Suunto Race 2 General Discussion

sky-runner

@jjpaz Distance accuracy is important enough topic to have its own dedicated forum post.

I don’t have V2 or R2, but when I initially tested RS against Garmin Fenix 7X with dual-band GNSS, which is very accurate, I noticed that RS distance was perhaps 1-2% longer than F7X distance - that is on twisty wooded mountain trails. Also I definitely noticed that RS tracks were less accurate with a bit more deviation from the map. For example when I did multiple loops, F7X tracks usually were more aligned on top of each other, but RS track show more deviation between multiple loops. The same applies to R1. When I compare both R1 and RS distances to distances recorded by others using recent Garmin devices, Suunto distances are consistently longer by the same 1-2%.

But to be fair, it is hard to tell, which ones are more accurate as it can be very tricky on mountain trails. It is quite possible that Suunto distances recorded by the previous generation of devices are more accurate.

The only objective result that I have is one local trail race route that is supposedly certified and measured by wheel to be 5.2 miles. Suunto R1 and RS both measure 5 miles, but other brands typically measure 4.75-4.9. So in this case Suunto seems more accurate.

wakarimasen

Just a daft question, as I’ve been going through the Forerunner 955 manual recently. Is the 3D distance active on the Garmin? This used to be an option on the Ambit 3 Peak, but I ‘think’ is built-in to the Race & Vertical models (@mods - please correct me). It’s not enabled by default in my Garmin, and could explain differences in distance measurement.

jjpaz

@sky-runner I oppened a new thread with my tests: GPS and distance accuracy vs previous Suunto models

Thanks!

jjpaz

@Liviu-Nastasa That aligns with what I’m seeing.
Looking at reviews of the watch when it was released, some criticized it precisely for not being as accurate in GPS tracking as previous models and for overestimating the actual distance. Perhaps the algorithm was corrected in the November update, and now it reports a shorter distance than the actual distance… I’ve had the watch for a week now, with the November software (and since today with the new update). I’ll test it again against the SV tomorrow.

An example from yesterday activity:

Suunto Vertical, distance showed in the watch: 12.48km. Distance showed in GPX file: 12.49km.

Selección_5035.png

Suunto Race 2, distance showed in the watch: 12.33km. Distance showed in GPX file: 12.49km.

Selección_5036.png

So Race 2 is “cutting” distance respect data showed in GPS data file. May be this behavior was introduced with november update.

Furthermore, you can see that the Vertical track seems cleaner in the various curves and loops. I went through the same route several times; it’s a park I do six or seven times, looping around it.