Trackday GPS Recommendation
 

I'm doing my first HPDE in a couple of weeks and I want to log my progress. Obviously, I don't need anything too advanced as I'll have enough trouble staying on the track. But I would like to track some information using Racechrono or Harry's Timer just for fun.

Cell phones have fairly crappy GPS and I expect that I will either have to lock it in a glove box or keep it off me, so I am thinking of an external, especially since it would be easier to mount somewhere by the rear window. I'm looking at the Garmin Glo and the Qstarz to use with my Moto X. Does anyone have a recommendation?

Thanks.

I use the Dual Electronics XGPS150A with Harry's Laptimer on my iphone. Just toss it on the dash and forget about it.

Thanks but BMWCCA makes you strip out everything not OEM-mounted. So I don't think that is going to work unless I can figure out a way to lock it in a way that looks OEM.

First HPDE?

Leave the electronics out of the car until you've got the basics down. There's absolutely no need to know what your lap times are until you figured where/how to brake, turn in, exit etc. It will just be a distraction until you've mastered the basics.

Just one instructors opinion.

Worry about driving. Lap times should be the last thing on your mind.

+1000.

Just finished my 3rd track day. Like these guys mentioned there's more than enough to worry about your first time out. Focus on smooth driving!

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Just use a Go-Pro to record your sessions and review what you did wrong and where you can improve (use a good view where you can both see your inputs and the track at the same time.) Later, if you are truly curious about lap times, you'll get a close enough idea from watching the videos and timing them. You almost always know by feel when you are doing it right and improving though, don't need lap times to figure that out...

Not to hijack the thread but any recommendations of what Bluetooth obd II will work with Harry's lap lap timer? Thanks!!


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Thanks - I honestly don't care about my lap time at all. I fully expect to be completely focused on driving safely and in control. The GPS is just for afterward since I plan I recording the day with my GoPro and superimposing the track overlay on the footage.

i'd just like to point out that laptimes may be useless for a novice, but having their line maped by gps, along with ecu imputs such as brake and throttle pressure would provide for extreamly accelerated learning if done correctly by an isntructor.

nothing says you're braking too early or late than a graph that is actually showing you where and how hard you are braking

improved tenfold if a few control laps are done by your instructor beforehand.

proper datalogging should have been the first thing i invested into back when i started to drive, sadly it's taken me many years to realize how much learning opporunity i've missed out on over the last decade.

http://www.gps-laptimer.de/Compatibility.html

I use the XGPS150, and it's done a great job. It operates at 4-5Hz. The newer XGPS160 operates at 10Hz, so you may want to look at that one. I have it zip tied to my rear view mirror (can't even tell it's there). No issues with satellite acquisition.

If you can, find the Fifth Gear episode from two weeks ago, they did a comparison. *mutters something about finalgear*