degradated

I don't know why, but I've been thinking of getting this for the past day (Z series to match my other black gauges).

It's only $57, compared to about $150 average price for my Greddy gauges.

I'd have a hard time finding a mounting place, besides buying a 3 gauge pillar pod (which I don't want to waste my money on right now), or removing the cruise control button and carving out that area a little to make it fit.

What is required for the hookup (I'm guessing just some power/ground wires along with a hose to the intake manifold for air pressure and something spliced into my fuel line before the FPR for fuel reading)?

I have heard that these gauges are fairly inaccurate. Is it still better to have than nothing (I am going by an EGT now which is nice, but I'd like to have more of an idea of exactly what my air/fuel is).
I don't want a Greddy because it is only made in 60mm and will cost over $200. It will be harder to find a mounting spot for a bigger gauge like that.

Giuseppe

3 wires:

1. power
2. ground
3. and your last one gets spliced into your O2 sensor wire

LsTurbo91

I'd rather get the one's from gadgetseller.com, either the digital gauge or the modified autometer, it brings it down to .7 - 1v, each led is, .01 volt.

GSRwBOOST

The greddy gauge costs 200 dollars becuaes it comes with a wideband O2 sensor, which autometer doesn't come with.

if you can afford the greddy w/ wideband O2, i'd say get it.. its' much more accurate for boosted apps.

the autometer is a rough way of spending money for a fancy trinket that goes up and down.. it can be of some use in tuning, but only roughly...

honestly I got mine for the lights going up and down.. and the wow factor.. had i to do it over again.. i'd have gotten the greddy.

ForcedAccord

Yeah the LED's are cool, can't beat the way it looks, but I mean if you're in it for the long haul may as well spend a little extra money and get the greddy.

degradated

Damn...I wish they made the greddy in 52mm.

Can someone explain how a wideband works, or just why it is so much better than the traditional one?

The greddy is weird...it's numerical rather than having the digital lights like I see on the Autometer and a few other Air/Fuel gauges. I guess that would be more precise, but I kind of like the idea of digital lights giving a reading.

Jake, you still gotta take me for a ride. I wanna check out that thing bouncing around (the gauge).

LsTurbo91

the autometer comes in handy when your tuning in closed loop operation/idle, I would not be able to make my fuel map without it.

Adi Radoncic

Ever thought about getting a Halmeter?

It runs about $130 doesn't bounce like the autometer, its square you don't have to mess with drilling holes or buying pillars just fand a good location and velcro it.

HENRY

I run an Autometer A/F gauge for my turbo but the only thing I use it for is to tell if I'm rich or not while under boost. I cannot image doing any tuning off off this gauge as 90% of the time it just bounces back and forth while in closed loop. I only glance at it to make sure i'm in the rich when under boost. If that's your only purpose, then you can't go wrong with $50.

VTC_CiViC

In a word.. it sucks! Biggest waste of $50 in my life. Damn thing always reads lean like 100% of the time, and there's no way in hell i'm running lean with 440's on a D16 @6psi (I checked my plugs, their showing very rich). The meter is very easily swayed by electrical drag on the system (i.e. headlights make it read leaner than it is), so IMO, get something better than this garbage. I'm getting an EGT at first chance.

RGAZ

VTC-Civic,

Don't take this the wrong way but, I think you installed it wrong. I have seen many Autometer gauges and they read properly and never are effected by engine load. Where did you get your power? Where did you tap the O2 sensor? This gauge is one of the easiest things to install and is almost foolproof unless you install it wrong.

As for its effectiveness, it really is only useful at WOT to verify you aren't going lean. I use it as an emergency light, if it goes lean under boost, back-off the throttle cuz somethings wrong. I don't wait for the ping.

Its cheap insurance and it does dance around alot, I just wish it had a dimmer for night driving, that damn thing 4 inches from your face on a pillar pod can drive you mad at night!

Randy

VTC_CiViC

I don't recall exactly where I tapped it for power. I know I'm not alone with this though, other people have told me they have the same issue with their A/F gauges (readings distorted with the lights on). Autometer doesn't specifiy where to tap it for power, so I just used a good power source comming out of the fuse panel that comes on with the key. The O2 wire I tapped right off the white wire going to the ECU, it's gotta be thr right one because my A/F gauge behaves like it should, except when I've been driving for a little bit, it just sticks to lean and tickles stoich. Like I said, I check my plugs very regularly, the electroce/arch is a greyish/black color, and the insulator an dark off white, which accorsing to Helms is indicative of a rich mixture, never hear a single ping and I use nothing but the good stuff (Chevron 93), so I dunno about that A/F gauge, maybe mine is just screwy.

civicgsr

First, ctc_civic, it sucks is two words

Anyway, my take on the autometer gauge, as it's been very handly after installing a hondata, is that you can get a "rough" idea of your state of tune under harder driving. As it was pointed out, it does bounce around like mad when you are cruising. For $50, you get a general sense of what's going on.

You can go with $1200 lambda meters and other insane tuning equipment, but most people can't justify that kind of cost.

One of the arguments that always comes up, is that the Autometer gauge isn't as accurate as it needs to be. That's fine, but this goes back to being $50, and gives you a good idea.

If you are just using it to keep an eye on things, pick up the Autometer. If you are tuning, you will need a more accurate meter.

-Alex

PM-Performance

might as well not even waste the money. i have one that tells me im running rich all the time even with nos. . . . i took it to the dyno and found out that everyone is suprised my car didnt blow up yet , because it was running so lean . .
needless to say they are not accurate and a waste of money/

VTC_CiViC

It's VTC dammit Yea I know what you mean, I was just expecting something a little more accurate. It's not the bouncing up and down that bothers, it's the fact that it's giving me a very innacurate reading that displeases me so. Oh well.. off to the EGT's I go

Calesta

Can't get to CL Dave?

<-- Calesta

John_at_J&S

Here's a link to an MR2 forum, comparing the accuracy of the Greddy O2 meter to the new J&S Dual Monitor:
http://www.board.mr2faq.com/showthre...greddy+monitor

civicgsr

Sorry VTC_civic. Fat fingers

I can't believe, in the two cases on this topic, that the gauge would be reading wrong. It would have to be a defective gague or a bad O2 sensor. Or, in the case of OBDII cars, the wrong sensor is being used.

Just a thought.

-Alex

VTC_CiViC

For like 3 days dude, what the hell is up?

Etylorcen

Mine dancing around all the time if not hard on the throttle...ive heard its only really accurate at or almost at WOT. Oh well I got it free w/ kit...you're only boosting at WOT so it really doesnt matter. Plan on getting and EGT later when I get some more money.

LsTurbo91

HAH, that happened to me, you need to tap your ground wire with the ECU ground, your problems will be solved guaranteed.

civicgsr

I agree with your thoughts on lambda meters that run off of the stock O2 sensor. However, in the situation with my brother's car, he wouldn't understand what he was looking at. So, $50 for some flashing lights and a half *** idea of what the engine is doing isn't all that bad.

I had been looking at the wideband lamba meters on Hondata's site. Over a grand for one. However, if you are racing, and possibly have the ability to make some money back tuning or lending to other people, the $1000+ wouldn't be that bad.

dbman96

I want to know where someone got the idea that the $200 Greddy A/F includes a wideband O2 sensor.

VTC_CiViC

Thanks Ls, i'll give that a try

John_at_J&S

Motec uses a four wire Bosch LSM-11 sensor in their $3000 digital Lambda meter.

The LSM-11, though non linear and temperature dependant, is repeatable, so Motec built electronics to compensate.

Our Dual monitor has a "Cruise/Power" switch. In the "Power" mode, the calibrations are valid for an LSM-11 sensor, operating at 1450¡F. The display range is from 13.5:1 to 11.0:1. Over this narrow range, the sensor is linear, so no linearization electronics was required.

This low cost gauge does not temperature compensate the sensor, so ideally it would be used with an EGT gauge. If the EGT's are not kept at 1450¡F, the display will read one LED richer than it actually is for every 50¡F below 1450¡F, and one LED leaner for every 50¡ above 1450¡F.
http://www.safeguard.20m.com


[Modified by John at J&S, 9:12 PM 11/20/2001]