Do I need aftermarket gauges?

[BongRips]

So I'm starting the build on my car in the spring and trying to keep it as stock looking as possible. So my question is do I really need aftermarket gauges in my car? Now I know that stock gauges are basically idiot gauges but after all the tuning is done via the haltech ecu, since all the stats are on there, do I really need gauges in my car while I'm driving it?

[trickey1991]

well if u wanna run more than 7lbs you wil need a boost gauge for sure cuz you wanna no what your boost is 100%. I would also suggest water temp because the stock ones dont tell you the temps so you wont know if your car is running 180 or if its running 220 . Also a oil pressure gauge, thats self explanitory and once again stock isnt always accurate.. I would at least get those 3 .. Personally I love the gauges I bought by STRi and for the price you cant go wrong, dont think i paid over $100 for each gauge and theyre very accurate. Just my 0.02

[BongRips]

Well if I need to run gauges it'll be oil pressure, boost, egt, and an aem wideband. That should be good enough to monitor everything necessary right? I just really don't wanna run aftermarket gauges and keep a clean inside but I guess I need them for safety haha

[trickey1991]

id run a water temp too just to be safe..you can get clean vent deletes or dash mount like mine ..same as this pic



some guys also move there radio and climate control down and throw them up there like the GTR's

[IMG]<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/r32%20skyline%20vent%20delete" target="_blank"><img src="http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn94/Nelsonmxmarc/DSC_0059.jpg" border="0" alt="r32 skyline vent delete Pictures, Images and Photos"/></a>[/IMG]

vetn deletes




Marc Nelson makes them for cheap aswell (youre welcome nelson, if you see this

http://nelsonmx.wordpress.com/services/r32-skyline-gtrgtst-parts/

[TheyKilledKenny]

You won't need a EGT if you're running a wideband, they're basically showing the same thing. The wideband does the AFR math for you.

[frankiman]

btw the stock boost gauge goes up to 13,5psi not 7

[trickey1991]

im an idiot forgot its mmhg

[DreadedFist]

If you do any kind of hard driving, I'd have a water temp gauge. Water temp can be indicative of oil temps, but you can run both if you want to know exactly what both are. Make a mount in the glovebox and open it when you want to have the info available, keep is closed when driving normally to retain stock look.

Edit: People think that an EGT gauge isn't important, but I disagree. A wideband will tell you air fuel ratios, but won't tell you egt's, especially if you're unsure of ignition timing. Richer afr's with advanced timing will produce lower egt's, while leaner afr's with less timing will create hotter egt. It's just another thing that's good to know, imo.

[clone]

The only aftermarket gage I have is A/F. mainly because when I first got the car I dynoed it.
My datalog showed I was running Lean. Now I corrected that problem and constantly monitor it.

[cobrAA]

sure you do and you should buy my matching set of 4 stri gauges. iol temp water temp, boost and oil pressure!

[BongRips]

Then only problem with vent or din deletes is I want to keep my vents so they can blow cold air on my face when I'm sweating on 35 degree summer days. Plus my din pocket under my radio holds my turbo timer. I have been considering replacing it with an ARK timer as they are nice a small and can be neatly tucked away in the dash

http://www.arkdesign-us.com/products/electronics/stb-simple-turbo-timer

[krystalized_jdm]

If you're doing mods to your engine I'd recommend going with aftermarket gauges for a few reasons

- Shows irregularities or spikes in whatever the gauge is monitoring
- Looks bad ass as ****
- Gives you peace of mind seeing your engine, and parts working safely and correctly
- Refer to the second point
- Gives a more precise reading of whichever the gauge is for (oil temp, boost since oem is in bar =/ etc)
- It makes you go faster (kidding)

[BongRips]

Thanks for the input, but 1, 3 and 5 are basically just repeating the same thing and 2 is a personal opinion. I think they add unnecessary clutter to an interior that could look clean and oem and fully function.
I realize now that I need gauges, just trying to keep them at a bare minimum which is the only thing I need suggestions on now. I want to limit my gauges to three max. I will obviously be putting a boost gauge in, along with an oil pressure gauge. For a last gauge I don't know what to get. I was thinking water temp or oil temp. Advice?

[TheyKilledKenny]

Oil temp cuz u already have a oem water temp gauge in the cluster.

[collector240sx]

If you don't want any clutter, you could go with something like a Greddy multi gauge.

http://www.velocityfactor.net/scripts/prodview.asp?idproduct=2385

Just took the first site that popped up in google.

Edit: Would still recommend/need a wideband....