Chassis dynamometers driven directly by the vehicle’s wheels have been instrumental in OEM development for years but not readily available to aftermarket tuners in the United States. Not anymore.

SuperFlow announced at the SEMA Show that it will be the North American distributor for the Hubdyno, which is manufactured in Sweden by Rototest.

“It’s a company that’s been in business for 25 years,” says Mike Giles of SuperFlow.

A 2-wheel-drive test requires a pair of Hubdyno units linked with large hydraulic hoses that feature quick-disconect fittings. There’s also a massive cooling unit and a control cabinet housing the data acquisition and display monitor. A 4-wheel-drive setup adds two more Hubdyno units and an additional cooling unit. The entire system is fully portable and can be set up virtually anywhere.

“You don’t need to dig a hole in the ground or have a vehicle lift,” says Giles. “You could put this system in a trailer and set it up in a parking lot during a car show.”

Besides enough real estate to support the vehicle footprint and cooling units, all that’s needed is a 120-volt line, which could be delivered from a portable generator.

“You don’t even need straps to tie down the vehicle,” adds Giles.

Of course, you will need a jack and wrench to remove the tires, then simply bolt each unit directly to the vehicle’s drive hubs. Each unit has its own coil-over suspension to guarantee minimal vibrations and a consistent testing environment. Just as with traditional roller dynos, different tests such as sweep or steady-state can be conducted.

“This is truly a dynamic test,” says Giles. “These unit self adjust for caster or camber.”

The cooling towers perform double duty in not only providing up to 85 mph of air to the radiators but also cooling the system’s hydraulic fluid.

As you can see, the Hubdyno removes any possibility of tire slip, tire pressure or tension load of the safety straps affecting the dyno results.

The dyno is rated for a maximum of 1,005 horsepower in 2WD trim and 1,510 horsepower in 4WD. Max torque is 2,801 lb-ft and 4,425 lb-ft, respectively. It also has a max road speed of 213 mph for normal-sized tires and 249 mph for larger tires. Max axle weight is 6,613 pounds.

The Hubdyno is considerably more expensive than a premium roller chassis dyno. US pricing hasn’t been confirmed, but there are no additional costs such as building a dyno cell. And, according to Rototest, numerous customers have made a full return on their investment after only one year.