Speed-Wiz Helpful Hints

• Most calculations are based on the inputs in that window, plus the entries in the Basic vehicle information area. It is not necessary to complete all data entry in all windows before making some meaningful calculations for a vehicle.
• Remember that many calculations utilize observed vehicle speed. It’s a good idea to verify the accuracy of your speedometer if precise answers are important to you.
• In the compression ratio calculation, the piston dish volume can be entered as zero if you have flat-top pistons, or as a negative number if you have domed pistons.
• If you do not know the efficiency of your engine, you can calculate it using the efficiency calculation in the engine calculation window, or you can estimate it using this guide:

Type of Car	     Efficiency
Older passenger car  80-90%
Modern passenger car 85-95%
Racing car	     95-105%

• To quickly retrieve a data file and close the data files window, just double-click on the desired name in the list box.
• To create a new data file, just click on the Save... button in the data files dialog box. When you enter a new name, a new data file will be created with that name and the current data file’s values. The current data file will not be affected. If you want to start with values from a different data file, open that data file before selecting Save. If you want to start with default values instead of those of an existing data file, select the New... button instead.
• After creating a data file, be sure to complete the Basic vehicle information.
• The coil spring stiffness calculation only works for springs that are of a constant diameter, wire size, and pitch.
• Diesel and rotary engines are not currently supported for mechanical engine calculations.

Speed-Wiz Tips and Tricks

1. Remember to take advantage of the Multiple Document Interface. You can open several different calculation windows at the same time. You can even open calculation windows for several different cars at the same time and switch freely among them.
2. In the calculation windows, use Ctrl+PageUp and Ctrl+PageDown to switch to the previous or next tab regardless of which field has the input focus.
3. If you are wondering what one of the buttons on the button bar is for, just point to it with the mouse and an explanation will appear in the status line at the bottom of the window. Similarly, you can highlight menu items without actually selecting them to determine what they do.
4. Many menu items contain shortcut key legends. These shortcuts can be used to perform the related functions without using the menus. These shortcuts cannot be used from within calculation windows because different shortcut key combinations are used within the calculation windows. Use F10 or the Alt key to select the menu from calculation windows.
5. Hold the mouse pointer over the time display in the status line to see the date. Press Shift first and you will see the week day.
6. You can hold the Shift key down while selecting print from a calculation window if you want to create a document of that window’s contents without bringing up the print dialog box.
7. You can change all of the units of measure by clicking on the legend in the status line, or you can change them individually by clicking on the labels within the calculation windows. For example, click on feet and it will change to meters. The values in the input lines are automatically converted.
8. You can open the data files window by clicking on the cars icon in the button bar, by clicking on the name of the current data file in the status line, by selecting Data... from the File menu, or by pressing Ctrl+D.
9. Once the data files window is open, you can quickly retrieve a data file and close the window by double-clicking on the name of the desired data file.
10. Always complete the Basic vehicle information after creating a new data file.
11. When editing a graph, there are three primary ways to proceed. First, you can use the right mouse button to bring up a menu from which all editing options are available. The primary menu choice you will use from this menu is Plot.... Second, you can double-click on various parts of a graph to make changes to that part. And third, you can tilt and rotate the graph by using the scroll bars or by using the Ctrl key plus dragging the mouse across the graph.
12. When closing a graph window, you can save the changes you have made as the default settings by holding down the Shift key while closing the window. The settings will then be used for all new graphs that are generated.
13. To return all settings, preferences, and default entries to their original values, delete (erase) the file PC.INF from your program directory (folder), or rename it. Be sure to save your current data and exit first!
14. Turn on Scroll Lock to disable automatic recalculation in list boxes. This is handy for quick data entry with complex calculations on slower computers that cannot calculate quickly enough to keep up. This is rarely a problem on faster computers.