Which/What gauges should I get? [Merged 12-6]

[EcLiPsEgSt97]

I have a 3 gauge pillar and I dont know what gauges i need to get.. I know i need to get the BOOST gauge but i dont know what other 2 i should...can some one help me????????????

 

[99gst_racer]

Wideband cannot tune with race gas or it destroys the wideband.

Not 100% true. My car hasn't seen pump gas in over 18 months. I've ran over 120 gallons of leaded 110 past my Bosch wideband sensor, and it's still working.

A couple FF's:

* You can tune cars with race gas with a wideband
* Leaded fuel (not "race gas") shortens the sensor's lifespan.
* There is no "destruction of the wideband".

 

[daren_p]

Dude, this thread is 3 years old; you don't need to quote everybody individually just to say the same thing....

& to top it all off, his response isn't accurate .


Yes a WB is excellent to have, we all know why but an air/fuel gauge that these posts are refering too, is NOT a WB gauge. This is a blinky light gauge that connects to your factory O2 sensor & should not be used as a tuning tool, so just like all the others posted an air/fuel gauge IS useless as far as tuning goes.

I know this thread is super old but personally I'd choose boost & oil pressure if I had to only choose two, but I do like too run more then two

 

[gsxeclipse97]

Yeah i have a boost an oil pressure. I also have the a/f gauge and it is completely useless. the only thing that i have noticed with it is that it reads different a/f mixtures with different heads and intake manifolds on the car. I will be getting a wide band as well as a egt gauge shortly.

 

[EvolvingGST]

Not 100% true. My car hasn't seen pump gas in over 18 months. I've ran over 120 gallons of leaded 110 past my Bosch wideband sensor, and it's still working.

A couple FF's:

* You can tune cars with race gas with a wideband
* Leaded fuel (not "race gas") shortens the sensor's lifespan.
* There is no "destruction of the wideband".

Hahah lets not nit pick on words will we. Yes it is supposed to SEVERELY shorten the life. I have heard from several sources that race gas does it too but I/they could be wrong, if I am thank you for correcting me. I will keep that under consideration because I am considering a wideband ontop of my EGT right now.

Either way, an EGT is a valuable tool to have, and as nice as it may be to have a wideband, if I was to choose one I would choose an EGT. I pick safety over tuning better. Ofcourse many people would disagree with me but hey each to their own.

My post was to correct that other poster who said you can't tune with an EGT and how they are garbage. Like I even said in my post, "its not the best thing to do" but it is an effective means of tuning and somewhat safer than a wideband.

 

[jawar666]

I think gauges should be for monitoring reasons only... not for tunning...

So I would go for Boost, EGT, Oil Press... In that order

 

[oldman]

I'd choose boost & oil pressure if I had to only choose two

Stop copying what I was going to type, come up with your own shit.

 

[Calan]

This is a blinky light gauge that connects to your factory O2 sensor & should not be used as a tuning tool

But I like blinky lights! (especially if they sporadically change from red to yellow to green).

Instead of removing the A/F blinky gauge that came as a "mod" with my car... I hooked up an adjustable 555 oscillator circuit to it. If I set the pulse duration to cycle it at about 70-100 hz, I get a constant orange glow and gain an instant 10-15hp.

 

[red91gst]

Let me explain it to you this way. Even widebands have their issues and not all widebands read the same. It has been proven by many people who own dynos. So as for widebands being more important than an EGT with that one fact it proves you wrong. Wideband cannot tune with race gas or it destroys the wideband.

Ok now as for everything of why an EGT is better. Because it can tell you about the engine before it melts. You can have good AF and still melt parts in your engine. That is a true fact. An EGT will help you from simply blowing up anything. If you are very good you can tune with a EGT not recommended but you can most defintely. You read the car for knock and then you monitor your EGTs. THAT IS HOW YOU TUNE with an EGT. Simply put when you tune with an EGT, when you make the car leaner it will raise the temp and drop if you richen it. BUT the EGT will still read high if it is running too rich, that is why you need to log the car. It is also said that with a perfect tune an EGT will start dropping until it starts rising again to cause engine problems.

Going on from there an EGT if you have dynoed the car even once as long as you remember what the EGT at max efficiency you can tune your car back to that point. That includes race gas. WHICH makes it more versatile too.

Thank you and play again.
Jason

BTW: you could have just asked a tuning shop or googled it, there are tons of people who try to answer this topic

EGT's are pointless unless you have one sensor in each exhaust runner. PLEASE explain to me how exhaust gas temp is directly related to combustion chamber temp. Have you ever tuned a car before and actually monitored what exhaust gas temps do when you change ignition timing?

After 5 years on the dyno I have not once used solely an EGT gauge and logger to tune a car, that's somthing we did 6 years ago with a VPC/AFC and stock ecu . The car ran 9.3's and ate headgaskets for breakfast.

If your going to make such a bold statement like that please back it up with experience, not "it is said that....".

 

[red91gst]

And to answer the thread question, Boost and Wideband AFR are the only gauges you need .

 

[spooled_u_1st]

Definitely a boost and wideband.

 

[VTEC_THIS]

Boost and A/F

 

[nightspeed87]

Definitely a boost and wideband.

same opinion here...

 

[motomattxxx]

And to answer the thread question, Boost and Wideband AFR are the only gauges you need .

Finally someone who knows what they are talking about. You are correct! you get a cookie.

 

[1g_tsi_awd]

Speedo and tach?...

 

[TSIMonsteR]

^^^ I agree with him

 

[andyo1980]

I bought the Autometer Instrument Cluster gauge bezel that holds two gauges. I bought a boost gauge and was trying to figure out which gauge to fill the other pod with. I plan on getting dsm link in the future and a wideband o2 to tune with. So with that in mind, what would be the best gauge for me to get. Should I go with the wideband o2 aif/fuel gauge, egt or something else. Please help me decide.

 

[lenny 15]

Get the EGT gauge next. It is the ussualy the second gauge people get when modding, first would be the boost gauge.

 

[Mr Peepers]

You usually don't need an EGT gauge if you have a wideband o2. EGT is more or less for reading the after effects of your air/fuel mixture.

But please, don't put a narrowband lightshow up there...

 

[Imback]

Wideband o2

 

[synthetek]

+1 for wideband o2, but if you get the zeitronix wideband o2 you can add an egt probe and a boost sensor and you will have a boost gauge, egt, and wideband all on one display and it can do logging.

 

[Loco4Life]

Oil pressure gauge.

 

[90laserRSfwd]

I'd say it's a tough choice between the oil pressure or the wideband. If you plan on getting the wideband later on in the future, spend the $50 now and get an oil pressure gauge. As we all know the factory oil pressure gauge is worth about as much as that boost gauge they have in there

 

[spinz4]

Go with an oil pressure gauge and make a highly visible spot for your wideband. EGT's are a waste of money.

 

[Loco4Life]

I wouldnt say waste of money. They serve a definite purpose and can be highly useful monitoring tools, especially if you're pushing your motor's limits.

 

[218dsm]

Boost, oil pressure and then a wideband o2.