a 95 850 wagon and it has served me well. The only time it left me stranded (temporarily) was when the coil wire popped off. I also got a flat tire, but I can't blame the Volvo for that. BTW, I still have the 950 with 263,000 miles - just changed the timing belt too - I have that process down to about an hour by now!
  • Wjtinfwb 18 year old Euro with admitted "issues". RUN from this money pit. My experience with European cars is time is more of an enemy than Mileage. I'd rather a 5 year old BMW with 120k miles than a 15 year old one with 50k. Electronics, wiring, plastics, exterior trim etc. just crumble with time, particularly if the car has lived in a harsh climate outside. I have folders of receipts from BMW, VW and Audi shops if you'd like to see the evidence of my thesis.
  • Wjtinfwb We too have a Subaru, a '16 Crosstrek. Aside from it's appetite for batteries (or crappy Subaru batteries), so far it's been a reliable ride, but from day one I've always thought it felt flimsy. I'm sure we'll get good service out of it and have no plans to replace it, but won't be surprised if it starts nickel and diming up as all those plastics and the electronics start to age.