What type of gauge is better?

So which is better: mechanical or electronic gauges?

Also, any suggestions on which brand or style best matches the look of the factory gauges?
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
Better in what aspect?
 

Spamby

Meat Product Toy
Both have advantages as well as disadvantages.

A mechanical gauge, you'll need to route the source or substance directly to the gauge to get a reading. So in the case of oil pressure or boost, you'll need to run tubing to the gauge itself. If the tubing were to crack or fail at our near the gauge, or the gauge fail itself, or anywhere for that matter, you'll have oil or gas or noxious engine air escaping into the drivers compartment or wherever the leak occurs.
The electrical setup, typically has a sending unit in some cases so the plumbing is either short or non existent. However, you have more failure points in the case of sending units and other electrical issues. And you have the headache of more wiring.

I tend to stay away from mechanical gauges now just because cleaning up things like oil in the car sucks or smelling the crankcase while the failed boost line is venting under the dash. Been there and done that. Lol

As for accuracy, I dunno what's better? But I'd pick electric any day.
 
I prefer electrical most of them are same as accurate as the mechanical. I have been using innovate motoraports. The built quality of the gauges is super and accurate. I daisy chain them so i can log them all.
 

HolyCrapItsFast

Drinks beer!
Accuracy is arbitrary anyway. It totally depends on the manufacturers calibration procedures and wild discrepancies can be seen in either mechanical or electrical gauges. Quality and source has allot to do with it. Just buy your gauges from a reliable manufacturer and you probably won't go wrong. As Spamby suggests, the electronic gauges are better for the reasons he pointed out.
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
Electronic.

I have the MadDad gauge that matches the interior pretty well. Not super impressed with aspects of it, but I do like the 3-in-1 form factor.

You do have to consider if you'll want to use it for logging or just visual monitoring--that could lead you in different directions.
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
So how is the Cobb AP (V3) for use as a gauge?

I think it's ok for some things.

But it's only as good as its sources. There's no wideband for it to display, no EGT, I dont recall an oil temp/pressure signal, etc...
 
[MENTION=652]Grinder34[/MENTION] what is a "wideband?" I've seen that mentioned elsewhere, but I don't know what it is.
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
[MENTION=652]Grinder34[/MENTION] what is a "wideband?" I've seen that mentioned elsewhere, but I don't know what it is.

Air/fuel gauge. Also called a wideband. There is a narrow band but i dont know about them to give you an explanation. Someone else can chime in and describe them in detail. If i can ill find out the info and add here.

so from my understanding, the accessport is a narrow band and an aem with a separate o2 and bung in your downpipe is a wideband. Wider range of volts to monitor specific afr.

http://www.infinitegarage.com/the-difference-between-a-wideband-and-narrowband-air-fuel-gauge/
 

Spamby

Meat Product Toy
I understand the front sensor, the AFR sensor, pre turbo, to be a wideband. The fact that it is limited to 11.1 AFR and the resulting exhaust pressure at the pre turbo location limits its ability to be accurate during things like WOT monitoring or tuning.
The rear is an O2 sensor and narrowband.
Technically, the Cobb AP is monitoring a wideband sensor.
Someone correct me if I'm drunk and high again.
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
The accessport is limited to a certain range with the afr reading thats why i assumed its considered a narrowband.
[MENTION=4577]TK-421[/MENTION] [MENTION=9]HolyCrapItsFast[/MENTION]

I guess we will wait and see what the experts say. :tup:

Where is the o2 sensor that the ap reads located? (Is it the headers?)
 

TK-421

New member
[MENTION=1172]Alin[/MENTION] yes the AP pulls the AFR reading from the Primary Sensor in the header.

Either a LC-1 or a UEGO will be your best bet for a AFR gauge.

You can set up both to interface with the AP to log AFR when you log with your AccessPORT.
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
I just got an idea for a sticky.

How to determine whether an accessport or tractrix is better for you. :tup:
 

Spamby

Meat Product Toy
The accessport is limited to a certain range with the afr reading thats why i assumed its considered a narrowband.
[MENTION=4577]TK-421[/MENTION] [MENTION=9]HolyCrapItsFast[/MENTION]

I guess we will wait and see what the experts say. :tup:

Where is the o2 sensor that the ap reads located? (Is it the headers?)

Accessport reads what the ECU reads, nothing more. It doesn't make up its own logic.

I'd think you could move and recalibrate the sensor do some ECU magic and you'd have a more accurate wideband from the factory piece. But good luck with the ECU part lol
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
Accessport reads what the ECU reads, nothing more. It doesn't make up its own logic.

I'd think you could move and recalibrate the sensor do some ECU magic and you'd have a more accurate wideband from the factory piece. But good luck with the ECU part lol

IIRC with something like an LC-1 you can calibrate an output to replace the OEM o2 signal, and have a true wideband signal to monitor as well. But for the LC-1 the magic is in the LC-1 controller, not the ecu.
 
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