Adam’s Build: Progress with Racepak Dash

Thanks to Tim at Racepak, we were able to make some good progress on the road towards finalizing integration of the Racepak IQ3 into my Z earlier this week. As far as I know, I’m the first to fully replace the factory cluster with an IQ3, or any other standalone dash, on a street car. It hasn’t been all that easy, but I’ve learned a whlole bunch, both about the car, and the dash itself. The functionality of the dash is great and it gives me tons of display options, and a wealth of data, all right in front of me without the clutter of aftermarket gauges. With the latest software uploaded to the cluster, I am now able to track mileage with a fully functioning odometer, and can even chart gear position in real time. Love it!

note: key was just powered on, car wasn’t running when I shot the above pic with my phone…so ignore the AFR 😉

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Adam’s Project Z33: Racepak Dash Installed

It’s done! I think we’re probably the to fully replace the factory cluster with an aftermarket unit on a street driven Z, and I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. I’ve always lusted after these all in one units from the time I first saw a Stack meter, but they had always been so expensive. Plus, being universal pieces, there was always a mess of wiring to go through. When Racepak announced this affordable unit earlier in the year, I just had to jump on it. The The Racepak IQ3 is a bargain in my opinion, especially considering it comes with the VNet cable to plug right into the Haltech ecu (which used to be over $350 itself).

Of course the install was not without it’s hurdles – but what on the car this year hasn’t been a biotch! We discovered a major hurdle a few weeks back. Apparantly Nissan in their infinite wisdom decided that the alternator should not work if the factory cluster is unplugged. Ask me how I found out! Thanfully I was able to limp it back to the shop. I turned to some buddies who race their Z for help. They are running a Bosch Motorsport cluster on their race car, so I had a feeling they had enountered this same scenario before. After working out the various wiring issues last weekend, today I finally sat down with the software and handled the programming side of things. As of now I have the dash setup to display RPM, Air Inlet Temperature, MPH, Wideband AFR, Water Temperature. The software is pretty slick. I tried snapping some screen shot pics for you guys to look at, but it;s not easy capturing it with a camera, so forgive the low quality pics. Once connected, it lets you select what parameters to display, and what scale to display them on. It also lets you select where you want to display the data on the screen. There are 4 pages total of data it will let you display. To turn the page, you either need to have the laptop connected, or you can purchase optional switches. Since my car is NA, for right now, I am doing without the switches. Should I need to access the other data pages, I’ll do it with the laptop. I left the serial cable connected to the back of the unit, and stashed it up under the dash, so connecting it to the laptop is quick and easy. Since this is primarily a street car, I have the standard display unit. There is also a version of this cluster that has full datalogging capabilities, for those doing more serious track duty. Anything I do need to log, I can do via the Haltech anyway.

To have a real fuel level gauge, there is a separate module that you need to purchase and configure. However, I am fairly confident I can at least get it to display “Miles to Empty” as I believe this info is streamed on the CAN network. I need to get with Racepak and/or Haltech this week and figure out how to access that data though.

This would not have been possible without the awesome work of my buddy Dave from Performance Outfitters Group and Rich from NoHotWireRacingI’m glad I know you guys, otherwise I would not have been able to get this done!

Project Z33 Continues

Some more new stuff arrived today for my car.  Thank god there is snow on the ground – gives me time to get all this stuff operational!  This new toy is going to be a bit of a chore to install and setup exactly like I want it, but I’m really looking forward to the final result.

Haltech/Racepak IQ3 Dash

Haltech/Racepak IQ3

Haltech Racepak IQ3

I posted about this about a month or so ago.  It really is an amazing piece of equipment and the potential is simply awesome.  Since my car is used primarily for street, I opted for the standard display only model.  There is another version that datalogs, and it’s possibilities are nearly limitless.  You could moniter shock travel, clutch slip, etc etc.  But that’s a bit over the top for my needs, so this will do.  This will connect to my Haltech 350Z Platinum ecu via the supplied plug and play cable, and I will set it up to display rpm, speed, fuel level, afr, oil temperature, coolant temp, and odometer.  However, through the CAN network, it can pass through all sorts of info such as fuel pressure, fuel trim, TPS – basically anything that is part of the OBD2!  Really slick piece, and at $700, it sure beats having a ton of different gauges scattered throughout the car.    Next thing to do is getting it to my installer guru Dave, so he can fabricate me a proper housing to make this thing look like it came with the car!

Paradise by the Dashboard Light

Just got these in and they are hot!! For all you Haltech E8, EV12, and Platinum users, this is what I’d call a “must have”. Racepak and Haltech have now teamed up to make a plug and play configurable dash solution. All the cool features you have come to expect from Racetech, but in a more cost effective package.

This comes in 2 versions – one with datalogging and one without

The IQ3 dash represents an entirely new concept in data logging dashes. This uses Racepak’s exclusive smart sensor type, that means that only one small cable will transmit the data from all the sensors to the rear of the dash. For the customer, this means no bulky, heavy sensor wiring harness. All sensors transmit their data through a single cable (Vnet) which is routed to the rear of the dash. This eliminates the need for a sensor harness, greatly reducing installation time, complexity and overall weight.

The programmable shift lights are protected from sunlight by a molded shield above the lights, while the low glare LCD display is well recessed in the housing in order to provide viewing in all light conditions.

Haltech IQ3 Features:
– 32 Channels
– Programmable Shift Lights
– Programmable Warning Lights With On Screen Warning
– 24 Programmable Sensor Inputs On 4 Pages
– Programmable Channel Names
– Gear Indicator
– Predictive Lap Time
– Includes Software and Installation Manual
– Metric / Imperial Configurable
– Haltech CAN Communication Module built in ($375 Value!)
Priced at $695 SHIPPED!
Datalogging option:

All features from display-only IQ3 plus:
-512mb microSD memory card
-Data logging up to 32 channels at 100 samples per second
-GPS track mapping, speed, and lap times (no beacon required!)
-3 Axis G Meter Priced at $1440 Shipped!

To order your IQ3, Haltech ECU, or if you need a combo setup, let us know! ‘Tis the season and we’re making deals!