N/A Gauges ???

[Subghetto]

Do you guys think gauges are worth it on a N/A car or is it a waste of $$$ I'am just curious. If any gauges which ones would you recommend??

[CitizenPro]

I should be ordering mine next week.....if your modded why not. Ill be getting the Autometer Triple Guage pod, with the Autometer A/F gauge, Tranny temp (cause i have an auto), and the oil pressure or water. Ill be getting the steering wheel gauge pod, and putting my NX gauge in that one :D

[FC3s Boy]

i would get a water temp and wide band O2

[Gen1GT]

Wideband would be great for tuning. You could save a lot of dyno time if you had it, but you're looking at $500 for the kit.

Other than that, Oil Pressure and Temp, and Water Temp would be my first choices.

[Brian MP5T]

Oil Pressure perhaps, unless you are tuning they are all just for show...

[batmang]

i just went cheap and got a dual pod pillar, i got an a/f gauge cause its pretty, but getting a oil pressure as well. we already have a water temp gauge, it may not be accurate, but if the shit starts moving to the H, we know we have a problem.

[Installshield 2]

A/F is just as important on a high compression NA engine as it is in a boosted application...A fuel problem can cause either to grenade...so if you are getting into the NA thing heavily you should definately have one...Oil pressure is important too...

Like BatMang said...you could live without a new water temp gauge...It may be a "dummy" gauge but the stock one will still tell you if you are going to have a catastrophic problem...plus if you have a reader you can moniter the water temp more accurately through the OBD II port...Most standalones will show this with datalogs too...It would still be cool to have a real one though that alters itself to even small changes in water temp...

[tiwing]

we already have a water temp gauge, it may not be accurate, but if the shit starts moving to the H, we know we have a problem.
my theory as well. I had gauges in my old car before this - Oil pressure, voltage, and amperage. I had 2 sets of 100w fogs/driving lights and an amplifier that I've seen draw 25 amps, so I wanted to keep my eye on the state of charge/discharge of the battery while waiting at stoplights or in rush hour. I think our cars adjust the idle to maintain positive charge into the battery though, but not positive.

[Pirana]

Get my voltage and nitrous pressure. Hey they work for N/A, :D

[CitizenPro]

Get my voltage and nitrous pressure. Hey they work for N/A, :D
You still have your nitrous pressure gauge? If so, how much you want for it? I should be installing my NX kit soon, but im missing the pressure gauge and the bottle brackets.

[Pirana]

$90 shipped. Its brand new, never used. It was installed in the car, but never hooked up to nitrous, still have the box.

[Gen1GT]

Nitrous=Not NA

Therefore, Nitrous pressure guage is not an NA guage....

[Pirana]

(hmm) of course you need a nitrous set up.

[mypfizzle]

i have volts (stereo), water temp, and af.. i had the af cus i was going to do some kind of FI .. but who knows now..

[Mr. Win]

pointless

[p5sundevil]

I dont know if I would do gauges for NA, seems like it would help but then I get into...if I get an A/f gauge is it worth getting a regular one or would it be stupid not to save for wideband...once you have wideband you can get more accurate readings but wont you need more hardware to make adjustments based on those readins?

Lastly if anyone NA does get gauges I would not put them on a pillar, I dont know why thats my personal preference on boosted cars it seems alright but on NA, under the radio, in the gauge bezel(like the one leadfoot makes) or in other inconspicuous(<--is that how u spell that) places.

[CrazyCaker]

Lastly if anyone NA does get gauges I would not put them on a pillar, I dont know why thats my personal preference on boosted cars it seems alright but on NA, under the radio, in the gauge bezel(like the one leadfoot makes) or in other inconspicuous(<--is that how u spell that) places.

Something like this?

http://members.rogers.com/jwwiles/Pics/May22-04/installedgauges.JPG
(naughty)

[Gen1GT]

I'm going to put my guages inside my console compartment.

[p5sundevil]

crazy more than likely thats where mine will go, or I may drop the cash and whatnot and get my bezel remade to hold 2 gauges like he has been doing.

There is a boosted p5 on sale right now here in WA and he has the cupholder cover on his car and then in the front cupholders are his boost and A/F gauges angled up toward him. I liked it for the non noticible spot but it blocks your cup holders and makes u look down away from the road too much, which is why I like leadfoots design.

I am shopping for the gauges now, there are several different autometer A/F gauges on ebay for 30-40 bux right now.

[p5sundevil]

edit, couple questions I cam across while browsing autometers site...firts I just noticed they have a shitload of gauges, holy crap.

2nd what does a pyrometer do?

3rd is an intake temp gauge worth while, does it actually take intake charge temps, and where from?

Right now it looks like I like the ultralite series and A/f, oil pressure/temp and water or volt.

[twilightprotege]

pyrometer? no idea - sounds like something a pyrotechnician needs ;) hehehe

intake temp gauge - nope, dont worry about it. it will take intake temps from where ever you put the sender

if i had to pick 3 gauges for NA, i'd go oil pressure (most important), a/f and either egt or oil temp

[p5sundevil]

ok, ive been browsing ebay all afternoon as it seems you can get some creemin deals there on gauges....im not positive which ones retail for what but standard air/fuel gauges like the ultralite and lunar series are going for 30-40+SH, the rest go for 20-35 plus SH.

and yah i couldnt figure out what the pyrometer read either, but they have alot of them so it must be decently popular.

[Installshield 2]

My P5 does not have a sunroof, and because of the lack of map lights between the viosors; I always thought that would be a good place for a pair or set of three gauges...But the roof liner is so flexible, it would be hard to get something mounted securely without going tapping through the roof...If anyone ever removed the roof liner, and knows whats under there...fill me in, I never checked...

That probably wouldn't be the best place to be monitering vitals anyway though...

As far as the pyrometer...I ony have a guess...I saw a few different types of meters remotely named that, but never for cars...Some guys refer to "reaction meters", in a exothermic reaction involving flames, as exactly that...And they display an output in terms of "joules", which is just a unit of energy...Some crazy guys could be attempting to get a read out of internal expansion energy, maybe in Joules, or in pressure...before anything is lost to the wheels...Possibly could be a way of trying to determine your exact engine hp before drivetrain losses (wouldn't be a Bhp number exactly, but an idea of how much energy your engine is creating)...I don't know...just a guess...and I have no clue how you would mount a sensor that could read that...

[Gen1GT]

Pyrometer is a high temp thermometer. In this case, an Exhaust Gas Temperature meter.

[p5sundevil]

thx gen1, i figured it had to do with temps but didnt know where from.

and yah twilight i was thinking of that also but I didnt want to cut my headliner. I know there is wiring and pathways behind there cause like you said thats where the map lights go when you have a moonroof but I dont have one. Plus yah you would be looking up and away from the rd, possibly not a good idea.

[Subghetto]

if i had to pick 3 gauges for NA, i'd go oil pressure (most important), a/f and either egt or oil temp
Which one would be more benefical EGT or Oil temp??? the temp one in the stock gauge cluster is for water temp right?? I always thought that EGT would be better for boosted cars.

[twilightprotege]

both are benefitial, but i guess oil temp would be slightly ahead...depends on if you have an oil cooler or not

[Gen1GT]

Ya, go with oil temp. Maintaining proper oil temp can be beneficial for performance and reliability. It's been recommend to keep it in the 200-220F range.

EGT is the poor man's wideband O2. You can get ballparks by how hot the exhaust is. Hot=lean.

[Protege5Gurly]

I have A/F, Voltage, and Oil Pressure -- plus a nitrous pressure gauge. When I finally get more perf work done ill ditch the AF - get a wideband mounted somewhere, and in its pillar spot put a trans temp gauge.

Pe@ce

[Maxx Mazda]

I have a triple pod, with Autometer Phantom Water Temp (much more accurate, you can actualyl see an increase if you push the car hard.) Oil temp, and Oil pressure.

[p5sundevil]

hey how much are just the bezels for the autometer gauges...like the black and silver ones, cause there are a shitload of really cheap gauges on ebay but they all have dings in the bezels, so if I could get one of those screamin deals(one guy has an oiltemp, oil pressure and water temp all elec gauges in the ultralite series for 26 bux for all three with a day and a half left, but when he took em out he banged em against something and all three have dents in the bezels. so basically Im tryin to figure if this would still be a good deal for all three gauges and then get new bezels...

[Brian MP5T]

A Better description of what a Pyrometer is for is…



Although an A/F Gauge is pretty, it is a rough estimate of A/F because it is fairly accurate. When an engine runs lean, the exhaust temperature shoots up as you get closer to detonation. If under heavy boost or WOT for a N/A car, your car starts to run lean, the pyrometer will seem to spike up, that’s the time to back right off and figure out a plan for adding more fuel.




http://www.msprotege.com/members/Brian%20MP5T/540240_9.jpg

[akhilleus]

Considering u have an auto, definately tranny oil temp would be the most important, then oil temp and if u are so inclined a std af meter, wideband probably isnt worth it.