cadence

I need a lap timer for some testing and Solo sessions but there are so many on the market I have no idea where to begin

Top on my list would be accuracy and ease of set up and installation. I am not a techno-whiz so I doubt a complex GPS system with huge amounts of data aquisition is going to be that useful unless it is very simple to operate. The G2X looks like a nice unit but I think it is quite complex and requires some hardwiring into the car.

Any suggestions other than the stopwatch on my Ironman

doc2s

i have a g2x and it does not require hardwiring. the software is not the easiest to use but you can get used to it. i played with traqmate software and it seemed much more user friendly. there have been several posted on this topic in the past.

maybe a hot lap timer would get you what you need.

JackOlsen

The shortest (and smartest) distance between you and a good way to monitor and store your lap times is an Ultralap. It's the same price as the old standby Hotlap, but with better technology and more features.

Comparing Hotlap to the Ultralap:

It's smaller, lighter, more durable, made of billet aluminum.

It records every lap and identifies the time of day, ambient temperature, session number and track name.

It can do split times with multiple transmitters, and is compatible with AIM transmitters.

It records 2000 laps, and you can download all the data (by wireless IR connection or USB cable) to a computer to save/analyze them.

You never have to think about turning it on or off, and it has much longer battery life than the Hotlap.

Its display is much better. At the end of a session, it displays your best lap time, worst lap time, and average lap time, automatically.

It costs about the same as the Hotlap. $175 for the receiver. $225 for both receiver and transmitter. $250 gets you all that, plus the computer software and interface stuff.

I got mine (no affiliation, but I got great service) from:

http://www.plavanracing.com/ultralapindex.htm

smlporsche

As an interesting side note at my last DE at Roebling Road they expressely forbid the placing of transponders as this was only a DE and they did not allow lap times to be recorded...

I wonder if this will be an increasing occurance or was this just something Florida Citrus does.

If it is a trend then maybe a GPS based system (Traqmate?) would be the better alternative.

I'm in the same boat...

JackOlsen

I would think you'll see less and less of that. I've never seen it happen at all in California. And I can't imagine how you'd do any testing of a serious car without the ability to use a transponder.

And since it's really no different than putting your buddy trackside with a stopwatch, I can't imagine an insurance company could do anything with it in court even if they wanted to wiggle out of a settlement.

Official timing for an event is another story -- that creates the appearance of a timed competition.

cadence

This is good info as I didn't know the G2X was just plug and play. Can I just show up at a given track and start timing my laps or do I need to drive around multiple times for the G2X to learn the track, etc?

I guess the real question is - Other than price, is there any reason to get a basic unit like the Ultra Lap vs a G2X or similar GPS unit?

Bryan Watts

Contrary to what Jack says, I think you'll see this more and more (I know I have in the 10 years since I started DE's and racing here in the SE). DE, club race, and track rental rates are going up and up, and the #1 reason I hear from organizers is because of increased insurance and stricter insurance policies.

Besides, a DE isn't a proper test environment anyway, so the argument that you can't do any proper testing without a transponder simply doesn't hold up. You can't do any proper testing unless you are running in a race group with properly prepared cars and race passing rules. You can do systems testing or rough suspension dialing at a DE, but it would be pointless to work on fine tuning a setup at a DE (the only time you need lap/segment timing) where you shouldn't be running 10/10ths with non-caged cars sharing the track with you anyway.

Gary R.

Some groups in the NE expressly forbid putting up a transponder so the reality is the only way to be sure you will be able to get timed will be to have a GPS based unit. I run an Ultralap and simply don't use it at the events that don't allow it.. it is a DE after all. There is always the "hey, mind timing me for a few laps" method with a hand held or if you video yourself time it at home...

ZBlue996Kam

How about a watch?

Garmin has a GPS watch for runners and bikers. The model is Forerunner. I got one to help me track my running miles. The cost is about $250 and you don't need a sender unit.

I also tried wearing it while driving to the running trail and it worked well telling me my speed and there is a mode where you can set a lap. You can even upload your run (drive) on a web site seeing the trail (track) map.

I just bought the Traqmate GPS system hoping to analyze and improve my driving. I will use them both at the same time and see how it goes.

Good luck.

tdf360

I just got a VBox Performance Box GPS data logger and will be trying it in a couple of weeks. Initial impressions are it looks like a great value at $500.

Gary

brucegre

The DL-1 from Race Technology is pretty good standalone - software is easy to use, and you just move a compact flash card from the unit to your laptop to view the data. I think the bus architecture of the G2X is pretty cool if you want to take it further (the DL-1 has inputs as well, pretty easy to program and use).

The DL-1 will start tracking data from the minute you turn it on, then when you come back in the paddock you just add a track marker at the start/finish and it will do segment markers, lap and segment times, and you get all the g-force and speed data you can use for an external view of the lap. The neat thing is that you can load in all your runs and it will use the same set of markers for every run so you can instantly compare different sessions to see what was effective and what wasn't. You get theoretical best lap times (always tantalizing if sometimes meaningless) which I've used as a motivator many times.

nkhalidi

I use a Hotlap, not a GPS-based device, because I don't think a really fancy device with data plotting and GPS overlay is going to help my driving as much as seat time will. A matter of individual opinion and experience, ends up being your call.

And as far as DEs and timing, the only events where I haven't seen a beacon are at regular PCA DEs (Suncoast region). I own a receiver/display but not a beacon, and I always rely on someone else's beacon for my own lap times. Yes, freeloading, I know; one day I'll buy my own and set it up.

brucegre

Sounds like we agree on how to learn (butt-meter), but what you get easily with a GPS that you can't with a HotLaps is the segment times, which are particularly useful for calibrating your buttmeter and for realizing where on the track you are gaining or losing time. It's just granularity (as are full data acquisition systems - once you are good enough to use all that data, it's invaluable), but it's very hard to use a full lap to improve since you may be trading gains and losses all over the track. The GPS units aren't that much more than a lap timer, and the software is pretty easy to use, hence my leaning to the GPS units.

SwayBar

Great topic, and Bruce sums it up nicely with the segment times being recorded all around the track with a GPS-unit. I have the G2X, and it is easily the best piece of hardware I have bought for my car.

Here is the G2X output from Road America in my stock 2002 Z06 (..red 2:31.617) versus my 928 GT (..green 2:37.1):



And here is a shot comparing the two runs together:



I am just a rookie DE guy, so I find comparing the runs invaluable, something a HotLap cannot do. I've only driven the 928 3 times at the track (..the Z06 5 times), and I should be able to break 2:31 next year, but we'll see; I'll have the G2X to record all my laps for documentation.

JackOlsen

I use both. But there's an important difference between post-processing laps and segments and seeing them in real time. Some data loggers have displays that you can set up to show lap times by inputting a start/finish point during a warm-up lap at the beginning of the day. But the really useful work a data logger does is when you go back and look at the data the next day.

An in-car timer gives immediate feedback. You can try something and see the consequences in real time. You can also instantly tell the difference between what feels like a fast lap and what actually is a fast lap.

The Ultralap is unique in that it can easily do segments, and display them in real time in the car, while simultaneously keeping track of total lap times (all saved for later post-track-day analysis). All you need is to take any of the AIM or Ultralap transponders that aren't being used as the start/finish unit and place them in whatever corner you want to improve.

As drivers get more advanced, data loggers get important as a driver and car development tool. But having an in-car display is much more important first step for novice-intermediates, in my opinion. The buy-in price for the data loggers with displays is still a lot higher than a Hotlap or Ultralap.