Programmable automotive computer system

An electronic portable device for enabling a user to control, monitor, and evaluate performance of a vehicle, the vehicle having an onboard diagnostic system for monitoring a set of operational characteristics of the vehicle and for enabling control of the vehicle's engine computer and having a diagnostic port for enabling access to the engine computer and the onboard diagnostic system and selected data accessible therefrom, said device comprising:

• an input/output port for coupling said device to said diagnostic port for accessing the onboard diagnostic system and the engine computer;
• a microcontroller operative for providing a plurality of modes and operations of said device;
• wherein said modes include:
• a performance tuning mode for enabling the user to reprogram engine tuning calibration settings stored in a programmable memory of the engine computer of the vehicle via said diagnostic port;
• a dynamometer mode for providing calculations and the display of horsepower and torque characteristics for the vehicle based on vehicle speed data read from said diagnostic port;
• and
• a drag strip mode for enabling the calculation and selective display of times associated with driving the vehicle based on vehicle speed data read from said diagnostic port;
• a memory for providing storage in said device of data associated with said modes and operations of said device;
• a touch screen display for enabling user selection of said plurality of modes and said operations of said device;
• and
• a start time detector for detecting the start time of vehicle travel independent of the onboard diagnostic system to enable correction of errors in data generated by the onboard diagnostic system.