How many gauges do you have and why?

[Jim Nilsen]

I am about ready to order the rest of the gauges for my car and thought it would be a reasonable question for us all as to how many gauges you have and why and also if there were gauges you wish you would have had and then you would have known about a problem before it stranded or disabled you?

Gauges like rear end temp seem to be a good example as a saftey warning before it locks up or breaks , things like that.

So let it be known why you use what you do and maybe why you don't use them ?

[Damn True]

Interesting topic and one I've thought a fair bit about. I'll be interested to see what people have done, or wish they'd done.

I'm planning on having:
Tach
Speedo
Oil-P
Oil-T
Water-T
Trans-T
Amperes
Fuel-P
Fuel-L

Not sure how to package it, let alone any additional gauges.

[Tony_SS]

I was planning on:

Speedo
Tach
Fuel L
Volts
Water T
Oil P
Trans T

[ZZ430]

Speedo
Tach
Water T
Oil P
Oil T
Fuel L
Vac
Volts
Trans T

[86Cutlass383SR]

Hopefully I can add to this by asking another question...

Those who are/will be running a trans temp gauge...is this for an auto tranny and is there an advantage to running one in a manual tranny?

Doug

[shizzy]

factory speedo and gas gauge in the dash and a volt meter, coolant temp and oil pressure hanging under the dash. I dont run a tach since its a street driven auto tranny car.

[zbugger]

Here's my setup. Speedo, Tach, Fuel level, Volts, Water temp, Oil Pressure, Trans Temp, and Vacum. I still need Oil Temp and Fuel Pressure. I have the Trans Temp because of my automatic transmission, and Vacum because I learned to read one in school to diagnose engine internal issues. The other two needed guages will reside in the A/C vent in the dash. Or I'll rearrange my current setup to keep everything together. I haven't decided yet.

[zbugger]

Interesting topic and one I've thought a fair bit about. I'll be interested to see what people have done, or wish they'd done.

I'm planning on having:
Tach
Speedo
Oil-P
Oil-T
Water-T
Trans-T
Amperes
Fuel-P
Fuel-L

Not sure how to package it, let alone any additional gauges.

True, a Volts guage would be more useful than a Amps guage. Just to let you know.

[matthimself456]

Vacuum gauges are also very useful for increasing you fuel mileage. My Benz had one disguised as an 'economy' gauge and if I kept an eye on it while driving I could score a few more precious mpg's. It also told me I had a vacuum leak which I never could find.

Things like rearend temp gauges and things like that seem a little ridiculous on a street car but then again a friend of mine was nearly killed being thrown out of the t-bucket she was driving when the rearend locked up at about 75mph and it flipped over the guardrail.

Ultimately I'd like:
Speedo
Tach
Water temp
Oil Pressure
Volts
Boost/vacuum
Fuel level

[1969CamaroRS]

I was planning on:

Dash Cluster:
Speedo
Fuel Level
Tach

Center Console Pod:
Voltage
Fuel Pressure
A/F Ratio
Vacuum

A Pillar Pod:
Water Temp
Oil Pressure

Under dash:
Trans Temp
Oil Temp

[Mkelcy]

Dash cluster: 5" Tach & Speedo -reason is obvious

Elsewhere 2.625" - likely custom console
Oil-P - need to monitor
Oil-T - need to monitor
Water-T - need to monitor
Trans-T - because they make one
Volts - need to monitor
Fuel-P - EFI need to monitor
Fuel-L - need to monitor

[Tony_SS]

Good idea... Looks like I'm adding the Vacuum gauge to the list.

[whytry]

Here's my setup. Speedo, Tach, Fuel level, Volts, Water temp, Oil Pressure, Trans Temp, and Vacum. I still need Oil Temp and Fuel Pressure. I have the Trans Temp because of my automatic transmission, and Vacum because I learned to read one in school to diagnose engine internal issues. The other two needed guages will reside in the A/C vent in the dash. Or I'll rearrange my current setup to keep everything together. I haven't decided yet.

Damn Allen, I did not know you had this all done already! Looks good!!

I am running:

Speedo
Tach
Oil Pressure
Vac/Boost
Water temp
Volts
Fuel Pressure
Fuel Level

And then I am also running the FAST AFR and Devil Own progressive controller, not the typical 2 1/16 or 2 5/8 sizes so I put them sonewhere else.

[Damn True]

True, a Volts guage would be more useful than a Amps guage. Just to let you know.

Dang, I knew that. What a dope.

[cheapthrillz]

What is the point of runnin air to fuel ratio gauge? Is this good to monitor? How can you change it if it is not good? What can it help you to understand about the engine's performance?

[parsonsj]

I run all the usual ones (tach, speedo, w-t, o-p, o-t, f-p, f-l, volts), plus 2 brake hydraulic pressure gauges.

jp

[68Formula]

For extra information like trans and rearend temps, you might want to consider idiot lights instead of gages. If you go too crazy on gages, you're not going to be able to follow them all anyway.

Engine temp, oil pressure, voltage, tach, speedo, fuel, should be standard. Air/fuel can also be helpful.

Vacuum and fuel pressure setup as temporary while tuning. Or you can maybe put them in a less conspicous location.

[Jim Nilsen]

This is just starting to get good and I want to put some food for thought into this.

If you had 12 channels to record all of the pressures and temps so you could look back and see what was going on all of the time as the events happened for hours at a time what info would you be looking for ?

It really is a good way to look at it that you only need warning lights and not actual gauges to monitor some things because until you actually get a baseline you can't really set a good warning value, also since you can go back and look at the data so visually monitoring a gauge is uneeded once the warning parameters are set.

So let your dreams go wild and let's see where it takes us?

For what the cost of nice gauges are costing and what really nice gauges are costing these days, the price isn't that far out of a budget anymore and just a readjustment on a tire and wheel package can make enough of a difference to put you into the future with your gauges and it is much easier to change your tires and wheels later.

There seems to be a lot to discuss yet so keep it coming

[whytry]

What is the point of runnin air to fuel ratio gauge? Is this good to monitor? How can you change it if it is not good? What can it help you to understand about the engine's performance?

For me, it has helped a ton in terms of trying to tune it better and not just try to tune it via Vacuum gauge and feel. I get a good idea of when its running too rich and robbing power away at WOT on initial floor it, it let me know I needed to change my pump cam on the secondary and also when I needed to up the jets on the carb too, because it was too lean when reading it on the AFR....

I have a blower motor, so I want to be able to keep an eye on everything I possibly can, last thing I need is for it to be to lean and burn up before I can really enjoy it.

[Jim Nilsen]

Is there similarities between the info you get from and air/fuel and exhuast gas temps or do they give you comlpetely different tuning information?