As we ease back into normal life, it’s only natural that the petrolkoppe will want to check the results of the tweaks that they’ve dreamed up during the lockdown.
Which is why a dyno day drew such a large crowd last weekend, with the guys and girls coming from all corners of the Cape to test their car’s power output.
Bobby Nitro spoke to Zaahir Paulse of Grassy Park, who owns Zeeline Performance in Athlone, a car tuning firm that organised the day.
Zaahir says: “The dyno day was a rush from 2pm as cars came streaming in from all sides of Cape Town to see their power figures and the cool cars we had on display.”
As happens when the true mettle of a car is tested, there were some real stand-out moments that proved you just cannot judge a book by its cover.
Zaahir says: “There was this old BMW E46 that made massive power, like 417kW, and a Polo that truly surprised the crowds with 390kW. Then there was this Mk1 Golf with a Honda K24 engine that registered 224kW and a Toyota wetlook that made 188kW with nitrous.”
Zaahir, who says he has been drawn to cars from childhood, and especially the performance side of things, decided at a young age to become a mechanic with a keen interest in performance engine builds and tune-ups.
A dynamometer, by the way, is a specialised measuring tool that measures rotational force and converts it to a linear scale of kilowatts over Newton metres.
In everyday speak, it gives a reading of how much power your car makes by running the wheels on big steel rollers that, with their heavy inertia, soak up the car’s engine power.
Sophisticated electronic measuring instruments then figure out how much torque, horsepower or speed the engine is capable of producing.
Zeeline Performance has a dyno as it helps them check the results of the tuning they do, aiming for maximum power balanced by best fuel consumption.
The dyno, or rolling road, also enables customers to get maximum power in a safe and controlled environment.
Zaahir says of the get together that inevitably results when you get a bunch of petrolkoppe doing what the love most: “It was amazing seeing people being able to socialise again, just talking, laughing and catching up face to face, just what Level 1 ordered. It was also great to see people taking care to stick to the guidelines.
“The car scene in Cape Town is growing rapidly and it’s spilling off in all areas of motorsport.
“We compete nationwide. Cape Town makes me proud of how well we are doing against the rest of the country.”
He adds: “Thanks to the Almighty for giving me this gift and passion for cars. Thanks to my family and friends for supporting me in everything I want to achieve.”