dyno changes

I read the posts on the HP numbers on the dyno and noticed that there were a few that have not dyno'ed their car before. I am one of those. I am planning on reserving some dyno time in the next few weeks and would like some advice.

what kind of things should i play with? what should I bring with me? can anyone list some "lessons learned" so I don't make the same mistakes that someelse may have made. I want to get the most out of my time and money. I appreciate your sharing.

The best advice I can give is to formulate a game plan before you go (like you are doing), then practice these changes before you go. For example, if you are trying different mufflers, do the new mufflers fit without any problems, how hard are they to change. If you are looking at fuel pressure changes, do you have the tools and gages to measure your changes. If you need to fabricate or move or procure something, now is the time. Once you get on the dyno clock, you don't want to run back to the store for some widget you forgot. For your first time on the dyno, think small and easily changed (e.g. timing changes, fuel pressure). Once you get comfortable with the dyno operation (how good of a job do they do!?), then you can start experimenting with larger projects. If you get serious about racing, this will probably not be the last time you do this, so don't feel like you need to do everything the first time out. Don't be afraid to think "outside the box" when testing. You may just stumble upon a combination that works esspecially well for you. Finally, don't worry too much about other people's hp numbers. Every dyno and dyno session is slightly different. You will want to ALWAYS start with a baseline test, then look at your changes vs that baseline. Your goal should be to always improve against your baseline, not someone else's.