GR Yaris Data Logging for Trackdays

SuperHoon

Fascinated Member
Jan 10, 2023
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Who is using which system to perform data logging during sport driving? When retaining the original engine ECU.

I am more interested in gathering data such as brake pressure, steering input etc - data that I can review post session or event to completely understand what i was doing with the controls.

Thanks
 
for such you'd need dedicated sensors for brake pressure and steering angle. I had such for race car by using Race Technology Data gathering but haven't gone there since.
often generic gps related data logging with video support provides sufficent data based on which to improve. (currently using Racebox with video overlay). based on that data you can already see where you are braking, accelerating, turning etc.

Once you have driving dialed you might start going into monitoring suspension and brakes but then you should have options to change the setup (brake balance, corner weights, springs, suspension settings etc) accordingly. Unless doing racing I think its a bit of an overkill.
 
Who is using which system to perform data logging during sport driving? When retaining the original engine ECU.

I am more interested in gathering data such as brake pressure, steering input etc - data that I can review post session or event to completely understand what i was doing with the controls.

Thanks
Here's my approach: https://www.gr-zoo.com/threads/can-bus-reverse-engineering.7834/post-117196
Haven't finalized it yet, some temperatures and pressures are still missing.

There's also a new development with the ESP32 board: https://github.com/pudelkoM/RaceChronoBleDevice
It seems they managed to achieve a 344 Hz refresh rate, which is quite impressive.
 
for such you'd need dedicated sensors for brake pressure and steering angle. I had such for race car by using Race Technology Data gathering but haven't gone there since.
Actually you don't. A lot of sensors are already built into the car, and their signals broadcasted on the CAN bus, most of them at 100Hz, like steering wheel angle, brake pressure, throttle, clutch pedal position, etc.

Here's an example I managed to get on my previous car using a RaceBox, GoPro, a 30€ Adafruit board, and some CAN bus reversing.

sss.webp


Once you have driving dialed you might start going into monitoring suspension and brakes but then you should have options to change the setup (brake balance, corner weights, springs, suspension settings etc) accordingly. Unless doing racing I think its a bit of an overkill.
In my opinion, data logging is key to understanding what you're doing behind the wheel. I won't get into details, as there are plenty of good resources out there, like the Your Data Driven podcast.
 
It really depends how far you want to go.

Simple setup: OBD reader (such as the cheap ELM327) and Bluetooth app to show real time outputs on entertainment unit via Car play/Android Auto. Note that on the GRY brake pressure is not available via OBD.

Next level: As above but use a dedicated GPS tracker ( Race box, Qstarz etc) and app (RacecChrono etc) to map OBD outputs to track position, combine with action cam footage via Racerender etc to analyse data.

Example of above setup here:


Complex setup: OBD outputs plus aftermarket sensors on all other required driver inputs, custom logging ECU and software, to analyse data.
 
p.s. you'll be surprised at the amount of valuable information you can get from the OBD port (such as air intake temperature).

I suggest starting with the simple setup I described above and go from there.
 
@tonic I hadn't seen your project but that's the type of thing I'm interested in. I place greater importance on the driver input data rather than engine performance etc because my engine is basically stock still. What you had on your previous car is basically my goal result.

The purpose isn't for cool video overlays but to interrogate my raw inputs.

@Altocumulus my current setup is I have a garmin catalyst, plus 1 gopro in car showing my steering inputs and 1 go pro on the pedals, plus racechrono and a qstarz gps receiver.

It covers most things but as I develop the car and myself I'm bumping into the limitations of the devices a bit more. Proper CAN data into either racechrono or another device will likely be enough to satisfy me - but I must have access to accurate brake data. Some friends were running AIM solo devices on our last Winton trip and had great data access but they were a bit older Honda's.

I wasn't planning on going as far as a motec but I can understand how much help the data logging must be.
 
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@tonic I hadn't seen your project but that's the type of thing I'm interested in. I place greater importance on the driver input data rather than engine performance etc because my engine is basically stock still. What you had on your previous car is basically my goal result.

The purpose isn't for cool video overlays but to interrogate my raw inputs.

@Altocumulus my current setup is I have a garmin catalyst, plus 1 gopro in car showing my steering inputs and 1 go pro on the pedals, plus racechrono and a qstarz gps receiver.

It covers most things but as I develop the car and myself I'm bumping into the limitations of the devices a bit more. Proper CAN data into either racechrono or another device will likely be enough to satisfy me - but I must have access to accurate brake data. Some friends were running AIM solo devices on our last Winton trip and had great data access but they were a bit older Honda's.

I wasn't planning on going as far as a motec but I can understand how much help the data logging must be.
It sounds as though you're at the point where far more investment is required if you wish to take things further.

I was disappointed when I realised I couldn't get brake data from the OBD.
 
Has anyone been crazy enough to buy the Toyota official race recorder? Part number 83960-52020 might be Japan only but thought it was interesting