need some advice. for all u guyz out there with gauges, what do u have????? and y??? I need 3 gauges.
thx~

 

-- WB AFR Guage
-- Boost Guage
-- 200mph + Spedometer

my 2 cents

 

between EGT and Wideband, what's more important??

 

I have always been told, right or wrong, that the WB is a more accurate way of determining detonation risk.

So IMO, WB.

 

WBO2
Boost
Fuel Pressure (If you have a system that varies pressure)

 

It really depends on a lot on how you are running the car.

IF street use primarily, then I think AF and Boost are the top two, and then you really have several to pick from depending on your personal pref.

EGT and Fuel Pressure are important, but you ought to know in a downright hurry if you have a problem there anyway! If you are going to put in a knock sensor and safety device, then the third meter should be for that.

I have the Boost/AF/Knock in the center. Then on the right the order from left to right is EGT/Fuel Pressure/Oil Pressure/Water temp. Because I track the car I want the others to be able to monitor fluctuations at particular spots on the track and at start/finish etc. where the stock gauges are not sufficiently informative for that purpose.

If no knock sensor, then I would go with Fuel Pressure as the third choice too.

 

Yeah, I was assuming he didn't have the J&S for knock sensing. Only gauges I have are Boost, Air intake temp, Knock and Wideband A/F.

 

ok. on EGT gauge, how hot is too hot????? Also on oil pressure, what should I look out for ?? I'm newbie on FI so help me out on these gauge issues.

 

EGT is totally comparative, meaning your car to itself. It will differ on between cars depending on distance from the heads, ignition timing, valve timing, exhaust manifold composition (cast iron manifold/stainless steel headers), and the sensor itself. You've got to install it, figure out what is normal for your car, so you can figure out what is too high. Sorry, can't really help more.

 

This is an excellent question, and Jesse's answer is, once again, a correct one. And for your fuel and oil pressure, water temp etc. aftermarket meters it is the same. "It Depends".

But others can chime in here and help too.

The results vary for each type of car, and from car to car within type, and reflect mods etc. What matters is how the car reads under varying circumstances and demands you put on it.

Note also, that these aftermarket meters are going to give you a level of real time response that should be much more accurate than your typical gauge panels on your stock equipment car, other than your tachometer and I suppose the speedometer.

The meters serve a couple of purposes. One of them is early warning of a problem before it becomes a problem, allowing the driver to make adjustments, or in extreme cases, shut down before damage or worse damage is dealt to the engine.

Let us look at your EGT. At idle, it will be fairly low, under acceleration it will climb and at cruise, depending on the speed and rpms, it will steady out at a certain level. You will take note of these factors over time and learn what to expect. On the track you will do the same thing. If you subsequently note that you are running temps that are higher than what you are used to, this will indicate the possibility of a problem. If you get sudden and sharp spike that can mean the onset of early detonation and you really need to back off immediately, as pre-ignition generates astronomical heat and quickly.

You already know how your oil pressure behaves in a similar fashion, and that after you have been cruising down the highway and then pull off, that at the first stoplight the pressure crashes and your warning light may even go on. But it will steady at different levels depending on the load you are putting on the motor. You just need to take a mental note of where it settles on different conditions of driving.

Fuel pressure.......well if that goes bad it is going to tell you in lots of rather dramatic ways, but a slow loss of pressure that depicts a problem will be something that you may pick up on with a good meter.

Temp of your cooling system doesn't really require explanation, the after market meters are just more precise than the funky little one that they put in most cars, ours included.

So, basically there is not a preset "good" or "bad" reading you can just look to stay at, below or above for various cars. You just have to live with the little suckers awhile and get happy with each other. And you have to keep your eyes on the road and not get obsessed with them either. Just a quick glance once in awhile when the conditons permit it, and justify taking a mental picture. After awhile you will have the feel for it, and what they ought to be before you even look.

Cheers.

 

Boost, EGT, WB02

 

I gotta say guys, the info that gets passed in posts in this section pales in comparison to the NA forum.....lots of good posts here, all with valid points, explained in leyman's terms....

not to sound condesending, but good work! The NA guys should visit this forum far more often

Adam

 

Boost, EGT, Wideband. I would never install a turbo system without an egt gauge. In my eclipse it's the most valueble gauge I have.

 

You make an excellent point here that was not highlighted earlier, and that is that the choice of gauges can be influenced by whether one goes the route of turbo, or the route of super charging.
Turbos can be real heat monsters, and thus one should seriously consider an upgraded temp gauge as well as a bigger oil pan just to have more protection through more fluid through which to dissipate the heat. If you run an intercooled FI, there is nobody that I know that runs an oil cooler, because in the fight for up front breathing space there is precious little air flow left, and with all the plumbing precious little room too. That leaves only a bigger pan or pan spacer to allow an extra quart of oil. Maybe a bigger radiator will fit so that you can get some more coolant working for you too. If you are just a street runner you probably won't need it, but if you are going to track it from time to time, you should look into it. The spacer from JWT is only about a hundred bucks plus installation of perhaps $70. That is pretty cheap for some additional protection. Of course the radiator is a bit more, maybe $600 -800 for the parts depending on what you spec.

 

Boost, Wideband, EGT, Fuel Pressure.

Arguably, EGT is not absolutely necessary if you have wideband, unless you regularly track your car and go WOT for extended periods of time. In the same breath, I dont feel that EGT is a substitute for Wideband O2...some may disagree...but tuning by EGT is risky at best....did you know that EGT's actually reduce momentarily as detonation occurs??

Fuel Pressure is the wild card. It's not manditory for normal boost levels, but once you start increasing boost, it's critical to know fuel pressure, becuase it is the foundation for all of your tuning. Without it, you could think you are "adding fuel", but not really...becuase there is insufficient fuel pressure!

Once again...I guess....it depends. I hate that answer...haha

If I ONLY could have two guages...I want boost and Wideband A/F