It seems like everyone always wants to talk about their big peak horsepower numbers. That’s all some people care about. But smart people know there’s much more to this story…
Here is a chart from a 2016 ATS-V A8 we dynoed yesterday. Car has ported throttle body, spark plugs and catless downpipes. It made 419 whp on the stock tune, 465 whp on our 93 octane tune and 495 whp on 97 octane. Wait! 465 whp seems so low, and you only gained 46 whp. Doesn’t that suck?
Don’t be so quick to use peak horsepower as the critical factor. In reality, that’s probably one of the least important considerations. We recommend focusing on the shape of the power curve, how wide the powerband is and how much power is gained in the meat of the curve.
Let’s dive into this a little deeper…
- At 3,500 rpm, power increased from 182 whp (stock tune), to 276 whp on the Tapout tune, for an increase of 94 whp or 52%!
- At 4,500 rpm, power increased from 335 whp (stock tune), to 386 whp on the Tapout tune, for an increase of 51 whp!
- At 5,500 rpm, power increased from 405 whp (stock tune), to 453 whp on the Tapout tune, for an increase of 48 whp!
Even though we picked up 46 peak whp with the tune, we would be better served to consider the places in the powerband where 80 to 100 foot-pounds of torque and horsepower were gained. Without question, this ATS-V will feel like a completely different car now.