I work in fabrication and we can get gauges from mcmaster carr for like 30 bucks. These are liquid filled, nice kit. Can someone give me a reason that we pay 150+ for a gauge ? or do we just do it because we can get a name embossed? Are Greddy gauges that much better than autometer?

I am sure that car gauges are better than industrial gauges (at least faster) but I can get +-2% for nothing.... fab a back plate and voodoo....

Just a rant....

--mike

 

Sensors in some cases. I know that's why the GReddy AFR gauge is so much more expensive. It's arguably one of the best narrowband AFR sensors out there (many people call it near-wideband). In most cases though I believe it is mostly just the name.

I'm pretty partial to VDO myself. Not the most visually appealing, but they're not bad. And the fact that they do a lot of OEM applications as well speaks volumes for their accuracy and quality.

 

I'm in the trucking industry. I grew up around trucks and race cars, and as long as I can remember, the only gauges I've ever seen in trucks are Isspro. Most trucking manufacturers use them. Peterbilt, Freightliner, Mack, Kenworth, you get the idea. My point is this, if these companies trust them to moniter 300-600hp turbo charged deisels that are known to last 500,000 plus miles, I think it's a safe bet we can trust them with our little 4 bangers. Not to mention there inexpensive...........That's my story and I'm stickin to it.......

 

are you talking about these?

 

Yeah, I was looking and drooling at Porsche's at the dealer a few weekends ago and noticed the top models with VDO gauges, was quite suprised when I see how cheap in price their aftermarket gauges are.

I think with Blitz, HKS, Greddy, a lot of it is paying for the advertising, marketing, etc. Blitz probably wins the award for coming out with exotic looking guauges, but the technology seems basically the same between those three.

It speaks a lot to me that Porsche would put VDOs in their 130K+ turbos, but then again, they probably get them designed exactly how they want.

 

I thought about getting this just for testing purpose...

but they are not lighted so i cant use these for inside the car...

For mechanical gauges, i think you are right, name brand like HKS or Greddy are overcharging a lot.

But for gauges like DEFI LINK, they are worth it becuase of the cool lighting and stepper motor driver electroic stuff... (still saving money to get my set!!!)

 

I went with VDO because I had them for another car and they work well. I also feel comfortable parking my car without worrying that someone will bust my window to take some $700 set of gauges. VDO's aren't fancy, but they work well and are reliable. The Vision series also match the Evo red gauges quite nicely. I plan on datalogging with a logger for more parameters and precise figures than what the VDO's provide.

 

Sorry for the quality. Camera sucks with no flash.

 

Last one.

 

Cheapest most reliable guages on the planet are used in small aircraft aplications. If a boost gauge fails (or is not accurate) on a car, you may break something and be stranded if that happens in an aircraft you fall out of the sky and die! Check out Westach guages.

Keith

PS: They tend to be functional, cheap, and (the down side) ugly.

 

I think your VDO set looks very nice; do mind saying what they cost to buy/install; and where you got them?

 

Got them from www.nhspeedometer.com
Oil pressure, oil temp, boost gauge and required senders, parts for <$170.00

 

Nice VDO gauges! I was browsing through the site you've posted. VDO specified that the turbo gauges read "0-30 In.Hg. to 0-25 PSI." What exactly does that mean? Does it read in PSI or In Hg?

Also, what gauges do people normally have? Turbo, Air/Fuel and EGT?

Thanks!

 

On VDO boost / vacuum guages the vacuum side reads in inches of mercury (Hg) and the boost side reads in PSI.

I have the factory add on guage pack, I am moving that to the upper din location, and the radio down to where the guages are now, I am also installing a Westach vacuum/boost guage in a carbon fiber guage pod on my steering column. I will replace the stock boost guage with an oil pressure guage, and the stock oil temp guage with a fuel pressure guage if I can find them in the correct size. Before I do serious tuning I will have a stand alone engine computer with data logging for my other perameters I want to monitor.

Keith

 

Hey, Fourdoor. You said you were replacing the factory gauges. I was just wondering why? Are they not a good quality or you just don't like the look? Just curious.........fo my own edumacation.