I got one for myself for my birthday. Of course this time of year I'm driving my beater '84 Honda Civic with the mighty 1300cc engine and such basic equipment it doesn't even have a lighter!

After installing a lighter in the thing, I finally got a chance to try out my new G-Tech, and of course it then begins to snow and the roads are all crappy. Over the past few days I at least amused myself by setting up the unit and calibrating it to the Civic so when the chance arose I'd be ready to try it. After finally figuring out how to calibrate the thing and level set it, I have to say it's a pretty cool little toy. This car doesn't even have a tachometer so the tachometer in the G-Tech is fun to watch at least and the G meter is interesting. The shift lights on the thing are pretty cool and really hard to miss, those have to be the brightest LEDs I've ever seen!

Anyway, the big moment came today while I was running errands at lunch. I had some clear road in front of me on a level, straight area with no traffic and red light to stop at. I set the G-Tech to go and the light turns green and away I go! With one try at lunch and one more on the way home from work I got to see the thing in action and the real-time playback graphs are pretty cool! I have no way at the moment to calibrate it's accuracy, but it's fun nonetheless.

But the real funny part is: my Civic pulls so lamely at the top of third gear and in fourth the G-Tech is fooled into thinking I've let off and ended my run early! The result of this is I didn't get any ET or trap speed data though I did get 0-60, 60ft, 330ft, 1/8th mile and 1000ft data. I haven't tried the HP and torque measurements (they are done differently than a 1/4 mile run) but considering the car's inability to log a 1/4 run on the machine I wonder if it will even register! ;)

Man, I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can start driving my MR2 again.... Actually, I'm pretty interested to find out how my pickup performs since it feels pretty quick off the line (torque motor, semi-steep gears) though it's pretty much done by 90mph. I do know what the Chevelle is capable of, so when the warm weather returns and the roads are dry and clear again I'll be able to see how the G-Tech unit really does. And I can't wait to get the wagon done so I can see how well it does!

I'll read this one tomorrow Rich. It's too late for a 4-paragrapher. ;)

You don't need a G-Tech for an '84 Civic - just a yardstick and a calendar.

But the real funny part is: my Civic pulls so lamely at the top of third gear and in fourth the G-Tech is fooled into thinking I've let off and ended my run early! The result of this is I didn't get any ET or trap speed data though I did get 0-60, 60ft, 330ft, 1/8th mile and 1000ft data. I haven't tried the HP and torque measurements (they are done differently than a 1/4 mile run) but considering the car's inability to log a 1/4 run on the machine I wonder if it will even register! ;)


LOL! That's funny stuff! :D

I always wondered how accurate those things were. They look like a lot of fun! Keep us posted!

so what was you civic's 0-60? :D

What was the 60 ft. with the Civic?? :D

A G-tech post with no numbers? Come on. We want that real world data!

That's funny about the G-tech shutting off as you hit 4th gear. :D

I'll try to get a good run in on the way home tonight and post some numbers. Keep in mind, this thing was rated at a whopping 60hp when it was new and it now has 236,000 miles on the clock. And what's 1300ccs, about 85 cubic inches? But then, it only weighs 2060 with me in it and I typically knock down 38mpg so it does serve a purpose! :D

One half decent run from yesterday showed around 18 seconds at the 1000ft mark (which is the limit to what it recorded) so prepare to be impressed!

I have an older model that I've stuffed away in a box - I no longer have any flat runways to use it... When I did, it was like a dangerous video game. Everyday on my way to and from work, I was tring to beat my last scores....

The results are in!

0-60: 16.03
1/4 mile: 19.99 @ 66 mph
60ft: 2.947
At-the-wheels HP: 36
At-the-wheels TQ: 51
Max Gs at launch: .42

I spun the tires just about one revolution on launch so it was a pretty solid launch. I stayed in 3rd gear through the end of the 1/4 since the gap between 3rd and 4th is so huge.

In this car 3rd is almost a 1:1 and 4th is a fairly steep overdrive so things get pretty boring after 2nd gear (like they are all that exiciting in 1st and 2nd). Having such a wide ratio 4-speed in the thing doesn't make sense with the smallest, lowest power engine they made that year. It makes for some interesting on-ramp merging situations sometimes but it does pull down some decent MPG figures.

I think I need to reset the redline on the G-Tech. It's currently at 5500 and I'd have to really push it to ever get to 5500, 5000 seems more reasonable. BUT, I cracked into the 19's and that's got to be pretty good for a whopping 36HP hittin' the pavement.

I wonder how much my stats would improve with some stickers, a fart pipe and a big 'ole wing on it? :D

I wonder how much my stats would improve with some stickers, a fart pipe and a big 'ole wing on it? :D
I hope we're talking about your car...........

The results are in!

0-60: 16.03
1/4 mile: 19.99 @ 66 mph
60ft: 2.947
At-the-wheels HP: 36
At-the-wheels TQ: 51
Max Gs at launch: .42



:D Now thats entertainment!

The results are in!

0-60: 16.03
1/4 mile: 19.99 @ 66 mph
60ft: 2.947
At-the-wheels HP: 36
At-the-wheels TQ: 51
Max Gs at launch: .42

I wonder how much my stats would improve with some stickers, a fart pipe and a big 'ole wing on it? :D

the way i see it each sticker is worth about 10 horsepower....the fart pipe has got to be worth 30 and your gonna need that big wing for downforce with the extra power you'll be making. do all these things and i think its a solid recipe for the 11's! ;)

It take ~4sec to go from 60mph to 66mph?

Rich, I would be interested to know the consistency of those units. It wouldn't really matter how accurate they are if they were consistent. At least that way if you used it for a tuning comparison you would have an idea on if your changes were working.

You could use your Honda as a test mule. :D
Add a couple of stickers and give it a go. You might have to empty some paper from your wallet to equal the weight gain of the stickers though to make it fair.

WOW things in Nebraska must be really bad if you've resorted to timing runs in a cvcc! (remember when it was spelled like that???

WOW things in Nebraska must be really bad if you've resorted to timing runs in a cvcc! (remember when it was spelled like that???

Actually, I think CVCC is an acronym for their patented 3-valve combustion chamber engine. Of course, the CVCC engine was always installed in the Civic since it debutted so CVCC and Civic were always seen together. Due to the CVCC design it is so efficient and clean it didn't even have a catalytic converter from the factory.

It take ~4sec to go from 60mph to 66mph?

Have you ever driven one of these things? If so, this shouldn't be much of a surprise, especially with the 1300cc engine. The 1500cc engine is much more peppy and in '84 the 1500 provided over 25% more horsepower than the 1300. The 1300 was designed to do nothing but pull down the best mileage possible (which it does pretty well). It can get up to about 45 pretty well, after that the speed climbs pretty slow since you are in 3rd by then and 3rd and 4th are far from aggressive gears. But hey, consider I'm only working with about 85 low compression cubes, it has 235,000 miles on the clock and the gearing is far from optimal for quick acceleration.

Also keep in mind, I held it in 3rd "through the traps" which meant I held 3rd a while after it hit the redline. I could have shifted to 4th I suppose, but as I've said, that probably wouldn't have helped and probably would have made the run even slower. I'll try grabbing 4th tonight on the way home and see what I get. I hope this thing doesn't blow up on me, I really don't want to have to drive the MR2 in the snow, ice and salt!

This Sunday the wife is going out of town on business in a company car so after she's gone I hope to give her Prelude Si a run with the G-Tech and see what it will do. I'm guessing mid-15's with that one. Weather predictions are for more snow though. :sad:

Does anyone want to see photos of the MPH and 1/4 mile/RPM graphs? It's kind of funny how the RPM graph goes almost flat after 2nd gear!

CVCC = Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion. Ya just GOTTA love Google.

""Also keep in mind, I held it in 3rd "through the traps" which meant I held 3rd a while after it hit the redline.""


Keep that up and your engine will have a bay window in its side in no time with 235K on it. :)

The G-tecs really are a cool toy. The last time I used one in my Z28 I did a 14.03 @ 102 in the quarter with the traction control on and my two boys with me. I never tried it again, but without the extra weight and the traction control off it should be solidly in the mid 13's. I'll never know now because I sold the car.:sad:

What does one of those cost?

The super street model (0-60, 1/4 mile, g-forces, HP and TQ measurements, saves up to 30 runs and provides real time playback of MPH, RPMs/quarter mile) retails for $199.95 and the road race model which has all the same features as the street model but also includes the ability to save up to 2 hours of data and comes with software so you can download your data and analyze it in your computer and retails for $299.95.

If you shop around you can find lower prices. I got mine new in the box for $158 shipped with a full warranty (beware of items on ebay which may not include a full warranty). I got mine from NOPI, an online import tuner speed shop. www.nopionline.com

You can get them at Summit at full retail or buy direct from the company who makes them: www.gtechpro.com G-Tech also sells remanufactured copies for around $170 on ebay, but be careful of the shipping costs associated with these units.

CVCC = Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion. Ya just GOTTA love Google.

""Also keep in mind, I held it in 3rd "through the traps" which meant I held 3rd a while after it hit the redline.""


Keep that up and your engine will have a bay window in its side in no time with 235K on it. :)

I suppose that's possible, but it's still a pretty solid little engine, wish I could say the same for the body. But honestly, I don't think I've ever seen one of these little 4 cylinder engines that threw a rod, it's more common to destroy these engines by losing the timing belt and banging valves into pistons. Most modern small engines with belts are non-interference engines so even losing a belt on one of those won't cause valves and pistons to meet, but I don't think the engine in my Civic is a non-interference engine. I know the engine in my MR2 and Prelude are NOT non-interference engines and that's why I replace the timing belts every 40,000 miles. Cheap insurance, just like regular oil changes.

The one I had was a friend's and it was the original low-feature model for around $100.

Max Gs at launch: .42
Launch!!:p :p How did you manage to hold your head up???

That's pretty cool..My wife bought one of these for me about 5 years ago, and the only use it ever got was that I loaned it out to a friend for about a week. Other than that, I have never even used it. This makes me want to dig it out and try it...of course, now there's winter!:mad: Have fun with it Rich.

Launch!!:p :p How did you manage to hold your head up???

That's pretty cool..My wife bought one of these for me about 5 years ago, and the only use it ever got was that I loaned it out to a friend for about a week. Other than that, I have never even used it. This makes me want to dig it out and try it...of course, now there's winter!:mad: Have fun with it Rich.

I've used the older model, borrowed it from a friend. These newer models are much easier to use and much more fun to use and they store past runs. Sure it's an expensive toy, but what isn't nowadays?!

Regardless of the model, these things are kinda fun.

A little corrective follow up. My 1/4 mile times are actually in the 20.4-20.5 range. Apparently the main screen that displays 1/4 mile times only goes up to 19.99. I figured this out when all my runs in the Civic were coming out 19.99. I see now that the true run time appears on the screen with the RPM graph so at least the data is available.

Man, I really need to test this thing with a car that's capable of a sub 20-second run! ;)