So you've tricked out your car with a cold air intake, an oversized intercooler and a turbo running 17 pounds of boost. Or you've just made a bundle and bought a Ferrari F430. But can you drive? Really drive? Prove it -- with your iPhone.
Amid the flurry of software apps popping up for Apple's newest gadget are a pair of automotive performance meters that will cut through the bench racing B.S. Both Dynolicious and g-tac use the accelerometer built into the iPhone and iPod Touch to tell you in no uncertain terms whether you drive like Lewis Hamilton.
Of the two, BensenTech's Dynolicious is more comprehensive. It'll measure your zero to 60 time -- or anything in between 10 and 100 mph in 10 mph increments -- and your quarter mile elapsed time and trap speed. It'll also measure your cornering and braking loads. As if that's not enough, it will give you your horsepower at the wheels and estimate what you're putting out at the crank. Data is presented in real-time, and BensenTech says zero to 60 times are accurate to within .08 seconds and quarter-mile speeds are good to within 1.5 mph. Some hardcore gearheads may may consider that an unacceptably large margin of error, but for $12.99 through the Apple Apps store, can you really complain?
G-tac will set you back only $4.99 at the Apps store, but it only works in a straight line. It'll give you your zero to 60 acceleration time, your quarter-mile performance and 60 to zero mph stopping distance. The developer says "typical accuracy is within 2 to 3 mph."
Neither program requires any additional wires or equipment -- simply load the program into your phone, drop your phone in the cup holder and you're good to go. We can't vouch for the accuracy of these programs -- yet. Our friends in the Gadget Lab plan to give them a thorough shakedown test. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, here's some screenshots of Dynolicious.
Main photo by Ferrari of North America. Screenshots by Dynolicious.
