Vi Performance Monitor Early Impressions

[blaze6]

had a play with mine today, suits my purposes but not blown away by it.
i would describe it as a jack of all trades, master of none.

pros:-

small
slim
does a bit of everything - monitoring, performace, fault codes

cons:-

the windscreen mount is naf - i've used some velcro and stuck it to my central speedo (with enough room for my dvd screen to come out)with the wiring all hidden behind panelling. sounds messy but looks quite neat and discreet.when my bro casually looked in side the car he initially thought i had the oem sat nav - but i wouldn't say it looked that discreet! -i've got the chrono pack so i have rev's and speed on the steering wheel monitor and IAT,boost on the vi monitor.

not as good or as easy to use as the scanguage for monitoring variables - the scan guage monitors more variables, and displays more variables simultaneously - 4 in all, the vi displays 3 (except on the "race" monitor which has G as well.) additionally,- of the 3 possible variables, 1 is represented by a vertical bar on the left hand side which can only be used to visually represent throttle or load. so you've basically got two other variable to customise only. i use the 2 custom screens to flick between, one having IAT and boost and the other having coolant temps and ignition timing. battery voltage being on the third custom screen. but all this isn't ideal but okay.

not used the performance monitor yet, need to download the dyno firmware update (downloading right now!), then i'll see what that's like. and just to check- mini's weigh 1140kg?

have not had to use the fault code reader function yet. car's running well!

but overall i'd give it a 7/10

it does all things adequately. is it worth the 225 i paid for it?-probably not IMO. A scan guage is 120. i think this is worth about 150-170 for the extra functions it has - many of which you could have on an i phone. definitely not worth the advertised 350. i'll definitely be keeping mine until something better comes along, it suits me fine and it has some fun features.

The monitor function could have been designed a lot better - that's my bug bear, it was ill thought out, they could have fitted more variables onto one screen at no extra cost other than writing the software differently.

if you just want to monitor variables, the cheapest and best VFM is a scanguage and it is better than the VI. (i'll be keeping mine as a spare)

if you're a performance/track day novice-the VI is a nice introduction and cheaper than the VBox

if you're serious about racing or incar monitoring, then the VI is not the product for you and you'll need to spend more money.

if you're a car enthusiast and you want something with fun features that does a bit of everything, get the VI monitor.

i'll get some pics tomorrow, and hopefully it'll be drier tomorrow night!

[BigShow]

Great write up Sy!

[brownpants]

Thanks Sy - just what I needed to know .

[kipperhughes]

im not sure weather i should get this or just get a plan scangauge

[hwojtek]

Originally Posted by blaze6

just to check- mini's weigh 1140kg?

My papers say 1180 kgs for a MCS.

[swanny]

^^^^^ where did that come from ^^^^^^^^

[sam_a156]

Originally Posted by hwojtek

My papers say 1180 kgs for a MCS.

I have also Polish registration papers, but mine say 1140kg (under G, "masa własna")

[VI Monitor]

Hi There and thanks for the review.
As a company we are always looking at ways to improve our products so i was wondering if you could tell me a little bit more about your testing.
Could you tell me specifically what you did not like about the windscreen mount. As the unit has to be mounted securely we felt that this was the best and most position freindly way to acheive this.
Also i was surprised that you were able to measure boost pressure. Can you possibly show me a screen shot of this being measured.
Please let me know if there is anything else that you would like to know.

Regards

Nathan

[blaze6]

Originally Posted by VI Monitor

Hi There and thanks for the review.
As a company we are always looking at ways to improve our products so i was wondering if you could tell me a little bit more about your testing.
Could you tell me specifically what you did not like about the windscreen mount. As the unit has to be mounted securely we felt that this was the best and most position freindly way to acheive this.
Also i was surprised that you were able to measure boost pressure. Can you possibly show me a screen shot of this being measured.
Please let me know if there is anything else that you would like to know.

Regards

Nathan

hi nathan,
from an aesthetic perspective, i simply don't like the way the windscreen mount looks- a personal opinion, other users may feel differently, from a security perspective, it leaves marks on the windscreen which you have to wipe off, as with any other windscreen mount, - and as this is a red flag for people to break in, especially in the area in which i work, i prefer dash mounting, i find it more discreet. as the vi is supposed to mounted in the central windscreen area (for the g monitor to be accurate), it is in reality more difficult to reach for when mounted on the windscreen, and it's easier to reach for when on the dash centrally and easier to operate whilst driving if you so wish.

i am getting boost readings(MAP is boost right?), whether they're accurate or not i don't know, my car's at 1320 at the moment, so won't be able to take any pics of the unit at the moment. i did download the latest software, was there a flash for boost readings? otherwise, i don't know where the figures are coming from. the mini can come with an oem boost guage as an optional extra, so the data is there to access presumably.

[VI Monitor]

Thanks again for the comments. I understand your concerns for the windscreen mount and i will look into making a non permanent mount for dashboard mounting.
I am not sure exactly what you are measuring with regards MAP. I have not had the opportunity to test the VI on a mini yet so i would be interested to see the screenshot when you can. The only item i have seen related to boost pressure is intake manifold pressure but this will not read a vacuum as OBD2 data does not support negative values and is not calibrated for that.

Thanks

Nathan