Dragy Lap

[Vmohan5072]

I have a HPDE event coming up at NJMP Lightning at 4/24. Amongst many other things to set up, I am working out the gopro/telemetry situation. Purple panda mic routed from the license plate to a GoPro suction cupped to the seat will be the video and audio setup, but I am curious about the Dragy Lap app that uses Dragy gps module to record data and sync it with GoPro footage.

The main draw for me is being able to use the Dragy I currently have without needing to purchase a GPS module. But without any way to include OBD2 readings, it will not be as comprehensive as TrackAddict or RaceChrono. I'm still interested as a beginner lap tool, so I was wondering if anyone had any experience using Dragy Lap, or if anyone had any experience using Dragy Lap with a GoPro. Is it worth using, or should I just go fully into RaceChrono/TrackAddict?

[drroc]

Originally Posted by Vmohan5072

I have a HPDE event coming up at NJMP Lightning at 4/24. Amongst many other things to set up, I am working out the gopro/telemetry situation. Purple panda mic routed from the license plate to a GoPro suction cupped to the seat will be the video and audio setup, but I am curious about the Dragy Lap app that uses Dragy gps module to record data and sync it with GoPro footage.

The main draw for me is being able to use the Dragy I currently have without needing to purchase a GPS module. But without any way to include OBD2 readings, it will not be as comprehensive as TrackAddict or RaceChrono. I'm still interested as a beginner lap tool, so I was wondering if anyone had any experience using Dragy Lap, or if anyone had any experience using Dragy Lap with a GoPro. Is it worth using, or should I just go fully into RaceChrono/TrackAddict?

Even if you get RaceChrono Pro, you still need to get an external GPS module as the phone module is not super accurate.

[M3SQRD]

How many track events have you done? The worst possible thing you can do is record lap times and video as a beginner. Going to the track should not be about chasing lap times. It should be about learning the fundamentals and practicing them. With practice, speed and lower lap times will come. However, if you make it about lap times then you’ll never master the basic skills, especially being smooth, and you’ll in the best case hit a plateau, worst case I’ll leave that one up to you to figure out. Don’t judge your progress based on your times vs. other peoples’ times.

[Vmohan5072]

Originally Posted by drroc

Even if you get RaceChrono Pro, you still need to get an external GPS module as the phone module is not super accurate.

Which is why if I went that route I would get an external GPS, but I want to see if I can make by with just using the Dragy on hand to have a decent experience

[Vmohan5072]

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

How many track events have you done? The worst possible thing you can do is record lap times and video as a beginner. Going to the track should not be about chasing lap times. It should be about learning the fundamentals and practicing them. With practice, speed and lower lap times will come. However, if you make it about lap times then you’ll never master the basic skills, especially being smooth, and you’ll in the best case hit a plateau, worst case I’ll leave that one up to you to figure out. Don’t judge your progress based on your times vs. other peoples’ times.

That is completely fair, I didn't want to do it to try to constantly chase lap times nor do I intend to really push myself to be competitive with other times by any measure, my intention was for fun and to be able to see myself grow over time without any fixation towards pushing myself during the event itself. Kind of like a before and after picture before a workout and diet plan you know?

I'm on event 3 and still focusing on learning and mastering the fundamentals slowly/smoothly and then building up on that. This was kind of a fun thing for myself to watch rather than trying to push myself past my personal limit, but if it's best to drop it then I have no problem dropping the idea for now, everything you said is fair

[MineralWhiteF80]

I have a Dragy (with their GPS antenna), and honestly, Dragy Lap has never worked for one reason or another. Each time I try it on a track day, something goes wrong, and it takes me the whole track day to figure out why because im already out on track when it needs to start working but wont. Then, when I fix one thing, something else goes wrong. For example, I tried using it at Road Atlanta, and it didn't work because cell reception wasn't good, so it couldn't download the files it apparently needed before the app let me start recording. All I could get is GPS speedometer readout. I've become so frustrated now that I dont even use it anymore because it will just piss me off further.

If you want to see lap times/sector information, there are much better options out there since Dragy was never designed to do anything other than straight line acceleration. And their main app is not good either.

If you are only going to use the GPS on your phone, HP Tuners TrackAddict works about as good as you can get, because your phone is the limiting problem. However, you can buy a used XGPS150A gps antenna on ebay for 50-70 bucks and pair that with TrackAddict, and it's wayyyy better than Dragy and gives you more information, and can also be paired with a GoPro.

You can also just use your GoPro and see what your lap times are by calculating start/stop times at a point on the track (usually the slowest part of the track gets the closest).

You can see that my iphone 14 gps gets a little crazy and i’m off track just a bit in turns 3 and 4 at Atlanta Motorsports Park lol

EDIT: also just want to point out that the phone GPS is not good enough to accurately calculate lap times, so it's basically pointless without a good GPS with a fast refresh rate LOL (as shown by my picture below)

[Vmohan5072]

Originally Posted by MineralWhiteF80

I have a Dragy (with their GPS antenna), and honestly, Dragy Lap has never worked for one reason or another. Each time I try it on a track day, something goes wrong, and it takes me the whole track day to figure out why because im already out on track when it needs to start working but wont. Then, when I fix one thing, something else goes wrong. For example, I tried using it at Road Atlanta, and it didn't work because cell reception wasn't good, so it couldn't download the files it apparently needed before the app let me start recording. All I could get is GPS speedometer readout. I've become so frustrated now that I dont even use it anymore because it will just piss me off further.

If you want to see lap times/sector information, there are much better options out there since Dragy was never designed to do anything other than straight line acceleration. And their main app is not good either.

If you are only going to use the GPS on your phone, HP Tuners TrackAddict works about as good as you can get, because your phone is the limiting problem. However, you can buy a used XGPS150A gps antenna on ebay for 50-70 bucks and pair that with TrackAddict, and it's wayyyy better than Dragy and gives you more information, and can also be paired with a GoPro.

You can also just use your GoPro and see what your lap times are by calculating start/stop times at a point on the track (usually the slowest part of the track gets the closest).

You can see that my iphone 14 gps gets a little crazy and i’m off track just a bit in turns 3 and 4 at Atlanta Motorsports Park lol

EDIT: also just want to point out that the phone GPS is not good enough to accurately calculate lap times, so it's basically pointless without a good GPS with a fast refresh rate LOL (as shown by my picture below)

I see, thank you for the input! I might just ditch the whole idea of a track analyzer for now and get a used GPS to use the proven and reliable apps when I become more experienced.

[BackOnBlack]

The M Performance Drive Analyzer works well for me. Nothing complicated, no lap times and it is not configurable in terms of graphics, but easy setup and use. Of course, you need to have a compatible BT ODB reader.

Appstore:



How it actually looks:

[Vmohan5072]

Originally Posted by BackOnBlack

The M Performance Drive Analyzer works well for me. Nothing complicated, no lap times and it is not configurable in terms of graphics, but easy setup and use. Of course, you need to have a compatible BT ODB reader.

Appstore:

Attachment 3438960

How it actually looks:

Attachment 3438961

This might be perfect for what I need. Easy to use, shows useful info, and no lap time so I don't end up needlessly chasing it as a beginner. I'll run this, thank you!

[Track/S]

If you have it, try it, for me it is a thousand times better than any other app that works with the mobile antenna, racechrono is absolute garbage compared to dragy

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by Vmohan5072

That is completely fair, I didn't want to do it to try to constantly chase lap times nor do I intend to really push myself to be competitive with other times by any measure, my intention was for fun and to be able to see myself grow over time without any fixation towards pushing myself during the event itself. Kind of like a before and after picture before a workout and diet plan you know?

I'm on event 3 and still focusing on learning and mastering the fundamentals slowly/smoothly and then building up on that. This was kind of a fun thing for myself to watch rather than trying to push myself past my personal limit, but if it's best to drop it then I have no problem dropping the idea for now, everything you said is fair

Lap times, video and lap data are all useful tools. However, I’ve instructed students that have it all - lap data acquisition and front/rear/in-car cameras and after the first session, he asked “how do my lap times compare to other people with similar cars/setups.” He was so overwhelmed by having to learn the track, pay attention looking for faster cars and learning to look for flag stations that his times were ~30 sec slower than a similar car. I also need to factor in how widespread and accessible data acquisition systems and sync’d videos are compared to when I started tracking in the late 1980s. Stick with your stated approach and learn the fundamentals (always work on the driver mod!). The more you practice and learn to be smooth then you’ll start to see large chunks of time reduction in different segments of the track(s). Work on getting off of using full DSC and/or MDM because that will minimizes the chances of developing bad habits. Have fun and don’t make it about lap times

[Vmohan5072]

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

Lap times, video and lap data are all useful tools. However, I’ve instructed students that have it all - lap data acquisition and front/rear/in-car cameras and after the first session, he asked “how do my lap times compare to other people with similar cars/setups.” He was so overwhelmed by having to learn the track, pay attention looking for faster cars and learning to look for flag stations that his times were ~30 sec slower than a similar car. I also need to factor in how widespread and accessible data acquisition systems and sync’d videos are compared to when I started tracking in the late 1980s. Stick with your stated approach and learn the fundamentals (always work on the driver mod!). The more you practice and learn to be smooth then you’ll start to see large chunks of time reduction in different segments of the track(s). Work on getting off of using full DSC and/or MDM because that will minimizes the chances of developing bad habits. Have fun and don’t make it about lap times

Thank you! Coming back from it, I had a lot of fun getting a feel of the car's limits as well as seeing myself slowly improve my driving lines as I kept making rounds. I already had the camera setup in place so I just used that without anything else, not knowing or seeing any times at the track day itself, fully focusing on just driving correctly and smoothly. So far, things are at a solid foundation, with my next goal is to learn the car without MDM (Which, other than the fact that it reinforces bad habits like you said, REALLY chews up the brake pads a lot more than expected which def means i was relying on it too much).

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by Vmohan5072

Thank you! Coming back from it, I had a lot of fun getting a feel of the car's limits as well as seeing myself slowly improve my driving lines as I kept making rounds. I already had the camera setup in place so I just used that without anything else, not knowing or seeing any times at the track day itself, fully focusing on just driving correctly and smoothly. So far, things are at a solid foundation, with my next goal is to learn the car without MDM (Which, other than the fact that it reinforces bad habits like you said, REALLY chews up the brake pads a lot more than expected which def means i was relying on it too much).

Glad to hear you had a blast! Now that you’ve been on track you can truly understand why we said finding the limits of the f8x isn’t something you should be doing on the streets. Get a few more 2-day events (or 4-6 single days) and then try going out with MDM/DSC off. Take it easy for the first few laps and then progressively push harder with each lap. You’ll find the f8x easy to control with DSC off as long as you respect the throttle pedal. Between MDM and traction control, the rear brakes certainly do get a serious workout!