ottacat

One of my other hobbies is woodworking and within that community there is a great debate - power tools or hand tools. The power tool side argues that using power tools allows them to complete projects in less time with less drudgery in the process. The hand tool side argues that woodworking should be as much about the process as the result and that hand tools bring them closer to the wood. They also argue that while hand tools require skill to use that once mastered, the skills allow one to be a more versatile woodworker.

I find the debate around the auto-blip and manufacturer rev-matching (as in the 370Z or new Corvettes) to be very similar. One side argues in favour of the results while the other side argues that it about the process. I personally feel there is no right or wrong on either side and that track driving is a personal hobby to be enjoyed however one wants.

I find heel-and-toe downshifting an extremely challenging operation. I seem to be all left-feet (I can't dance either). I also don't like track driving with the traditional non heel-and-toe driving technique where you have to complete your braking early and then downshift just prior to turn-in using your right foot on the throttle to rev-match. I find this process distracts me from properly settling the car and executing a smooth turn in. I also admit I also find it a bit hairy if I mis-judge my speed and come into the corner a bit too fast. I have to do the downshift and then get back on the brake at completely the wrong time. With either a heel-and-toe downshift or with an auto-blip or rev-matching transmission, my foot is always on the brake and I have better control of the car. There are many, many aspects to track driving - our cars, tires, brakes, pads, suspension setups, our engine mods, our tuning, our driving skills - visioning, steering, throttle control, braking and driving our lines on the track that heel-and-toe downshifting is one of many aspects of the whole experience.

Anyway, none of this is likely to deter the inevitable "but heel-and-toe downshifting is an integral part of the art of learning to drive a manual" cries of many drivers. That may be the case but I'm working on the art of driving my car around a track as quickly as possible. I have great respect for those who heel-and-toe well. It is a difficult skill. One day my personal goals may change and I'll value heel-and-toe downshifting more and make a greater effort to master this skill. However I'm not at that point.

Back to the Auto-blip and what it is and isn't. First, it isn't a rev-matching device. It has no connection to either the shifter or the ECU to know current gear, target gear and engine speed. True rev-matching like in the 370Z uses these factors to calculate a perfect rev-match that works on both downshifts and upshifts. These devices allow you to say downshift from 5th to 2nd and do a 4000 or 5000 RPM rev-match. They will also prevent such shifts if the RPM would exceed the redline. The Auto-blip is more basic device. When you are pressing brake and then engage the clutch, the Auto-blip blips the throttle by engaging it for an adjustable duration of time. The amount of RPM increase is thus determined by the duration of the blip (and other factors such as where you are in your torque curve and the weight of your flywheel). The Auto-blip also has an adjustable delay which controls the amount of time between when you depress the clutch and when the engine blip occurs.

So thus comes the question - is such a device suitable as an alternative to traditional heel-and-toe downshifts or more sophisticated manufacturer rev matching? I heard arguments that different corners and different circumstances require different levels of blipping and thus skilled heel-and-toe operation is necessary. Others argued that at track speeds and RPM ranges that just about any reasonable blip is sufficient and that most heel-and-toe drivers are essentially blipping the same amount each time anyway.

So I decided to buy and Auto-blip and find out. Here are my thoughts.

Installation

Auto-blip has an installation manual dedicated to the 350Z available in the support section of their website. The manual is excellent and shows complete step-by-step photos.

The Auto-blip is installed fully inside the driver’s area of the car. The wiring harness has six connectors that tap into six wires connected to the throttle, brake, clutch and OBD wiring harnesses. The installation doesn't require removing the seat and takes about 30-60 minutes. Specifically:

Two wires tap into wires on the accelerator pedal position sensor (APPS) harness - these control the blip
Two wires tap into wires on the lower brake sensor harness - one for 12v power, the other to sense the brake being pressed
One wire taps into a wire on the lower clutch sensor harness - to sense when the clutch is pressed
One wire taps into a wire on the OBD port for ground

My 350Z had different colored wires on the APPS harness than in the diagram in the manual but a quick email exchange with the Auto-blip support confirmed that the taps attach to the indicated positions on the harness rather than by wire color. For all three harnesses I cut the black wrapping back about an 3/4" to better attach the taps. I unplugged each harness as I did the installation to give me more room. Once the taps were installed I plugged them back in. If I had to do a second installation I could do it in about 10 minutes.

Once the taps are in place you then mount the control unit. It ships with two adhesive Velcro strips which gives good flexibility in deciding where to mount the unit. I choose to mount mine as shown in the attached photo.

Once the installation is complete, you need to perform a calibration. This takes only about two minutes and it records and verifies the correct sensing of the accelerator, brake and clutch. My calibration worked the first (and only) time I did it.

Once done, if you start the car, put it in neutral, press the brake and then depress the clutch and the Auto-blip will blip the throttle. Very straightforward.

On the track

Since installing the Auto-blip I've done two track events. As mentioned before, there are two adjustments - delay and blip duration. After my first few corners I realized that I was releasing the clutch before the blip had occurred. Thus I needed to shorten the delay. Everyone will downshift at slightly different rate but for me I found that I needed the delay set at 1/4 or the 9:00 position. I found that this worked really well for me and I got very consistent results - nice smooth downshifts with near perfect rev matches. The other adjustment was blip duration. I found that the 1/2 mark or 12:00 position worked best for me.

With the settings dialed in I was able consistently downshift smoothly and focus on my braking zone, pedal pressure and release. Depending on the corner, my entrance speed and the desired exit speed I developed a feel for where in the braking zone to best perform the downshift. For corners requiring a two-gear drop, you need to downshift twice as the amount of blip is set for only a single gear change. This still worked fine, each release of the clutch generates a blip even with the brake being constantly applied.

Off the track, the Auto-blip turns off and stays off. Their website isn't perfectly clear on this point. If you leave the Auto-blip switched on, it will remain powered when you shut off the car because the power line that it taps into at the brake pedal has power even when the car is turned off and the keys out of the ignition. To prevent battery drain, the Auto-blip will power itself off after 6 hours. However turning off the power button turns the unit right off and you don't even need to think about it until the next track day.

Conclusion

I really like the Auto-blip. It does exactly what it claims and it does it well. Installation and calibration is easy and it only takes a lap or two to find the right settings for delay and blip duration. My lap times dropped but more importantly for me, my enjoyment of lapping greatly increased. I felt better control of the car as I was able to brake later and deeper and yet transition straight to the gas to modulate the throttle between turn-in and the apex. I was able to manage my vision into and through the corner better. I found it easier to settle the car and my turn-in was smoother. I found I had better headspace to find those corners where I could start accelerating before the apex. In short, my lapping got a whole lot better.

Unicus

iTrader: (3)

Nice type up, everything looks good. Good thing you added a conclusion, most people search engine'ing this won't want to read this wall lol. Quite a different install location though, do you ever bump it by mistake?

The Swede

How long is the harness to the unit? Long enough to mount in one of the rear cubbies? I like gadgets but I also like the "oem"-look ie stealthy installations.

ottacat

No I never bumped it in the location I mounted it. I still have lots of clearance over the shifter.

I originally thought of using the rear cubbie too. In my judgement the wiring harness would be about 6" too short for this location. If you want stealthy you could mount it in many locations under the dash or to the side. Once you've dialed in the delay and blip duration you only ever touch the unit to power it on.

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

We have been talking about this over in the track section a bit, seems pretty cool

RichV

I don't track my car but I do occasionally rev match when driving spirited. Im not very good at it, but it is fun to try.

This is a really cool device. Approximately what does it cost?

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Interesting writeup, but I really dispute characterizing learning how to heel-toe downshift as a "drudgery". Yes, it took a few years to initially learn the basics, but that skill is now so naturally ingrained that I often do it without any thought. As I've said before, an electronic aid like rev-match is an unnecessary expense, but some may still want it. It's also one more component with the possibility of failure and cannot be easily transferred from car-to-car.

ottacat

The cost is $395.00

Franknbeans

iTrader: (1)

Looking into picking this up for my '18 track season. Any more people use this? I have Rev Matching in my 2017 Grand Sport Vette and love it.

CK_32

iTrader: (1)

If I wasn't already good at rev matching I would want one of these haha

Tho I think it's a lazy way to get good at racing, it does work. But I still think kids should learn the proper way to HT. It's so satisfying to do a clean heal toe under braking.

Franknbeans

iTrader: (1)

Ehh, I'm not a racer, I'm a track enthusiast. If I wanted to be a racer, I would put more effort in it.

BluestreamDE

Didn't know there was a difference.

Franknbeans

iTrader: (1)

Big difference. If I was a racer... then I would have a race car and not a street car I drive on the track.

When I am lucky to get to the track once a month for a PDE event in the summer that's a track enthusiast, not a race car driver.

BluestreamDE

Im sure people race on tracks with completely stock vehicles with no modifications like this "device" so i fail to see the logic here. I heel-toe on the street, learned within a week to be comfortable. You can practice while coming to a stop or slowing down on a curve.

1. It's free
2. No point of failure with a "device" not doing the driving it for you to make up for lack of driving skill.
3. Can be applied to any manual transmission vehicle, it stays with you.

I am not a racer by any means, but driving skill is basic and universal, it is just more demanding with track racing as it is more fast pase. What Dkmura and CK said stands correct with me in my opinion.

Either way good luck.

Shoomakan

I'm decent at rev matching but the problem is my feet are so big (Europe size 49-50, US size 16ish) that it is impossible for me to do with my heel. I usually rev match with the right side of my shoe. The downside to this is I can't lay on the brake hard and rev match as well as the difference in pedal height exceeds the distance I can work with.

Another downside is I can rarely find driving shoes my size. I really like this idea and will be reading up on it some more. Thanks for the heads up.

MicVelo

Not going to knock the device as I've never used it and have to admit that the synchro rev in my Nismo Z34 worked pretty well. But I am skeptical that it can completely duplicate the complete and "real" use of heel and toe - that is, going beyond end to end drivetrain speed matching to set the chassis under brake load - to prepare for corner exit.

Guess it's possible that without having to concern oneself with the right pedal aspect, more attention can be paid to braking but I'm with the "it transfers from car to car to car" people. Same thing I always say about "driving skills being the cheapest 'car mod' you'll ever make because unlike a mechanical tweak, skills transfer."

To those who say they can only use side of foot to blip the gas pedal, join the ranks of thousands who, for any number of reasons cannot "heel" the pedal (foot size, pedal orientation/spacing etc), know its fine as long as you're able to accomplish the maneuver. Me, I'm a bottom right side of foot (almost full heel) person. I know cuz I'm sitting here in my office heel and toeing to see what part of foot I use. Wife just walked in on me and shook her head.

CK_32

iTrader: (1)

You're one of those guys who point out "you're" and "your" on the internet aren't you?

Franknbeans

iTrader: (1)

If you don't know the difference from "your" and "you're" then go back to school. I don't see the point of your comment at all.

MicVelo

Seriously... I think he just called you pedantic.

But yeah, I see the distinction you were making. He was just ribbin' ya.