R and D and customer service

[dirtnap]

How far will you go to understand your customers problem ?I have a customer who has complained about the personality (for the lack of a better phrase )of a new motor I had built for him .His complaint was the motor was lazy off the corner when he had his racecar locked down (it is winged sprint car ).Now the motor made good numbers on the dyno in line with most motors I have built of this kind .I could not understand what the problem was I had my cam grinder grind something else for him .I loaned him a motor which should have been Identical he said it was better than his new motor so me being the knot head that I am went to the track helmet bag in hand (I have not been in a sprint car in 4 years )to try and diagnose his problem.I hot lapped the car it semed fast but the track was a little greasy so I qualified the car with the car set up tight to see if I could feel his complaint I was 11th quick out of 24 cars but the car still seemed to do what was needed The car was fast I was slow so we locked her down with his normal heat set up and I went out to race as the pole sitter picked up the throttle I was wondering what the f I was doing and for 2 laps I thought I am going to get another car and get back into this I did not feel any problems with the motor .But as the front runners stacked up I was deep in thought and I climbed a wheel and started flipping down the front straight I thought what a dumbass I am Here I sit with a broken leg a broken wrist so to answer my own question NOT AS FAR AS I USED TO

[gofaster]

It couldn't have been TOO lazy off the corners. You haven't had a sprinter strapped to your butt in 4 years and still qualified 11th! I think your customer had a "ball bearing" problem that kept him from throwing it into the turn hard enough, putting him too low in the rpm range after he apexed and got back in the throttle, making the motor feel lazy.
Just my observation.
You may have gone "above and beyond" in diagnosing his problem. I wish you a speedy recovery from your injuries.

[Doug Schriefer]

You went well beyond what should be expected. Drivability is one of the biggest issues, since so much of it varies based on the loose nut holding on the wheel. Take a care that one driver thinks is perfect, change drivers, now it's a pile of junk... Who's right, & who's wrong.
As a builder the only thing you can do is work with the customer to try and give them what they "think" they want. For some drivers a little less power, but wider curve makes them happier.