hey guys....I want your input as to whether you think that there is a big difference between what brand of gauges to buy? I am considering buying the Defi boost and EGT gauges over the Greddy gauges, but I can't justify the extra 300 price difference. With the Defi gauges, I have to buy a separate control panel....are the defi gauges worth it? or is it really just purely cosmetic?

 

i love my defi gauges. i cant say if there better then anythine else since ive never owned anything else. but i love they way they match my dash lights. and love the way the control unit works.

 

What's so great about the control unit?

 

i like the fact you only have to run one wire from the control unit to the gauges. Makes installation so easy. (rest piggy back of each other.) you can control the brightness of the guages from the control unit. you can set warrning lvls for each gauge seperate. it will record up to 3 minutes of playback. can show you peak lvls.

i got my control unit brand new off ebay for 89 bucks. yeah its an extra 89 bucks to spend but i love the fact i didnt have a wiring mess. all the sensors stay in the engine bay and i can just route in the digital cord. plug it in to the controll box and done.

 

Wow, that does sound really nice and well worth it.

 

$250+ for one gauge? That seems pricey.

 

i paid 220ish each shipped (2 day shipping) from hong kong. american sites have them for more. so i would look elsewhere

 

I've run a few gauges. Defi, Autometer, SAGA, Greddy...

Personally, I think Defi is well worth the extra money for the features you get. I wouldn't run anything else on my car/future projects.

Greddy was nice, but as stated before, there is a bit of wiring mess.

Autometer and saga are ***.

 

The thing is...most of the brand name gauges are functional and excellent and very comparable to each other. Too bad you're a little late to the party for the old Defi-D gauges. IMO, those looked the best and was cheap too, and did not require a control unit.

Frankly, I think the Defi Control Unit is stupid, but only b/c I'm looking at it from a perspective of money. Paying around $100 for a unit that can record and warn for me is overkill. I can say 99% of the time I would not need any of the features from the unit. The current series of Defi gauges are all kind of pricey....but I'm comparing them to the old Defi-Ds. Defi's new "entry level" gauge is call the Blue-Racer series...but I think they look rice and def. doesn't match our interiors, and appears to be too bright...an issue if you drive outside of the city at night.

If all you need are guages, I would just go with Autometer b.c they're the cheapest. If you care about looks, I think Defi Link or BF series look the best.

Also have you checked out 42DraftDesigns? They have VDO gauge, hardware, and mounting solution packages that is very very resonable. They are less "flashy" but very professional in look.

 

sounds nice.

 

i will go with stewart warner guage,affordable and accurate

 

GReddy has a good gauge for the money 150 for boost, the amber back light isnt a perfect match, but its not bad. wiring is simple, and the sensor seems to be pretty accurate (compared to dyno boost sensor).

If you want a perfect lighting match i think the BF Ambers from Defi is the closest.

 

i wish they made the Amber Defi-Links in the 52mm size.....i would definitely hop in those. I just think that the 60mm BF series are just too damn big! Im not blind so i dont see the point in having those, and the 52mm are perfect size.

 

+1 . is this even a thought in the Defis god's minds??

 

If the color the gauge is your concern, don't buy gauges. What's the point?
I have somewhat of a jaded opinion. If I'm harsh about this, I apologize. Here's my opinion.

You buy gauges for a reason. To tell you what's going on. Gauge decisions shouldn't be by company, it should be by functionality.

A good gauge will have a peak/hold feature and warning.
Playback is somewhat of a gimmick. I can see it being useful for seeing boost taper...but not much else.

I used to be influenced by all the other gauge buying tards on these car forums... I even went so far as to buy a set of them.

Never again. The cost of these gimmicky gauges? $500? Think about what you are paying for.

EGT and Boost? You can't monitor or tune your car with that. It's basically for other people to look at when they get into your car. I laugh when I get into a car and I see all these gauges popping up everywhere. Do the drivers know what they do? Maybe half the time. Do they know what to do if their gauge reads high or low? Do they tune their own car? Fancy gauges impress dumb people. That's about it.



I tune myself. Here is what I plan on running for gauges:
Blitz SBC ID V3 (Boost gauge with peak/hold built into boost controller)
LC-1 Wideband

Do you need anything else?
If so, ask yourself why and what you're going to be using it for.


EGT? unless you're going to be road racing and hitting some long-assed straightaways without any idea of what timing you're gonna run...you don't need an EGT gauge.

It's sort of the retard brother of the wideband.

Get a wideband first.