Product review: G-Tech Pro

[BLINGMW]

Borrowed the G-Tech Pro RR (top 'o the line "road race" version) from the bossman at work. What a cool little device! Although the technology is nothing new, I've never played with one before and I'm quite impressed. It does exactly what it says, is easy to use, and the results are quite useable. I'll go ahead and say that being called the "road race" version is a bit misleading, since I don't know how useful that data will be, but as a tuning device, I think it's pretty neat.

Setup was easy. Enter car weight. I guessed 2600, since I and my trunk full of tools and crap were along for the ride. Then calibrate RPMs. Yes, it magically picks up your tach signal (I guess interference from the ignition) after revving to a few specified RPMs that it asks for. Cool! Make sure the thing is solidly mounted. I skipped the windshield mount, pulled out my ashtray and wedged it in there for a tight fit. It figures out it's own orientation in the car after a first run. Ready to go.

There's two modes. Road Racer mode and Drag Strip mode. Went over to a neighboring industrial blvd after work for a test of the Drag Strip mode. The flatter the road the better, but you can get some useable data without finding a perfectly flat quarter mile. This little access road was fairly flat for a bit, then hit a little hill, so I figured I'd shut it down before I hit the hill. Turned out to be just enough to get me to ~50MPH. The data recording starts and stops automatically. Graphs can be viewed and analyzed on the unit, but to compare runs, nothing beats DLing it to the computer unsing the decent software and provided serial cable. You can load multiple runs and overlay them onto eachother. Here's 3 of my runs viewed in a few different ways:

HP vs Time


RPM's vs Time


Speed vs Time


It can also simulate a dyno chart, although I did not follow the recommended procedure of short shifting 1st and running 2nd through the whole range. But here's the chart it generated from 2nd gear:



Go ahead and laugh it up. :lol: I know that has to be the saddest dyno plot you've ever seen. :oops: Hey, I could have lied and told it my car weighed 10,000 lbs to make my numbers look glorious!

Like I said, as a tuning device, the output is quite useable. I plan on making some changes to my exhaust soon, and although I don't really expect much change, I think this thing would be able to tell me if there was.

So the Drag Race mode is pretty great I'd say. In fact, it can simulate a little tree graphic and you can hone your reaction time. Also, since it picks up RPMs, it has a multi stage shift light on the unit that you can modify. It shines as a drag racing tool, and although I'm not interested in that, I'd still like to have one to test changes.

Again, on the Road Race mode, I don't think the data collected would be very useful. If I plunked down $300 for this thing, hoping that it would give me some data from the track, I think I'd be rather disapointed. It can basically tell you if you're being smooth or not, if you're using the tires as much as you could, but if you can't figure that out on your own.... well maybe you should buy this thing. :wink: But it can't even function as a lap timer, which I think is a big flaw. I'm surprised they couldn't figure that out. And unlike the Drag Mode where graphs and data can be analyzed on the unit, the Road Race mode pretty much requires downloading to get anything out of it.

Here's an example chart recorded this afternoon from my turn at the light at the end of the on-ramp down the street to my apt. You can see time in seconds on the bottom, lateral G's, longitudinal G's, and RPM. Exciting! :thumbup:



I've taken that screenshot on the particularly exciting light change and turn at almost .6 lateral G's!!!!! wOOt! :lol:

In both this and the Drag Mode, it can playback the run as if it was happening in real time, both on the compy and on the unit. So you can re-live all the glory. I can't say I'd recommend the extra $100 for the RR model, but the SS model for $199 list seems like a nice tuning tool. However, to get the computer software and ability to store multiple car setups on the unit, you've got to get the RR.

I'll update if my removed cat and straight through muffler makes any difference.... 8) Although I think I estimated the weight a little low (my numbers are a little low I think because of this), if I keep it that way, and run on the same patch of street, I think this thing will be able to tell me if the exhaust helped at all.

[KPWSerpiente]

Need to bring them 60 foot times down.

-T

[Mike]

that is pretty freaking awesome... 7.5s to 50mph? rofl!

maybe i didn't catch it, but what is the difference between the ss and rr models?

[BLINGMW]

that is pretty freaking awesome... 7.5s to 50mph? rofl!

maybe i didn't catch it, but what is the difference between the ss and rr models?

don't make me stab you. :evileye:


The SS is just the drag racing mode basically. And it's the model I'd recommend. But the RR has a few extra features (list stolen from their site):

Road Racing/Autocross
PASS Software
Multiple Vehicle Support
2hr data-acquisition
PC Download Cable
AC Adapter
Permanent Mount

Need to bring them 60 foot times down.

-T

haha, I wouldn't even know where to start. :wink:

[Dave]

that is a pretty damn cool little gadget

[ScottyB]

seriously....i kinda want one! i like the ease of setup, that is a really nice feature. and honestly, it would be fun just to mess with 60 ft. times and be able to compare mods. i'd personally spring for something with a g-meter though, i'd like to see what kind of cornering forces i can pull in something like an auto-x!

i think MM should have one in it's arsenal. i know i'd want to borrow it.

[BLINGMW]

results!

I put my gutted cat and new magnaflow straight through muffler on. It's surprisingly quiet, not the ricer fart can sound I feared. But the good news is that the g-tech says it actually made some power. I did the best I could to keep variables under control, results are taken from 2nd gear, outside air temp is between 70-80 deg, tank is 1/2-2/3 full, same amount of crap in the car, same stretch of pavement, the only runs averaged are where I slightly short shifted so 2nd ran from about 30-50mph, dumping outliers....

Here's a sample of the stock exhaust #'s, average taken from 2 runs from 2 different days:

HP @ 5400RPM = 76.6, TQ peak @ 4604RPM = 81.3, 40-50MPH time = 1.94 sec

Here's the new exhuast, average taken from 5 runs today:

HP @ 5400RPM = 79.9, TQ peak @ 4638RPM = 84.5, 40-50MPH time = 1.87 sec

cool. :thumbup:



here, want to see the raw data? Sure. I'm not formatting it:

57.5 68.1 71.9 75.9 79.7 4647 1.945 1.964
61 70.9 74.2 78 83.3 4530 1.791 1.912

59.3 68.9 73 75 80.5 4609 1.895 1.97
60 69 74 77.5 81.7 4631 1.839 1.93

61.2 70.2 76.6 79 83.8 4630 1.849 1.884
61.7 70.2 76.8 80 84.1 4650 1.823 1.879
62 72.2 78.5 80.3 85.6 4655 1.783 1.85
61 69.4 75.9 79.3 83.2 4644 1.857 1.896
62.2 72 78.4 80.9 85.6 4612 1.776 1.845

[D_Eclipse9916]

umm what car is this? I want to get one of those so bad but I got stuff that requires my money other than that.

[BLINGMW]

years later....

Anyone seen this KAT Matrix do-dad?

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=KAT-MATRIX&cpc=DS">http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid ... RIX&cpc=DS</a><!-- m -->

$20, pretty much does the same basic things. Someone buy one.

OTOH, I noticed there's iphone/ipod touch apps that do this now too, anyone tried that?

[WRXtranceformed]

I just read a review of one of the Ipod apps that does this and apparently it's accurate almost down to the hundredth.