Gauges, What's Your Opinion?

[IBoughtASupra]

Ok, so I am building my engine and I need some advice on gauges. I have used the ProSport Premium Peak/Warning gauges before and they were fine, just seemed cheaply made but were accurate when compared to the standalone, so I am not sure if I should go with them again.


I am looking to get a Boost, Oil Pressure, Water Temperature, and AFR gauges. I also want them to match and a "daisy chain set," would be a plus, but not needed.

I have looked at a lot of brands and found out some pros and cons on a lot of forums such as the EVO, Honda, Subaru, Porsche, BMW, Ford, Dodge and GM forums.

Here is my list:

DEFI's
Pros
Extremely Accurate
Control Box To Record Runs And Peak Values
Peak/Warning Chime

Cons
Price
Read That Since April 2010 The Imperial Units Were Cancelled
Don't Know If To Choose The Racer Version Or Their BF Version, Same Quality?

Prosport
Pros
Accurate
Daisy Chain
Price

Cons
Looks To Be Cheaply Made, But Accurate According To The Standalone

AEM
Pros
Digital
Good Quality
Decent Price

Cons
I Don't Know Any

Autometer
Pros
Can Be Replaced Quickly
Good Quality
Variety Of Styles
Nascar Uses Them

Cons
Reading About People Having A Lot oF Failure With The Lower End Of Gauges
Seems Like The Pro Comp Series Is The Most Reliable

So what do you think? I already have a price quote on the ProSports and AEM. I am working on seeing the price of Autometer and Defi gauges. I am not really worried about the price as I will spend to get good quality but we all know paying more is not always better. I only choose brands that have eletric senders as I don't want to run lines into the cabin, less chances of leaks.

Let me know what you guys think and pictures of your gauge setup are welcomed because I am stuck on AEM and Defi's right now but look at the other two brands, one which I have used already. Thanks!

 

[Compton74]

Ive heard awesome things about prosport, matter of fact i just ordered one today. Autometers are amazing although expensive, and just for your info nascar does not use autometer gauges, they use a gauge called a SPEK gauge, and there around 250 a piece for any gauge. In the 4 racecars ive ran with autometer gauges ive never ever had an issue, So if money is no value id go with autometer

 

[bioskyline]

i use manual gauges myself, but autometer is a good bet. i run the iequus in mine, but all manual

 

[IBoughtASupra]

Ive heard awesome things about prosport, matter of fact i just ordered one today. Autometers are amazing although expensive, and just for your info nascar does not use autometer gauges, they use a gauge called a SPEK gauge, and there around 250 a piece for any gauge. In the 4 racecars ive ran with autometer gauges ive never ever had an issue, So if money is no value id go with autometer

My mistake then. I just priced out Autometer and AEM is not that much more. The only problem I have with Autometer and AEM is that they don't have the peak and warning feature which Defi and Prosport have, unless they do have it and I am mistaken.

 

[Compton74]

well if you want that stuff and the nascar gauges, look in the the spek gauges by proparts, there gauges are pretty amazing but again you do pay for them as well but it doesnt hurt to look into it

http://www.propartsllc.com/

 

[CyFi6]

I won't ever buy a non warning/peak/hold premium prosport gauge again. The standard prosports seem to be low quality and inaccurate, but I love my premium series prosports.

 

[IBoughtASupra]

I know, the peak/warning gauges are really nice. It will sound an alarm at preset values to warn you in situations of overboosting and overheating as well as pressure drops. That is why I am leaning away from Autometer and AEM.

 

[hvyman]

Autometer nexus ftw. Only have 1 prob and thats they only come in 52 and not 60.

 

[IBoughtASupra]

Look at what I just found. Autometer has the peak/warning gauges.

http://autometer.com/cat_gaugelist.aspx?sid=11&opid=1&szid=2

I am going to call up some people and see the prices on what I can get. If they are reasonable, I will get those. USA made and are in many race applications and all of them have electronic senders.

I don't know if I will get the digital Autometer wideband gauge or AEM.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I have a prosport premium boost gauge. Good gauge, but a few things annoy me:

1. The little peg that you use to set everything rattles very slightly over bumps
2. The display is hard to see during the day in bright light in my A pillar pod
3. There have been two instances where the gauge has read high by 1.5-2psi. I say it read high, checked the peak feature, still showed high, turned car off, turned back on and peak was back to normal.

All in all, very good gauge for the money, but before I do my whole gauge set (replace factory gauges with more precise aftermarket) I'll do more research on DEFI and AEM and see what my options are. A prosport with a clear lens would be a nice choice.

 

[IBoughtASupra]

I agree. I believe I am getting Autometer.....they are excellent quality and precise. I am just waiting on price quotes now to see which one I am going to get.

You should still voice your opinion in here so we can have a thread with useful information to help other owners looking for gauges.

 

[HLVW wrecker]

the only AEM gauge i run is the W/B unit, all the rest are autometer sport-comp. how you goin to mount them? in the dash or separate pods? I plan on making mine go in the stock location

 

[IBoughtASupra]

I am going to use the Lotek triple gauge pillar pod. I used it on my other Supra and it fits with some trimming but it looks great. I ordered my first Lotek pillar pod from gaugepods.com and even though the site looks a little fishy for most owners, I went ahead and ordered through them and recieved it within three days of placing my order. It was a well spent 66 dollars.

I recommend them for anyone since I found it hard to find a triple pod for the Supra. The only thing bad about a triple pod is that if you are tall, I am 6' 5", you will need to watch out when getting in your Supra since you will hit your head against the pod.

---------- Post added at 03:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 AM ----------

I am going to be using there Pro-Comp Ultra Light.

 

[mk3tattoos]

as far as widebands goes, i like the innovate, i had the AEM, but sold it to get the innovate lc1 xd16. it is very accurate! i want to get the innovate boost gauge next.

 

[Bigdough666]

I run Autometer NV series gauges in my Supra for water temp, oil pressure, and boost. Have an AEM wideband. Never had any problems at all.

I am going to run Prosport gauges in my SC400, but only because they will match my stock cluster better.

My friend runs Prosport gauges in his Supra, they work fine, just had problems with the oil pressure gauge.

 

[SupraMedical68]

as far as widebands goes, i like the innovate, i had the AEM, but sold it to get the innovate lc1 xd16. it is very accurate! i want to get the innovate boost gauge next.

I think I might try the innovate digital wideband next and maybe the boost controller. Or at least the AEM analog products

I used the AEM digital boost guage and wideband, and all that Fing flashing made me want to punch babies. I don't think Supra1008 was very impressed w/ my setup either.

 

[RazoE]

My avatar is my autometer with the engine off, that'll tell you something about accuracy..

 

[IBoughtASupra]

My avatar is my autometer with the engine off, that'll tell you something about accuracy..

I am guessing it is not accurate? Is it showing 1 PSI when the engine off or is it the angle making it look that way?

My ProSports showed 0 PSI on the dot when the engine off.

 

[Dylan JZ]

Every manual boost gauge I've seen or used has been off calibration by at least 1 psi.. Knowing that, I still went with a manual STRI gauge and regret not going with the electric one. Plus, the lack of peak/hold function isn't ideal.

 

[suprarx7nut]

With my car off, it shows a pretty accurate -5.5in/hg. Which is pretty close since I live in Denver. so it should read about -5.4. **This is on my prosport premium.