I saw a commercial for that electronic device that tells you your horsepower, 1/4 mile time, etc. I remember seeing it on redline TV and thinking nothing about it. But since I saw that commercial I wanna know if it really works. Has anyone else seen or bought this thing. I guess you plug it into your lighter or something and it magically works? I can't for the life of me remember what it was called.

 

Is it a g-tech pro?
http://www.fastwrx.com/gtecproperco.html
I think it has some accelerometers inside and figures out your hp from your estimated weight and its calculated acceleration.

 

Yes, it's probably the GTech-Pro. I have the older GTech-Pro Competition model with the blue display but the newer ones look like they're easier to read.

No wires to hook up other than the cigarette lighter power cord. It senses engine RPM through this cord.

Initially, there are some parameters you have to calibrate with the GTech-Pro but a few minutes spent reading the manual will have you on your way soon.

The readings won't be identical to real world drag strip times but they will be consistent enough to see if changes made to your car or driving technique are improvements or not. I think it also measures braking distance but I haven't used it in a while.

BEL electronics also makes a similar in-car timer but I don't know how it compares. Autometer just came out with their own timer that is the size of one of their standard gauges so it fits in a pod or mounting cup. The Autometer timer doesn't do as much as the GTech-Pro, though.

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"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

I've got the Auterra software for the Palm. It plugs into the OBDII port, allows you to clear CELs, get gear ratios, display some temps, HP figures, etc. Works okay for the money.