Recoomend me some gauges and boost controller for my setup

[Prelude Guy]

Hey guys,

I would like your input on what you think would be sufficient for my setup. I have a 240SX with Redtop, but I am running a GT2560R (stock S15 T28) turbo. I am trying to keep my setup as basic as possible. I only want parts that I truely need.

I drive my car VERY conservatively 98% of the time. There are some random times where I like to get on it. Usually very quick runs and I am done. I plan to take my car on track days (road course, not dragstrip. Usually 5 20-minute sessions) again. 1 to 2 a year. I will be running low boost most of the time, but I will crank it up to no more than 18psi every once in a while.

Can I get away without any gauges? If not, which ones would you recommend I check out? What boost controller and gauge? I was thinking about the AEM Tru Boost 30-4350 controller/gauge. Recommend something else?

Thanks!

[AsleepAltima]

vei has some nice gauges - accurate and the price is right. depends on if you like digital gauges though.
i personally use vei and autometer.
when im done with setup, im going with defi however.

[koukimonster139]

stack
stack
stack

[JohnnyDrfiter22]

check out dsport mag, they just did a boost controller article last month and a gauge article this month. But you gotta find what you are looking for in your setup, what functions you want with gauges like, peak/hold. Price/style. Check out the new Gizmo BC they are in the Marketplace right now for a nice price and seem to be very well built.

[Slidin240Wayz]

Defi

Boost

Water

Oil pressure

[sirfallsalot243]

Is water absolutely necessary?

[Z33dori]

Stri Racing X-line gauges
Greddy Profec B spec II

[nismo tuned s14]

i like defi's gauges but i cant speak from personal experience. (i have crappy autometer that im gonna rip out)

i have:

air/fuel ratio

boost

oil pressure

all of those gauges are necessary in my eyes, but you may be able to get away without them since your car is pretty much stock. if you start upgrading, i highly recommend these gauges. (i would actually get them now anyway)

[smelly240]

<3 my defi's

bf link ftw

[bardabe]

Apexi or Defi Nuff said.

[rps13sr20det]

it really depends how much money you wanna spend. There was a good deal in the advertiser thread for defi :) I will find the link ASAP

[Slidin240Wayz]

Is water absolutely necessary?


The most important on the SR...if you have an SR.

If you up the power, A/F as well.

[rps13sr20det]

Here ya go!!!!!

I think these seem like a great buy: I wanna hear more from people who have used these, seeing as they don't have a main control unit.

http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=167255

[burnsauto]

i use greddy 60mm's, love em.

what im running..
boost
oil pressure
oil temp
EGT
fuel pressure

I'll be using a yashio factory water temp gauge soon.

As far as defi's go. Great quality, super easy to set up. I've installed them on friends cars, very nice.

[fliprayzin240sx]

Boost, oil pressure and water temps are a must for an SR. Oil pressure cuz you get anything less than a bar and youre asking for trouble. Water temp due to the crappy on/off switch gauge we call a stock water temp. When that shit shows your engine is hot, its fucking overheating already.

[dorkidori_s13]

top of the line:
DEFI (period)

best bang for your buck:
STRI
Greddy
Apex-i
HKS

great for budget minded:
MEGAN

waste of money:
Autometer

those are just my opinion from the gauges ive used and researched over the last 6 years of owning 240s and my SR (yes ive had THE SAME SR for 6 years)

[flip3d]

are there any cheap sweeping gauges?

defi is great but a little pricey.

[Blown240sx]

Pro Sport all the way

Same stepper motors as Defi (the most important part of the gauge) but 1/4 of the price.

[brndck]

i'm running omori gauges and have no problem with em. you for sure need to get at least a water temp, boost, and oil pressure gauge; oil temp, egt and others should be installed as well but aren't as high of a priority

i also have a sard trigger boost controller. its super user friendly, with 2 boost settings at the push of 1 button, and also a scramble setting. it does double as a boost gauge, the only negative is that it reads in kpa, not psi or bar.

(my 888th post!!!)

[landins13]

if its a good accurate gauge i dont think brand really matters, the main things youll want are boost so you can make sure you arent leaking or spiking or problems of that nature, oil psi so you can monitor and be sure that it is proper since sr20's are notorious for blowing up if you bump the oil pan, air/fuel is good for tuning but not crutial and if its not a wide band dont even bother.... oooo look my gauge is red, now yellow, wait green, no one likes guessing games. as far as boost controllers go get a decent manual one there really is no point in spending the money for an ebc since you dont drive the car hard that much youll know the days you want boost turned up and you can do it when you get there, pop the hood "click, click, click" and youre good to go

[HalveBlue]

I'll just pretty much echo what everyone else has already said.

At a minimum:

Oil Pressure
Water Temp
Boost

I use Defi gauges to monitor my oil pressure and water temp. I have a Blitz boost controller that doubles as a boost gauge.

The stock water temp and oil pressure gauges are worthless because of the way they monitor their respective conditions. By the time the stock water temp gauge reads H you've already overheated your motor, and by the time the oil pressure warning light comes on you've probably already shredded a couple of bearings.

[g6civcx]

6 months ago I would have said Racepak, but right now I would not recommend this brand. Save your money and get something nicer.

[clark]

i personally run STRI X-Line oil press, boost, volts, and soon water temp and can vouch for their quality. they have mechanical and electronic. i'm running the mechanical gagues and absolutely love them, they have a nice selection of colors and what not.

[s15specR]

Defi

Boost

Water

Oil pressure

^ Thats really all you need, you can throw a wideband or EGT but thats it.

Defi

[s15specR]

double post

Defi is still good though

[claymans13]

Lots of autometer hating here. I guess their not jdm enough. I've never had one fail on me, or not read accurately. I mean i'm currently going to a stack setup, never in any of the cars i've built have I had a problem with my autometer gauges.

[IStop4NoMan]

i have pro sport also. i love them. cheap and easy to install.
if you get an electric fan setup, its a good idea to get water temp gauge.
definately need a boost gauge
A/f gauge wont do you any good on the red top unless you convert to a wideband.
oil pressure is always a good idea.
beyond that, i dont think you will need much more, for now

[Slidin240Wayz]

defi is great but a little pricey.

Quality costs money.

Do it right the first time.

[Firestorm]

i run an omori water temp and greddy oil temp, boost and EGT.

water temp is essential, OEM gauge is good for nothing. for example, when i installed my FMIC i noticed water temp is about 10°C higher than before depending on the situation. those are things you only notice if you run an aftermarket gauge. unforntunately my oil temp and EGT gauge aren't hooked up yet. oil temp is going on once i install an oil cooler and EGT when i upgrade the turbo, because drilling a hole in your exhaust manifold with the turbo on can cause serious damage (metal flakes) ;)

[g6civcx]

Lots of autometer hating here. I guess their not jdm enough. I've never had one fail on me, or not read accurately. I mean i'm currently going to a stack setup, never in any of the cars i've built have I had a problem with my autometer gauges.

I don't hate Autometer, but some of their cheaper gauges are not accurate out of the box.

[claymans13]

I don't hate Autometer, but some of their cheaper gauges are not accurate out of the box.

i've always used ultralite gauges, as far as I know they have never been off. Greddy, HKS, Apexi stuff is good, but they only cost 200 dollars because of their name. I don't need 'wow' factor in my gauges. I just need them to perform.

[s15specR]

Not thread jacking...........

So what about the boost controller, I'm thinking about getting the Blitz SBC ID-III Spec R or the HKS. I have the 2871r int. WG and I read an article saying the Blitz ae better for boost creep/spike etc.

Any input ?

[Avante]

Not thread jacking...........

So what about the boost controller, I'm thinking about getting the Blitz SBC ID-III Spec R or the HKS. I have the 2871r int. WG and I read an article saying the Blitz ae better for boost creep/spike etc.

Any input ?

the blitz sbc-id is extremely user friendly. it has 4 memory slots for you to save a program.

it also reads in kpa, psi, bar, etc. it also doubles as a boost guage.

the scramble boost feature is crap though.

great product.

[1cleanS13]

Defi

Boost

Water

Oil pressure

Agreed. My set up exactly. BF link all the way.

Defi is worth the price.

[blitzkrgCT9A]

A lot of guys here mentioned Defi BF series. They might be a bit pricey for some. But you can go with the new Defi blue/Red/White Racer gauges. They are electronic gauges and decently priced. They also have opening/ending ceremony like Defi BF series.

[white92_s13]

auto meter or pro sport are both good. i own both i run all auto meter ultra light gauges in my ae86 i have oil temp, psi, coolant temp, wideband, and a tach all work flawlessly.

i use prosport in my 240, i have oil psi and water temp. also work great for the price cant beat them.

[!Zar!]

I recommend some English classes first.

[GTS]

Wideband and Boost Gauge.

AEM Wideband UEGO + AEM Tru Boost.

For your application (which is the same as mine), set it and forget it.

You should run "safe boost" all the time - having more than one setting could lead to problems.

[240trainee]

Defi is awesome.

I plan on picking up some omori's one of these days

I have pro sports atm, they don't look horrible, and they get the job done for now.

[240trainee]

oh, and for BC, I want to try one of those Gizzmo ones, they look pretty rad, and the price is right.

saw a write up in a comparison, and they had better spool and smoother power than the other ones in the comparison, apexi, Blitz, Greddy. IIRC.

[justaKAiswear]

I would spend the money on good guages, I love STRI. I would not count out Autometer, they make really good quality products, the only knock I would have is their style.

I have had Autometer, greddy, STRI and Pro sport, Pro sport was the only one I really dont recommend. I was incredibly disappointed with the inaccuracy of their boost guages, I ran the mechanical with my HKS unit and the numbers were constantly different. My roommate runs the electronic with his Greddy EBC and the numbers are different as well.

If I were you and you wanted to run a cheaper guage setup, get

STRI/Defi/Autometer (even Pro Sport on these, they seem to work well)
Water Temp.
Oil Press.
Wideband


Use your EBC for boost guage. Greddy, HKS, or the Blitz ID.... I looooooove the Blitz SPC-ID, will def. be my next purchase :)

[Blown240sx]

I have had Autometer, greddy, STRI and Pro sport, Pro sport was the only one I really dont recommend. I was incredibly disappointed with the inaccuracy of their boost guages, I ran the mechanical with my HKS unit and the numbers were constantly different. My roommate runs the electronic with his Greddy EBC and the numbers are different as well.



Weird cause we tested the accuracy of my Pro Sport vs others and it was spot on. Were you pulling from the same source spot for your reading?

[Big Bronze Rim]

As I suggested on bf.c, you MUST have water temp - it is absolutely critical as the stock gauge is a joke and it never ceases to amaze me the amount of overheating problems people seem to have. At least you will know if you are about to kill your engine. Oil pressure and boost are also pretty much a given as well.

[RUTH'LESSDET]

6 months ago I would have said Racepak, but right now I would not recommend this brand. Save your money and get something nicer.
Whats wrong with racepak setup??

[g6civcx]

I recommend some English classes first.

For whom? My English is imppecable. Hooked on phoniks wekred for me :loco:

Whats wrong with racepak setup??

I posted my problems in the other thread. Generally the software is not good. I have a programming background and I can see that their digital logic is not quite tight. There are a lot of loose ends in the software and sometimes the system hangs up.

In particular, their user interface doesn't work as advertised in the specs. Some of the buttons have different functions than listed. Some of the settings get lost when you go into setup mode. Plus some minor annoyances.

The biggest problem is I still can't get my driveshaft sensor to read correctly although I've done everything they told me to do. I ordered new sensor so we'll see.

If this doesn't work out and gets worse, I'm selling it and going with a different setup.