Plan on picking up the PnP Nexus S2 kit at some point for my single turbo build and am wondering what other sensors I "should" pickup and what ones I "need" to pickup, whether it be replacing OEM sensors, or adding aftermarket. Already know I need a wideband and plan on getting EGTs as my manifold has provisions for one in each runner, but thats all on the "To Buy" list currently.

 

Realistically the 'need' to have on a street car is water temp and air temp. O2 is obviously super high on the list but if you break it down you don't 'need' one for the fuel model to function accurately once tuned but you certainly want one. After those three the two that are right on the edge of 'should' and 'need' on a modern modified car are oil pressure and fuel pressure.

Next down the line (for me) in order of importance would be Flex fuel (that also can be configured to provide fuel temp), oil temp, EMAP (depending on your build and what you're doing this may be more important).

After that it really all depends on how much of a dork you want to be/if you're trying to do development or whatever with a couple pre/post temperature sensors for weird deltas, same with pressures.

 

Yeah, obviously the sky is the limit with the amount of sensors and data that you collect, but this is just a fun street car, so I'm not going to motorsports level of data collection and development. Was really just looking for things that would make the life of whomever tunes this thing easier, as well as updating anything to allow the ECU to work as well as it can. I know next to nothing about the sensor world, but I do know that its improved considerably since the FD was first built.

I had considered a Flex sensor, but I don't really have plans to run anything other than pump gas. Unless there is some other benefit to running one. And how important would an EMAP be/ what are the benefits to running one? I have provisions for it in my manifold, but I had just planned on plugging it.

 

Fuel pressure, oil pressure, and oil temp. Consider those mandatory. EMAP would be beneficial if you want use MAP/EMAP as your load source or if you’re wanting information to optimize a turbo and manifold combination. Otherwise, it’s just a number.

Ethanol is a wonderful fuel, if you have a properly prepared fuel system. More power, higher knock threshold, and lower temps.