This photo shows an actual "reading" of the air quality in my office. The sensors cover it all. The GOW is Grains of Water and most feel it is a better way to measure true humidity pertaining the performance engines. This unit also monitors the O2 (oxygen levels) in the air. This is another feature that has a direct affect on how an internal combustion engine performs. As you can see in the lower left corner there is an "ET" reading. If I had entered prior ETs and chosen the option to predict my ET the PerformAire would instantly give you the "Predicted ET" for the current weather conditions.

Below is the technical information I have gotten from the PerformAire Eclipse so far. This is not a scientific explanation so don’t expect it to be. Rather, it is my experience with a new piece of equipment I am still getting used to. I do expect to win more races because of this information and that should be the Customer’s reason in purchasing a piece of equipment like this.

My experience with the PerformAire Eclipse with O2 and wind speed sensors.

1. READ THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL! I know it’s difficult for a racer to take time out from getting the race car ready, the trailer ready, working a couple jobs to pay for this hobby, getting the tow vehicle ready and still sitting down to read how to operate the PerformAire Eclipse. DO IT!!
2. The Instruction Manual is full of tech tips and details to teach you how the weather can work FOR YOU and NOT AGAINST YOU.
3. As you become familiar with some of the features start with “One Run Prediction” on setup menu. Later on, after several trips to the track and input of good data you can use “multiple runs” to predict your ET or throttle stop settings.
4. If you are going to use the “Oxygen Altitude” feature it is IMPORTANT to keep the PerformAire in the same place for at least 15 minutes. Moving it around in this mode will affect accuracy. *My problem with that was when I leave the pit area I did not want to leave the PerformAire sitting on a lawn chair or table (too many people might not be an honest guy like me!). Locally, I do not see this as a major problem but at Divisional events and National events you are away from the trailer for longer periods of time. I finally decided to lock up the PerformAire and get it out and let it sit in the shade for 15 minutes after I got back from the run to get the weather readings.
5. The set up of the PerformAire Eclipse will determine how it functions for you. I will go into how I set mine up next month. I do not want this tech story to be about “how it should work”, I want it to be about “how it worked” with our race cars.
6. I can tell you that the battery in the PerformAire is a killer unit. I used my PerformAire for three days at Gainesville and it never needed to be recharged. It has a “battery check” function so you can monitor the battery condition. That is a major improvement over the old weather station I had years ago that would just quit with no warning when the battery got low.

From the few runs I have entered into my PerformAire I can tell you this: I will have a better combination very soon. The accuracy of the weather information, sensitivity and the “wind” feature will provide valuable tools for our race team.

I wish I had more details to share with you but the weather and racing has not cooperated in getting more information out on this piece of equipment.

Check out the website for the PerformAire Eclipse and their other products. We’ll have at-the-track details in next month’s “Tracking the Weather” tech article.