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Is anyone else irritated at the tach?

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Justin

Save the dawn for your dishes!!!
ArizonaGT said:
Engine revs so fast in lower gears that the tach just isn't useful--gotta go on feel.
I prefer a light lol I set it 200 rpms before redline so in the time it takes to react to the light and shift I am right on the money
 
Finally took a couple pictures of my Shift-I.

IMAG0021.jpg

IMAG0022.jpg

I mounted it on a piece of aluminum tat is bent into an L shape. And I just shoved it between the gap as shown. It sits very tight in there, but I wrapped my pieces with carbon fiber vinyl, so it may be less snug without.

When it's off, you hardly notice it. But it is definitely bright enough to be seen when its on. It also has a built in light sensor, and automatically dims based on ambient light. I have mine set to come on at 3000rpm, and start flashing at 6500. That gives me 250 rpm to react and shift (I have a GT, so lower redline). The unit has a bunch of display modes to choose from, and will show battery voltage at startup as well.

Overall, I'm happy with the Shift-I. I haven't had any trouble with pegging the rev limiter since I installed it.

The only note for installation is that you have to tap into a Fuel injector trigger wire as the feed. Apparently our engines fire the spark plugs multiple times at idle? And that confuses this shift light, however it works perfectly wen hooked up to the injector trigger. The downside is that it shuts off when you coast since the injectors shut off, but that shouldn't mean anything in real track use.
 
I am irritated that it is on the wrong side. 26 years, and counting, of driving Fox bodies with the tach on the left, keeps me looking at the speedo on my '13.
 

ArizonaBOSS

Because racecar.
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93 LX 5.0 said:
I am irritated that it is on the wrong side. 26 years, and counting, of driving Fox bodies with the tach on the left, keeps me looking at the speedo on my '13.
I would counter that the Fox tachs, SN95s, and early S197s had the tach on the wrong side, the left.

As you are shifting with your right hand, the right side of the dash is visible. LHS, not so much--as your arm is there holding the steering wheel in-place.
 

steveespo

Lord knows I'm a Voodoo Child
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Cookeville TN
ArizonaGT said:
I would counter that the Fox tachs, SN95s, and early S197s had the tach on the wrong side, the left.

As you are shifting with your right hand, the right side of the dash is visible. LHS, not so much--as your arm is there holding the steering wheel in-place.

I agree, on track your line of sight is mostly right center of the windshield, especially on clockwise road circuits, that is why I mounted my traqmate on the top center of the dash where the LS gauge pod would go. I see tach bar and shift lights easily at a quick glance without dropping my eyes down to the dar instrument panel. I have primary gauges in a Sound of Speed triple a pillar pod which also allows me to check at a glance, I do sometimes have blind spot when looking ahead for left hand apex because of the a pillar but I am used to it and try to compensate by establishing landmarks to set up my turn ins if there are blind spots.

And yes the stock tach/speedo setup sucks hard in the GT and just sucks in the Boss/Shelby's. That's the penalty for the cool retro layout, hope the new car has a more modern well laid out, fully instrumented dash. Why would the Boss not have more gauges than less than the GT?
Steve
 
McLaren has it figured out.

MP4-12C.jpg

So does Porsche.

Porsche-991.jpg


Let's hope the S550 has it figured out too. ;)
 
I installed the Ecliptech Shift-I progressive shift light and so far I'm extremely pleased with its capabilities and operation. I purchased it from MicroImage, a California based reseller for Ecliptech. They had a great price with USPS 2-day priority shipping for free. I also purchased MSD's GMR tach signal pickup device that allows you to gain a tach signal without having to tap into a wire... Just wrap the lead around the wire.

I did not have success tapping into the injector wire per Tony at Ecliptech and RayMax here on the forum, probably because I used the tach signal pickup device. This location did provide a signal but most likely too weak for the Shift-I to function. I then moved the tach signal pickup device to the number 5 COP location (white/brown wire) and the signal improved significantly. Finished up the wiring and installation and all works as advertised. The Shift-I believe it or not weighs about as much as a credit card so mounting it was very easy. I placed mine centered on top of the steering column using just a small piece of double-sided tape and ran the wires behind and left of the column and made all wiring connections behind the plastic knee/kick panel that lies beneath the steering column. Here is how I wired it up:

Using solder and shrink tubing I connected the MSD GMR tach wire directly to the Shift-I tach wire.

Using solder and shrink tubing I connected the MSD GMR ground wire directly to the Shift-I ground wire and connected this to the metal portion of the steering column using a crimp eye connector.

Using solder and shrink tubing I connected the MSD GMR power wire directly to the Shift-I power wire. Using a wire tap provided with the Shift-I, I connected power to the switched power source I already had run for my AutoMeter gauges.

The MSD GMR tach signal pickup device was clamped around the number 5 cylinder COP wire.

I have to give credit to RayMax for letting us know about this product and for his technical assistance!
 

jneary

Performance Fords
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Norcal
Here it is in action. Several different display modes...


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1A7zbzB0oA[/youtube]
 
1,482
408
My only beef with the tach is not the tach itself but the steering wheel. It blocks the view of the tach after turn 6 heading up the hill at Laguna Seca!
 

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