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Senny
220
Mar 25, 2015
"Capable of monitoring and refining your car's performance."
Well that's not really true, is it? It's a decoder, not a new ECU.
Silverhead
46
Mar 25, 2015
SennyIt modifies the driver, haha. I'm mostly concerned that it logs data to a cloud. Who knows who they're selling this information to? They say 'no identifiable data' but that means something different to everyone.
djcozmik
5
Mar 25, 2015
SennyYeah, I think they mean that they give the driver feedback about their driving habits. Theoretically allowing the driver to improve performance. It's a misleading statement, but not a terrible idea.
Pinhead
86
Mar 25, 2015
SilverheadThe cloud uploading part is what I don't like, It's what stopped me from getting one when it first came out, and is still why I refuse to get one. Even ignoring the fact that lawyers will love this, as they can now subpoena your information (Automatic knows your speed, and they also know your location, and so it's really a question as to whether or not they put the two together), I believe the privacy policy basically says that everyone is a product that can be sold if the company is sold.
So, no, I'm not joining this.
hobbr
73
Mar 25, 2015
PinheadI went with a cheap adapter off Amazon and paired it with the Android Torque app. I upload my logs to the Torque developer's site. The sensors I choose to track are graphed out based on my GPS location: RPM / GPS speed / fuel flow rate / etc. Torque is highly customizable and it felt good supporting the dev for five bucks. I've left my little sports car sitting for four or five days and the battery did not drain. I turn the app on when I get in to drive and turn it off when I'm in my apartment / office.
Imtheone457
18
Mar 25, 2015
hobbrHow easy is setup and data manipulation. I'm interested, but the additional data analysis from this drop might be worth it.
hobbr
73
Mar 31, 2015
Imtheone457Setup is simple, I pretty much went through every setting option in the app and chose which datapoints to monitor (as every car is different, you may have more or less points to monitor than I do). I believe there's an option to record 'x' readings per minute as well.
Downloading a trip is simple as a .csv file is produced if you'd like to graph trips on your own. Hovering over the graph on the dev's site will drop a marker on the map to see where you were at that point in time. I've removed the GPS coordinates but this is from a run on Redwood Road starting in Castro Valley, CA -- twisties! https://www.dropbox.com/s/7i7tyyrag7aktwr/20150331_Redwood.csv?dl=0
My graph on the dev's site looks crappy due to a request for monitoring STFT Bank 1. I was helping a guy troubleshoot his car.
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Hope this helps. The OBD2 reader I purchased on Amazon is a bit clunky so I ended up buying an extender cable to tuck it away.
Forgot to add that the app itself can be customized to show 'real-time' RPM / throttle % / GPS speed / Boost / Coolant Temp / 0-60 times / quarter mile times / etc. etc. There's also an add-on that will overlay this information while recording video if you're into auto-x / tracking your car.
I also set alerts on GPS speed. Over 80 MPH will ding loudly, it helps me keep my heavy foot in check. ;]
I'm using a modifry dash mount paired with a proclip adjustable phone mount.
Brent
27
Apr 1, 2015
hobbrMight want to check on Julie, she's dying.
hobbr
73
Apr 1, 2015
BrentI noticed that after posting! She's been mighty quiet, though.