If you could only have two gauges in your car, what would be the second one?
 

Obviously, the first one would be the boost guage, what would be the second most important?

Oil Temp
Oil Pressure
Exhaust Gas Temp
Water Temp
Air/Fuel Ratio

If the car is modified much past 350 at the wheels, a wideband AFR is essential. Most people have PFCs with commanders so no need for water temp. With stock ecu water temp is the obvious choice.

Fuel Pressure Gauge sitting right beside the boost pressure gauge.

Water temp, with the caveat that, yes, the PFC has one. You cvan either buy one, or consider it in the cost of the PFC, but IMO, it's more important than a boost guage.

Oil temp is a good idea if you track the car. Fuel pressure and wideband AFR are nice ideas, the latter particularly if you're doing your own tuning, but i've got to wonder whether as "safe guards" they're really THAT valuable... if there's a hickup, what the chance you'll be staring right at the thing and be able to coordinate your throttle foot to save it?

I consider the fuel px and AFR 'early warning devices.' seldom will systems in the car just spontaneously fail, typically there are some telltale signs that something is amiss. My wideband is an essential part of the car--the intake temp correction map on the PFC is notoriously horrible.

If during any driving condition you can't trust that it's safe to hold your right foot to the floor without looking at some gauge I would insist your setup is severely lacking.

Water temp would be my second gauge but it's also possible to linearize and correct the stock water temp gauge rather than installing an aftermarket one. If it were done that way oil temp would become the second gauge IMO.

wideband AFR gauge if you have a PFC
water temp gauge if you dont have a PFC

Another vote for Water Temp.

Please elaborate. My "set up" is pretty much stock, like yours. You don't think guages are useful at all?

Damon....how would you go about correcting the stock water temp gauge?

I agree with all of that. I have 3 gauges in a din panel: Water temp, oil temp, and boost.

Disclaimer: I have not done this mod, and cannot vouch for how it works .......... and stop calling me Damon ;)

http://us.share.geocities.com/sdrx7_...structions.pdf

Correcting the stock water temp gauge -
I did this to my car a few years ago and I have the printout, but of course I can't find where I got it. I think it was the San Diego club site. And I forget the fellows name who did all the work designing it, so I can't give credit where credit is due.

It works great, once you calibrate it (a simple process). The gauge stays on the first bar above "C" until you get the engine warmer than "normal". Then it moves - it moves constantly with this mod.. When it gets to the red bar up at "H" you shut it off because it is about to boil.

It involves removing the gauge from the cluster, soldering a jumper wire on the gauge circuit board, and reinstalling the gauge. Then you assemble a small metal box with a potentiometer (25 ohm) and a resistor (100 ohm) to ground inside. It's wired in series with the temp. sender (above spark plugs). Finally, you make a "calibration cable" which consists of a resistor in a wire (22 to 25 ohm depending on how you set up your car). You connect the calibration cable (which replaces the sender unit), turn on the ignition, and set the pot. so the gauge reads "H". Then you remove the calibration cable and plug the unit into the sender, and, as the writer says, "Drive around with a big grin on your face".

If you do this mod. be ready to be scared by how much the gauge moves (showing how much the engine coolant temp. actually varies).

I have a two gauge centre speaker pod, with the boost gauge in one position. I've always wanted to install a wideband gauge in the other position, but they are rather expensive and I don't really need one, so it's still vacant.

[QUOTE=DamonB]If during any driving condition you can't trust that it's safe to hold your right foot to the floor without looking at some gauge I would insist your setup is severely lacking.

Exactly!! That is why my second gauge is the gas gauge and my first gauge is the speedometer!!! :)

I agree, but in my experience the PFC is very slow when it comes to showing a change in the coolant temperature. I run a water temp gauge with the sensor located in the thermostsat housing. I can see if my temps are increasing or decreasing much easier with the guage than with the PFC.

I would have to go with a water temp gauge with a warning light.

water temp if ya dont have pfc. Oilpressure if you got pfc

Exactly, For water temp alarm I use a warning light (an autometer mini lite w/ longacre thermo switch) with a sensor taped into the thermstat housing. 2nd gauge is Oil Temp responds quick to engine temp changes.

PFC is set to read out WT, Knock, Inj Rate and air intake temp ... these are for secondary info and recording of peak.

A tach and a fuel level gauge. :)

-Max

You can use a single water temp sender that incorporates the signal for the gauge as well as an additional connection for the warning alarm. That way you only require a single sender. The senders below are VDO, but they will work with many other gauges:

http://www.egauges.com/vdo_send.asp?Sender=250F_120C

what about a whenismyenginegoingtoblowup Guage?

I Have a wideband in the steering column which is very important to me. My water temp is on the PFC. I would say after wideband I would go oil temp, if the boost gauge is assumed to be there.

I personally think I have the minimum amount of gauges necessary for a powerful single setup. I have boost and oil temp (defi link series in the center speaker pod), wideband in the steering column, and the pfc commander with water temp mounted using the cigarette lighter. I can see them all very well while driving...

If I lost Fuel pressure, my wideband would tell me that right away. But a fuel pressure gauge would be nice to have with Defi's system of relating fuel pressure and boost, to a warning light...

Widband then Oil temp. I have the innovate and it's great. I had an air/fuel ratio gauge and it's a waste of money.

My votes for the water temp. gauge.

Same here. PFC covers the rest.

wideband.