For the most part, internet forums are a complete waste of time and the single-largest outlet for misinformation. If you really want to make your car perform better, why are you turning to a bunch of people that have three hours a day to waste on forums? After all, if they really knew that much about cars wouldn't they be working at a shop or manufacturing their own parts. There really wouldn't be a reason for someone who has the answers to waste their time telling you how to make your car better. Of course, there are exceptions to any rule and recently an internet forum (for the FC Datalogit software) recently put us in contact with Gizzmo Electronics of New Zealand. We asked a simple question and we followed up on a simple answer that led us to one of our favorite products that we have yet to discover.

The Question & The Answer

One area of concern with our RH9 GT-R has been a launch solution. As you may recall, the swap from the L-Jetro Pro-chip version of the Power FC engine-management system to the D-Jetro Power FC version eliminated our two-step rev limiter. Once we installed the built-shortblock RB26 engine with a 10,000rpm redline, we were now launching at 10,000 since we no longer had a two-step rev limiter. This was too high for optimum 60-foot times, especially when track conditions were less than ideal. We asked if anyone had a solution for incorporating a two-step rev limiter on an RB26DETT engine. We received a couple different answers. One of the answers that we received caught our interest. One owner had installed a Gizzmo Electronics Tach Recall Shiftlight with a Launch Interface. After a request for more information from this owner, we tracked down the website for Gizzmo Electronics of New Zealand. As it would turn out, Gizzmo Electronics knew about DSport and was actually planning to begin a launch of its product line in the U.S. market. Apparently, DSport was once again in the right place at the right time.

Gizzmo Tach Recall Shiftlight

In drag racing, shift lights allow the driver to focus on the road ahead instead of the instrument cluster. In general, a shift light will help to improve the driver's ability to shift at the precise moment for maximum performance. The Gizzmo Tach Recall Shiftlight (TRS) has some standard and some unique features that put it in a class by itself. Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps can be found in a variety of the latest generation of shift lamps. In this area, the Gizzmo unit uses a single amber LED for the first stage of the shift warning while a half-dozen blue LEDs illuminate when the second warning stage is activated. Other manufacturers make similar high-quality units with these features. However, the true genius of the Gizzmo Electronics unit is found in its Tach Recall function.

The Gizzmo Tach Recall Shiftlight actually interfaces with your vehicle's factory tachometer. As a result, the TRS allows any tachometer to have a peak rpm reading to be saved to memory and recalled at any time. In addition, the factory tach is also manipulated by the Gizzmo shift lamp to set the first and second shift warnings. If the Launch Interface unit is also installed, the Gizzmo shift lamp will also use the OEM tach to set the two-step rpm level. The two buttons on the TRS are all that is used to set the first-stage shiftlight activation, the second-stage shiftlight operation and the two-step launch interface activation rpm.

Installation & Operation Overview

The installation of the Gizzmo Tach Recall Shiftlight is extremely simple and straightforward. Essentially just four wires need to be hooked up for operation (a fifth wire is required when the Launch Interface unit is used). Connections are made to power and ground while the rpm signal wire from the ECU is spliced into with an "rpm-in" and "rpm-out" wire. We spent less than 10 minutes installing the unit on our GT-R. As for the shiftlamp itself, its small size allows mounting of the brackets with double-stick tape.

Operating the TRS is quite simple. Once the vehicle is started, the initial setup can take place. You simply press and hold both buttons to put the TRS in setup mode. Once this is done, the first-stage lamp will illuminate. By using the two buttons on the shiftlight, you simply set your factory tachometer needle to the desired rpm for the first-stage to illuminate. This process is repeated to set the second-stage shiftlight. If a Launch Interface is installed, the procedure is repeated a third time to set the launch rpm for the two-step, ignition-based rev limiter.

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