Mechanical gauges

[SirWarrior]

As I am patiently awaiting arrival of every single part of my SR car, I want to get some cool gauges.
I like the full sweep of mechanical ones, and everywhere I read, someone has something bad to say about them. But is anyone here actually running a mechanical gauge (oil press/temp or water temp)???
I don't want any JDM gauges, as I beleive they are waaaaaaaaaaay overpriced. Autometer has some full sweep electric ones, but they still are about 150bux a pop. and they have a crappy lighting. VDO vision is the gauge for me. about 30bux each :D

[skatanic28]

i think people dont use them for a reason. does having hot oil and water under pressure coming into the cabin sound like a good idea to you? im sure if you did it right there wouldnt be any problems, but it seems like a pretty big risk and pain in the ass to me.

[SirWarrior]

thats the argument i see on every board I visit and in every search I do.
thats why I asked is anyone actually running one.
I would hate to dismiss them, as they are far more accurate than electric ones.

[SirWarrior]

PS. water temp gauge uses catipilarey (sp?) tubing, so no hot water comes into the cabin ;)

[mrmephistopheles]

that's the biggest drawback, running the risk of having fluids released into the cabin.

[skatanic28]

if you are boosting and tuning to the point where the precision and accuracy of a mech. gauge is needed, then i guess thats what you should do. i dont know exactly how off an electic would be, but i doubt the few degrees of water temp or psi of oil pressure is really gonna hurt you. boost on the other hand, i would not mess around with.

[SirWarrior]

i dont think they make non mechanical boost gauge.
but you do make a good point, the few degrees won't matter, but there is something about full sweep gauge that makes me :loco:

[SirWarrior]

Seems that there is answer to my prayers.
ISSPRO makes 270deg sweep gauges that arent overpiced!!! YAY!!!
for under 70bux each. Which is half of what autometer charges. NICE!!!
here's a link
http://www.egauges.com/vdo_bld.asp?Series=EVA&Cart=#Engine%20Pressure%20Gauges%20(Electrical)

[AKADriver]

Mechanical gauges aren't FAR more accurate. more, but not a HUGE amount.

I've never heard of ISSPRO before. Autometer may be expensive, but at least they're cheaper than "JDM" brands, and they're a known quantity.

[Grandpa]

I ran a mechanical oil pressure gauge for over 6 years, and never once did it leak, explode, or urinate. Just run copper lines instead of plastic ones, copper like the kind you get w/ autometer gauges (OMG! I said the A word).

Now I do run GReddy p/h/w gauges, but I wanted the extra features for tuning.

-john

[SirWarrior]

Mechanical gauges aren't FAR more accurate. more, but not a HUGE amount.
Well I say they are more accurate because IE:
temp changes by 10F, both gauges will show the increase but the full sweep ones will move the arrow 3times as much than the 90deg sweep ones.
These ones are full sweep and electrical.
Seems that mechanical oil pressure gauges aren't allowed in some racing circles so they are out :-/

[F3600]

Its not really dangerous.... my mechanical gauge line was spliced because i misplaced the line in my engine bay .. the engine torqued and spliced it over the alternator ... its no fun to see a long puddle of oil folowing you after a small race with a rsx ...

just be carefull where you place the line..

[mjjstang]

as far as gauges go autometer are reasonable, decent price for decent performance, there is a reason those other gauges are cheap, and im guessing its cause they are not very good, but as ive never heard of them, I cant tell you they suck, just a hunch.

[SirWarrior]

as far as gauges go autometer are reasonable, decent price for decent performance, there is a reason those other gauges are cheap, and im guessing its cause they are not very good, but as ive never heard of them, I cant tell you they suck, just a hunch.
Sorry, too many bad stories about autometer truned me off to their products.
Seems that their gauges have issues.
And I dont buy into the JDM hype gauges. Just overpriced, nothing better about them than any other gauge.

[AKADriver]

thousands of racers depend on autometer. they work.

meanwhile, no one has any idea what these ridiculously cheap gauges are. but I'm guessing if they're a third the price of a gauge that you already think is bad, they're not going to be better, dude.

you get what you pay for, usually. some of the cost of Japanese-made gauges is just the cost of importing them in small numbers. plus they usually have prettier lighting, nicer wiring harnesses, etc.

[GlacierFreeze]

Anyone frequent any domestic auto forums? If so, what brands do they run/suggest?

[skatanic28]

autometer really seems to be the standard for decent gauges. quite a few different model lines, with most at good prices. the only one ive ever heard complaints about is the afr gauge (when used with a narrowband o2).

[Yoshi]

Sorry, too many bad stories about autometer truned me off to their products.
Seems that their gauges have issues.
And I dont buy into the JDM hype gauges. Just overpriced, nothing better about them than any other gauge.

I'd have to disagree here.
I run both autometer, GReddy, and Omori gauges.
There is a definite built quality difference. Autometer stuff is all plastic, and kinda fragile by comparison to the JDM gauges, which are heavier duty construction. You'll also notice a difference in the action of the sweep... kinda like the difference in precision between a rolex's perfectly fluid second hand and an armitron.

They both tell time.
They both work just fine for their intended purpose, but one just works better than the other. Does that warrant the huge price gap? 90% of the time, no, but there is definitely more of a difference than just "hype".

[SirWarrior]

Does that warrant the huge price gap? 90% of the time, no, but there is definitely more of a difference than just "hype".
Thanks for your honesty.
Just wondering if you are running mechanical or electrical gauges.

[mjjstang]

Just wondering if you are running mechanical or electrical gauges.

electric mostly, Im not in nascar and could care less if my second hand is a little off.