Gauge Types

August 21, 2018

Let’s talk numbers. Don’t worry, not the numbers you’re probably thinking of. These are the numbers you should be thinking of and watching most. Gauges - the only communication a driver has with his machine. A majority of the time with proper engine management and a reliable way to read what’s going on, the driver should be able to prevent mechanical failure or even stop before any damage is done at all. Gauges are a drivers best friend when it comes to in car communication. Water temperature, oil temperature, oil pressure, air/fuel, RPM, boost, the list goes on and on. So what gauges does your car need? Which gauges are best suited for your use? Electric or mechanical? What’s the difference? This blog is a breakdown on gauges and how the form/function works in every vehicle. Aftermarket gauges are universal to all vehicles, so whether or not you drive an import, domestic, turbo, or naturally aspirated vehicle, you’re going to want some type of gauge system installed in your cockpit.

MECHANICAL vs ELECTRIC

Mechanical vs. electrical - a common question we often get here at Grassroots Performance. All of our gauges are electrical sensor type gauges. This means that there is a sensor installed somewhere in your engine bay in regards to the system it’s monitoring. This sensor remotely reads a signal and sends it through a wire to your gauges in your cockpit. We often get asked “is there a cheaper mechanical version?” No. we do not sell or recommend the use of any mechanical gauges. Although proven to be just as accurate as an electrical gauge, the mechanical type gauge will actually bring the fluid it’s monitoring inside the cabin directly to the back of the gauge. This means that you will have scalding hot oil, water, fuel, etc, all entering the cabin of your vehicle. Heaven forbid should any crash or dismounting of gauges happen, but this would lead to a rainfall of burning fluids flying around your car. This is something we have seen far too many times while racing in the past and strongly suggest using only electric type gauges. All Grassroots electrical gauges are calibrated to be within 3 degrees of the OEM sensor.

WATER TEMPERATURE GAUGE

This is a must in any water-cooled vehicle. Water temperature will give you an accurate reading of your water or coolant. This is the fluid running through your radiator that is essentially cooling your entire motor. It is a vital aspect and a must when deciding on gauges. Anything from a radiator leak, to improper bleeding, will be easy to see on a water temp gauge. Not to mention with this standalone independent water temperature gauge it will be a much faster reading than a typical OEM IN DASH temperature gauge. Usually by the time your OEM temperature gauge reaches its point the damage is already done. How do you hook this up? Grassroots Performance has a simple solution. We offer an “In-line” temperature sensor adapter for all sizes of radiator hoses. This will quickly and effectively give you a ⅛’ NPT port to easily install a water temperature sensor without having the headache of drilling or tapping the water pump or engine itself. Going this route will also allow you to run your existing OEM water temperature sensor and will avoid the interruption of any stock OEM electrical system from the factory.

OIL TEMP GAUGE

Very similar to water temp gauge, the oil temp gauge is also a vital to any performance build. This will accurately tell you the operating temperature of your engine oil at any given time. Oil temp gauge will reflect the internal oil temp of what's happening in your engine and accurately and quickly display the results.

OIL PRESSURE GAUGE

This is one of the most important gauges you can buy. The oil pressure gauge will actively respond to On throttle, off the throttle, and idle situations of your engine along with others. Knowing the pressure of your oil is important because of constant changes and strain on your motor. Reading an oil pressure gauge is easy, once you know your average running pressure, you can keep an eye on what's happening. If you suddenly notice a drop in oil pressure, or for some reason see a spike, you know that something in your engine is not right, even though you may not hear or feel any difference, a prime example is a simple slide off into the dirt. You may drive back on track with no damage or weird sounds, but your oil pan was punctured or hit, and now your oil pressure gauge is out to lunch. You pull over and see a huge smack right in the middle of your pan. That $70 gauge just saved your motor. We speak from experience on this one.

BOOST/VACUUM

If you have a turbo or supercharged setup then most likely you will want to know what PSI you are running. A boost gauge will “T” into your vacuum lines and display the PSI or BAR you are running your turbine at. Overboosting or under boosting is a problem that may occur when initializing your setup.

AIR/FUEL GAUGE

An air/fuel gauge is a vital component to any boosted or custom tuned vehicle. This gauge monitors the ratio in which your engine is mixing air and fuel. If you have a setup that's running lean (too much air not enough fuel) you run the risk of blowing your motor. If your setup is too rich (more fuel than air) your engine will choke out and run terribly like a pig hence the term: #pigrich.. The ideal and most common ratio is 14.7:1, this means 14.7 parts of air to 1 part of fuel. If your vehicle is running an OEM computer and tune, then the Air/Fuel Gauge is not necessary. If you install a piggyback system or a stand-alone computer system, in which both of these setups need to be custom tuned- an air/fuel gauge is a must. NOTE: when purchasing an air/fuel gauge ONLY buy a wideband system. Wideband systems use their own designated O2 sensor for the most accurate readings. Do not use a narrow band gauge, they are inaccurate and a waste of time and money.