Mrdyno Vs. Escort Passport Gt2

[gry]

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with either of the companies that I mention.

I figured I post this since I see a few folks using the Escort Passport GT2 Performance Timer here.

http://www.escortradar.com/gtimer.htm

I bought a GT2 for $250 and found it useful to a point.

Since its main feature is to measure 0-60 performance, deceleration, G-forces, and horse power, it's hard to use in normal driving conditions because measurements for the GT2 can only begin from a stopped position only. There are no starting measurements for 30-60 or any other speed other than 0 mph. In fact, when you hit the Start button, the GT2 calibrates and errors out if your not stopped.

The GT2 also has the ability to graph and download information using an optional serial cable and software for $24.95, which I didn't buy.

I bought a MrDyno performance meter for $89.95 this weekend. It's not as snazzy, but it's a lot more functional compared to the GT2 having all of the same features and more:

http://www.mrdyno.com

I can vouch that most of their advertised features are better than the GT2 from playing with it. Here's their comparison chart:

http://www.mrdyno.com/Comparison.htm

The flying start feature and the decelaration measurement options are great. It's pretty flexible at either type of testing from various speeds, so you're not stuck waiting for a red light to gather performance data.

I tried the valet mode out today and found it to be worth the price of the unit alone. Knowing how these clowns drive your porsche is nice, the joker didn't even know that I was measuring how he was driving my car until I showed his manager my data.

I also like the fact that it can run on a 9 volt battery and doesn't use up my cigarette plug. I'm hoping to use that plug for my cell, IPaq, or my IPod soon.

I haven't connected it to my laptop yet with the supplied cable and software that is updated for free on their website, but it looks really nice.

The biggest downside of the MrDyno is that it's not as pretty as the GT2, the plastics are cheap like a plastic kit box from Radio Shack. If they offered a visor mount, it would look like a V1 radar detector; otherwise the features are awesome and I would recommend this product to anyone.

I'm liking this device so far because of its configuration options and possible room to grow in the future because it's flash upgradeable.

I'm actually thinking that I'll eventually yank it from its housing and integrate it into the 911's dash somewhere. It has 4 buttons (enter, up, down, and cancel), so maybe I can build a 4-button wired remote for it, connect it to a Porsche switch on the center console, and hide the unit in the middle of my dash. Kind of like the Valentine 1 mods.

I thought I'd try to share some info for once.

Edited March 30, 2004 by gry

[gry]

Just an update if anyone ever wants to investigate this technology.

I've been using the Mr Dyno for a few days now and this is definitely more configurable, BUT it's missing the friction circle that comes with the Beltronics FX2 and (similar looking and feature set) Escort Passport GT2.

The friction circle is nice because it captures all of the current G forces and gives you immediate feedback when cornering, accelerating, and braking in various vectors and it's missing the simple one-touch operation feature mainly used in the Escort GT2.

The nicest feature for Mr Dyno is flying starts. Taking measurements from a moving vechicle is a lot more practical than always starting from a stopped position.

I like the Escort again because it's really meant to be a simple measuring device, easy for the less technical that want to know their cars performance after a modification or to challenge and improve their driving style.

Mr Dyno is intense and very technical. For the price, I think it's the better tool, but I wish they added a one-touch button that calibrates and just starts reading various statistics.

I'll give an update when I use the included software and PC cables, but I believe the PC/software interface on my computer necessary to fully unlock Mr Dyno's capabilities. The biggest weakness of Mr Dyno is that it's read out is LED based, only 1 character high (very 1980's robotic-like) and not easily readable while on the road testing.

The Escort GT2 is meant more for immediate feedback on the device display itself. It's easy to read, it provides more data in a simplistic view, and the menus are very intuitive. The display has several lines and areas that display data simultaneously, while Mr dyno only displays scrolling data one at a time with no ability to show any type of graphics.

The displays are years apart.

The Escort GT2 display reads:

hello

The Mr Dyno display reads:

|-| E l_ l_ 0

Edited April 1, 2004 by gry