Accessory Gauges (Turbo, Oil Temp, Etc)

[jonny-rockets]

I've seen a few shots from those of you who have them. I am definitely interested in getting a turbo gauge, and perhaps an oil temp and battery charge gauge as well in one of those middle shrouds.

I've seen a huge price variation in these gauges, what makes one like this so inexpensive?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/02-07-SUBARU-WRX-CLOCK-REPLACEMENT-GAUGE-DASH-POD_W0QQitemZ350041977973QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item3 50041977973

Post pics of yours if you want, I remember seeing one that displayed OBDII info - that was incredible, and a sweet mod.

[Robk0000]

Ive got a gauge pod for your car, it needs a little work, scratch here and there, just fill it with bondo then repaint whatever color you want. Give it to you for $10 thats 50% off what i offered terrry.

You could get the one i have, its a all in one, i bought it for $250 it came with afr/egt/vac and boost!

but if you buy it now your around 400-450 and its all on one gauge.
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n76/robsimprza00/IMG_1174.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n76/robsimprza00/IMG_1173.jpg

[jonny-rockets]

those gauges looks sick.

you have a pod for the triple gauges that will fit 06? I am definitely interested. those PLX gauges are sweet by the way.

egt = exhaust gas
afr = air fuel ratio?

man i might even like those more than the analog gauges.

i don't have any bondo / don't really have a workspace in my current apt. tell ya what i'll throw ya $30 if you bondo and paint it too?

[jonny-rockets]

as for the color, i just want it to blend in with the stock look of the wrx.

[Robk0000]

I have stock color vynil i can try and wrap it with? Ill pull the gauge pod out now and verify that it will fit. This is what it looks lie.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/IMPREZA-00-05-GDB-WRX-STI-60MM-TRIPLE-METER-GAUGE-POD_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ46100QQihZ020QQitem Z300212278548QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

[Robk0000]

also im going to seek out a 52mm analog clock for my last hole in the gauge pod, incase you were wondering.

[jonny-rockets]

hey do you mean like a normal clock? that's a cool idea if so

[Robk0000]

http://www.caigauge.com/teleclockSmiths.gif
But in black.

[jonny-rockets]

hmm so i am thinking i want to go with the autometer triple dash pod.

http://www.oakos.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/AUT20018.jpg

what do you guys think are the most important variables to monitor?

i know 1 will be boost, and i really like the idea of an analog clock for another, but that might be a waste.

i was thinking boost, electrical, and oil pressure?

or maybe boost, afr, electrical?

is it dumb to have an electrical gauge?

throw some thoughts out, lets hear some opinions. i'd like to keep them as uniform as possible, i am thinking prosport amber-red gauges.

http://i17.ebayimg.com/02/i/000/7d/bb/132c_1.JPG

rob - your gauges dominate, but i don't think i have the $$ for an OBDII gauge.. but maybe.

[kgj996]

I have boost and oil pressure. afr is useless unless it's wide band, and even then, if you are logging with enginuity you won't need a gauge.
Oil temp is good too, but I think that boost and oil pres. are the most important imo.:D

[Murphy2012]

^^ Agreed. Unless it's a seriously built motor.

[Bombay994]

Ive got an ATI gauge pod with maddad clarity v2 gauges. they do the full sweep when turned on, I love em, not the most expensive but still great quality. got boost/vacuum egt and oil press. the font, needles and colors match the stock cluster, that was the reason i ended up with them.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj153/Bombay994/100000/IMG_2635.jpg

brad

[wagonmafia]

dont need elecrical. get a good turbo timer, it will have a voltage meter.

[jonny-rockets]

nice alright so its lookin like boost, oil pressure, and possibly analog clock.

maybe i'll work something fancy up in there to display the passenger airbag warning system too. we shall see.

thanks for the input guys!

[jonny-rockets]

any positive/negatives for glowshift gauges?

i'll start: http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/43000302/Images/1/b7boost.jpg

lame logo in middle, but backlit red i like

[jonny-rockets]

what is the difference between an electrical/mechanical boost gauge?

sounds like one takes ECU readings, and other takes physical pressure reading?

[Murphy2012]

If you want red backlite, you can get them from almost anywhere. Gloshift does have reviews on nasticock. Personally, for the money/performance you get out of prosport, I would get those.

[jonny-rockets]

found a good explanation:

Imho, there's no definitive answer to this.

A mechanical boost gauge requires the pressurized air to be sent through the firewall to the cabin. If the tubing is rigid enough, does not present a noticeable restriction (think of the extreme where you use a 1mm diameter tubing, or tubing with a very rough inner wall, for example), and at the same time not being too large (say, 2 inch diameter, which is absurd of course); then it is all up to the accuracy and precision of the pressure diaphragm and dial mechanism on the gauge. For that, the quality/make of the gauge itself is probably the only factor.

An electrical boost gauge uses a locally mounted pressure transducer (in the sender unit), which may be the diaphragm-based system. While I don't know about pressure transducer used in electrical boost gauge, I know that there are various kinds of pressure transducers used in the industry. Each have their own advantage/disadvantage, but any one of them should probably be sufficient for the kind of pressure levels and rate of change that we may be interested in. Aside from whether or not the pressure transducer is calibrated properly, there is also an issue of the electrical wiring. If the wiring is done using the proper gauge wire, and proper grounding, then the reading should be accurate/precise as well.

I'm sure an electrical boost gauge with a poorly calibrated pressure transducer or poor grounding can perform worse than a so-so (and usually less expensive) mechanical boost gauge. The opposite can be true too.

Imho, mechanical boost gauges' main advantage is the price, while the electrical boost gauges' advantages are probably ease of installation (no thick tubing through the firewall, no thick tubing tethered on the gauge), and the possibility of adding a memory unit (to store peak boost etc and display later).

Quote:
It seems to me that a Mechanical would be most accurate as it is reading actual pressure, ..

While I personally chose mechanical gauge, I'm not sure I agree with the opinion that mechanical gauges are more accurate because "they read actual pressure". None of them do, in a way. Mechanical boost gauge converts air pressure into diaphragm deflection, then through the dial mechanism, turns it into the dial needle angle. Electrical boost gauge converts air pressure into diaphragm deflection (of the sensor), and then converted by the transducer into electrical signal. The electrical signal is converted into needle angle on the gauge.

[kgj996]

I had a glow gauge boost gauge and it was very inaccurate, like 5 psi off. If you want them just for looks, then it doesn't matter much. If you want them for tuning or just want an accurate gauge, stick with proven brands like autometer or PLX imo

[jonny-rockets]

ya i am leaning towards prosport more than any other brand right now

[NHVF22WRX]

I have autometer gauges (egt,afr,boost). They work very well, they're cheap, easy to set up, and they're all business (no fancy startup crap). The boost and egt are important and an oil pressure wouldn't hurt. my afr is narrow band so its really just for looks (but everyone that gets in and sees it thinks its a friggen race car hahaha), but a wide band (if u wanna pay the $) is great if your gonna be doing tuning in the future

[NHVF22WRX]

and if people bash autometer, go to the drags sometime and check out what most people are running. you'll see autometer gauges everywhere.

[Robk0000]

I like a gauge that looks nice and works. I got the plx's cause they are ****ing sick. Simply put.

[Nick S.]

Egt and A/F ratio are just estamates, but a Wideband O2 sensor is balls on accurate.

This is what I propose:

-If all you care about is looks and having gauges (which I don't think you do.) Then buy the Egt, A/F ratio, and a clock because they are all equally useless.

-If you are trying to make this choice based on performance and money (which I really hope you do) . Buy an autometer or stewart warner mechanical boost gauge because they are both accurate. Then buy a wide band O2 with no gauge and datalog it on Enginuity.

By the way if you buy an electrical boost gauge you need to buy a pressure sending unit to send the electrical signal to the gauge. Not too sure if you guys have MAP sensors you could tap into for the signal.

[jonny-rockets]

i like the autometer gauges definitley, however i want to mod my cluster gauges to red eventually, and i want the gauges to match (going for as stock a look as possible).

all the autometer gauages i have seen have black label on white background.

i def want a boost gauge that also has vac on it, and #2 is definitely looking like oil pressure. #3 is what's up in the air still for me.

what are the most important reasons for monitoring your egt? to know when your engine is properly warmed?

[Robk0000]

The PLX that i have uses an o2 Wideband sensor. Its accurate. Along with the plx came a tubed in mechanical reading sensor for boost. It only converts the mechanical aspect to electronic to put it on a gauge i i like. I personally hate the gauges going back and forth. Which is why the LCD technology is blowing away the analog gauges. (this is only a persoal opinion) I like the number its reading to be spit out, so i can read it in the corner of my eye. Instead of looking at the gauge. Also, these gauges log everything. They have a built in 32 mb storage that logs the last recoded event for 15 mins or somthing along that line. I dont need a computer in the car to record, when i wanna look at something i will just hook up a usb to my laptop and its there.

I only got egt, cause it was free. Just an extra sensor.

[Robk0000]

You dont put gauges in your car to watch anyways, you use them to study how and what your car was doing. So watching the gauges while you are racing, not that good of an idea. Maybe in a straight line racing its different?

[Nick S.]

what are the most important reasons for monitoring your egt? to know when your engine is properly warmed?

It is suppost to give you an idea of how rich or lean you are running at WOT but it is a lot less accurate than Wideband O2.

Some people tune A/F ratio this way the hotter the EGT the leaner the A/F ratio.

It would be wise to invest in a wideband. Why are you so set on having 3 gauges why not just 2 if that is all you think you need?

(Oil pressure is a wise saftey device but most vehicles already have a stock gauge which works good enough to tell if you have pressure or not.)

Here is my thing. I have 2 gauges Wideband and boost. I never look at either of them. All I ever do is look at the logs in DSMlink (because I'm logging both of them anyway).

Plus trying to read BAR and LAMBDA and do math while I'm driving is retarded.

[kgj996]

Plus trying to read BAR and LAMBDA and do math while I'm driving is retarded.
And by "driving" you mean launching and trying to control 4 wheel spin and keeping the car out of the wall.

[jonny-rockets]

oh i just want three gauges, because the dash pod i like has 3 slots. i am going for a clean look, and don't want to have one empty.

if I can find an analog clock to fill the third and match, that would be ideal, since the pod takes out the clock.

i am trying to figure something out for the passenger airbag light notification too.

i think that the default oil pressure light is kinda dumbed down though... either its its off and your pressure is good or its on and your pressure is bad. i thought it might be nice to have a bit more info that that.

[Nick S.]

Robk0000 (http://seacoastsubarus.com/forums/member.php?u=141) I completely agree with everything you just said. I was unaware that the PLX gauge you had was a wideband A/F ratio gauge. I thought for some reason it was an Est. A/F ratio based on airflow.

PLX is deffinately accurate (That is what I have for a wideband and gauge too).

Like you said you use the gauges to study what the car does after. I believe jonny-rockets has enginuity so he can use all of the info he datalogs too do that strait from sensors and he doesn't NEED the gauges.

The PLX set up that you have going seems like it would be an exellent choice for somebody without enginuity to datalog boost, and wideband. And if EGT is free than what the hell right.

[jonny-rockets]

i have enginuity but i need a new OBDII cable... damn vw one isn't compatible.

errrr

[NHVF22WRX]

autometer ftw!

[kgj996]

i have enginuity but i need a new OBDII cable... damn vw one isn't compatible.

errrr
Go to tunertools.com and get the tactrix+LC-1 WB combo! Awesome deal for a wide band. I bought this a few weeks ago and love it, minus getting a bad sensor.

[Nick S.]

Or if you want to know what to do you could just listen to everything Kevin suggests :). He just went through the whole enginuity thing and he did it the right way too.


I don't even no why I post sometimes :(

[Kevin]

I really like the plx setup rob has. I think that will be the next gauge I buy for sure.

[kgj996]

Or if you want to know what to do you could just listen to everything Kevin suggests :). He just went through the whole enginuity thing and he did it the right way too.


I don't even no why I post sometimes :(

Because you like to hear yourself talk/type? :lol:

[bradkx]

I'm getting the prosport boost guage also. eb50 has it on his whip and it matches nicely.

Can't beat $81 either, especially with the guage sweep!
http://prosportgauges.com/amber-white-premium-electric-boost-gauge.aspx


ya i am leaning towards prosport more than any other brand right now

[Robk0000]

my dad took a ride with me today to pick up his car, he was really fascinated by the obd gauge how it tells me timing, knock, temps, and almost everything else. he thought i had spent hours locating wires and tapping them to get a reading, and i was like, it runs through obd...

[jonny-rockets]

autometer triple dash clock replacement gauge is on the way, along with a prosport electrical boost gauge!

[jonny-rockets]

alright cancel the clock replacement gauge. i made a boo boo.

autometer pod takes 52mm gauges, and it looks like i purchased a 60mm boost gauge.

woops, gonna have to work out something different here

[jonny-rockets]

ok so long story short my prosport 60mm electrical gauge has arrived, i plan on installing soon.

does anyone know of where a constantly on 12v power cable is that I can tap into that is in the cabin?

i read on scoobymods that there is one for the keyless entry module, but i can't figure out where the picture is in relation to my car.

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1371&d=1057897436

[kgj996]

ok so long story short my prosport 60mm electrical gauge has arrived, i plan on installing soon.

does anyone know of where a constantly on 12v power cable is that I can tap into that is in the cabin?

i read on scoobymods that there is one for the keyless entry module, but i can't figure out where the picture is in relation to my car.

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1371&d=1057897436
The cig lighter is good because it turns on with the car, but is is kind of a pain to get to the wire. The stereo power is good too. It is easier to get to, just take the trim off and a few screws.

[Robk0000]

Use the accessory on the radio and hook it up to a relay. This solves all your problems. No excess current draw from any of the built in electronics.

[jonny-rockets]

the thing that is a pain in the ass, is the fancy gauge (the one i got) holds your settings if you give it a constantly hot wire.

i have already tapped my accessory gauges for some behind the dash wiring of my radar detector and gps, but i don't want to use that because it will reset the prosport settings each time the car is turned on.

is the radio accessory always on?

i was going for the key module bc that's what is suggested for a perfect install, so the prosport remembers everything and doesn't do this loud annoying beep everytime you turn your car on.

If you bought and are installing the Prosport Premium Boost Gauge that has a peak hold/ warning and mute function you will want to wire the red power wire to a constant on power source (make sure its 12v and NOT dimmable, that will throw off the readings). A good source for this is the keyless entry as Peaty has done here (http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?p=28325#post28325) for the power source for the light. This will allow the gauge to "remember" your settings.

[Robk0000]

radio accessory turns on when the car turns on.

Does your gauge have two power leads, If so one for memory which goes to + on batt (constant) and the other for sw3itched power.
If you want it to have power all the time, the easiest thing to do, would be straight to the battery. If all it does is remember Peak, you really dont need that in mem, do you?

[jonny-rockets]

i think it remembers a couple more things than peak... but I don't think I am going to end up using this guy. I like the subiegal corner setup but my corner is already mobbed by gps and radar units. i would much rather have a 52mm unit, more options.

I am putting my 60mm boost up for sale, I would rather get a dash replacement dual pod, and fill it with 2 52mm gauges.

see my ad in the for sale section!

[jonny-rockets]

ah!

i am torn between this pod:

http://www.oakos.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/AUT20015.jpg

and this pod:

http://www.oakos.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/AUT20018.jpg

help me decide!

[jonny-rockets]

went with the first one.. like the idea of staying as OEM as possible.

picked up a brand new oil pressure and electrical boost gauge off ebay for about $80 shipped (prosport amber/white).

will have to mod my cluster red next to match!

[jonny-rockets]

so i have my gauges installed & powered, but the sending gauges are not hooked up yet.

should i not let them run if the sender gauges are not hooked up? the wires are currently taped off, and both gauges only have power.

[method]

I don't think it will hurt them. PICS!

[jonny-rockets]

i'll post some pics as soon as I fix the rest of my interior. it should be within the next couple of days!

[Robk0000]

Anyone know where i can find a dual 52mm gauge pod on a steering column for a 2500 HD LBZ?

or am i going diy