Traqmate Complete System & More - Gear

Product
Traqmate Complete
At every track day, imagine having access to a driving coach who can analyze your performance on each complete lap. At the end of the day, or between sessions in the pit lane, your personal and vehicle performance can be scrutinized to 0.01 of a second. Also, imagine the possibility of comparing laps where different lines were used, or seeing the variance of your driving line on a series of laps, comparing laps from previous track days before and after a particular performance modification, or with a different car. Add to this the ability to see on a track map where you are braking, accelerating or coasting, and the ability to access your precise speed or g measurements at any point. Luckily, you don't need to pay for a professional coach with expensive equipment, because all this and more is available with the Traqmate Complete GPS acquisition system. Anyone with a little advanced driving instruction and track experience will fully appreciate and interpret the data after reading through the owner's manual.

The Traqmate Complete system is simple to install. First secure the sensor unit (SU) to the floor of your vehicle-in the trunk or passenger footwell-in the correct orientation. Next, plug in three cables: (1) the display unit (DU) connector-secure the DU with tape, Velcro or optional suction cup holder within view and reach of your driving position; (2) the power cord into the 12-volt outlet; (3) the GPS antenna-run the cable neatly out of the passenger window and place the antenna (it has a magnetic base) on the roof in a central location.

Traqmate is also easy to use. To record data for lapping sessions, just press the Power button, select Record and then select Lapping. The first time recording data at a particular track, the DU will prompt you to press Select at the start/finish line at the end of the warm-up lap, otherwise the system will recognize the location, and recording will begin automatically. No need to look at the DU again until the session is complete. However, the DU does have the ability to display lap times. There are many other recording and display options available and various drivers, vehicles, and tracks can be tagged and organized digitally.

For data analysis, the Windows-based Traqview software is also user-friendly. It allows quick downloads of the collected data from the DU to a PC or laptop via the USB port. GPS data consists of position and time, so vehicle speed is calculated. The accuracy of the GPS positioning is repeatable to about three feet. Also, longitudinal and transverse accelerometers in the SU continuously measure g-forces under acceleration and braking, as well as laterally through corners, all with high precision. Once downloaded, Traqview can then access all recorded data and display or compare any number of laps from this session and even laps from other sessions. The various plots and displays available include:

Track map to compare the racing line for two or more lapsTrack map with color-coded acceleration, coasting and braking for a given lapFriction circle plotVelocity, lateral g, and longitudinal g versus distanceVelocity, lateral g, and longitudinal g versus timeSegment analysis table: lap time, time braking, maximum and average velocity, maximum g-lateral and longitudinal

A combination of the above displays can be used to visualize and utilize the collected data to your performance driving benefit. It is possible to compare various laps at any point on the track-speed, acceleration, shift points, braking rate, braking points and cornering g-forces. This enables you to find ways to reduce your lap times (i.e. where to brake later or harder, or by carrying more speed through a particular corner).
$999
-Doug Neilson

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